Ohio Issue 2: Mike Huckabee Urges Voter Suppression Against Opponents Of Anti-Union Measure
Mollie Reilly First Posted: 10/17/11 02:36 PM ET Updated: 10/17/11 03:25 PM ET
WASHINGTON -- Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee encouraged supporters of an anti-union ballot measure in Ohio to stop its opponents from voting, jokingly urging the crowd to let the air out of tires and intentionally give out a wrong election date.
"Make a list," said Huckabee, referring to supporters' family and friends. "Call them and ask them, 'Are you going to vote on Issue 2 and are you going to vote for it?' If they say no, well, you just make sure that they don't go vote. Let the air out of their tires on election day. Tell them the election has been moved to a different date. That's up to you how you creatively get the job done."
Issue 2 is a ballot referendum on Senate Bill 5, which limits collective bargaining for Ohio's public employees. The measure has been heavily opposed by pro-labor groups like We Are Ohio [ http://weareohio.com/ ], which emphasize that the bill would inhibit workers' rights. Voters will decide on the ballot initiative next month.
"These comments reflect an entire campaign of deceit from Issue 2 supporters. They are willing to go to any extremes to keep Ohioans from letting their voices be heard," said We Are Ohio spokeswoman Melissa Fazekas. "Enough is enough."
From traders to the homeless, protesters at the "Occupy Sydney" campaign in Martin Place say they have received more support from the public than expected.
People have donated books to the campsite at Martin Place. Photo: Glenda Kwek
"It's exceeding our expectations," Dion Frank, 32, who is manning a makeshift information desk at the campsite, said.
Mr Frank, a small business owner, was among about 40 people outside the Reserve Bank this morning. He said about 100 people slept outdoors last night.
"Our numbers grew last night. ... There's a lot of people approaching us to tell us they support what we are doing."
A noticeboard detailing the talks and events scheduled at the camp today. Photo: Glenda Kwek
He said the campaigners were even approached by people perceived as part of the wealthy "1 per cent" they are protesting against - traders.
"We had traders walking through about 2.30am," Mr Frank said. "I'm libertarian ... we talked about the true free market."
Peter Williams, 54, from Eastwood, stopped by at the protest site with his dog Achilles, 8, this morning. An odd job worker, he said he worked hard but had been burnt many times, "usually from other people's greed".
Police on horseback attend the Occupy Sydney protest outside the Reserve Bank in Martin Place last night. Photo: Steve Lunam
"My grandfather fought against the Japanese in World War II. Australia was built on spirit, pride and honesty. But the pride's been crushed and the honesty's disappeared.
"It's time to turn back the clock and make Australia [into] Australia again."
The global movement, which started in New York as "Occupy Wall Street" on September 17, celebrated its one-month anniversary today.
The New Yorker magazine imagines what banners the "1 per cent" would carry.
While the number of people who camped at financial districts across the US have been relatively small - with the biggest demonstration attracting 10,000 to 20,000 people, according to Agence France-Presse - politicians have started to take notice of the protesters' complaints in the lead-up to the 2012 presidential elections.
The movement has received implicit support from US President Barack Obama, who said during his speech .. http://www.smh.com.au/world/obama-hears-echoes-of-dr-king-in-occupy-protest-20111017-1ltfp.html .. at the unveiling of the Martin Luther King memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC: "If he were alive today, I believe he would remind us that the unemployed worker can rightly challenge the excesses of Wall Street without demonising all who work there."
A representative for the Wall Street protesters told the Associated Press they had collected nearly $US300,000 in donations.
"The frustration of protesters railing against the global financial system, and of the 54 per cent of Americans who polls suggest support their calls, is legitimate," the Times wrote in its editorial yesterday.
"The wonder is why it has taken so long for citizens to come out in popular protest across political boundaries. ... Whether or not the protests evolve into a more coherent set of demands, or even become a more lasting political force, remains to be seen. But the cry for change is one that must be heeded."
The newspaper's stance was reflected in an opinion column in The Australian Financial Review, a Fairfax Media newspaper, today.
Columnist Deirdre Macken wrote that while the wealth gap between the rich and the poor in Australia was less pronounced than in the United States, it was widening despite the economic crisis.
"Now, one of the criticisms of the local branch of Occupy Wall Street has been that Australia isn't nearly as unfair and unequal as the US.
"But at a quick glance, these ABS figures show that we're heading in that direction. In just the four years to 2009-10, the number of households in the top 1 per cent bracket of wealth (i.e. $5 million-plus) rocketed 60 per cent from 55,000 to 88,000. And that was in the post-global financial crisis period when wealth was supposed to be flattened among the executive class."
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