HIJINX IN UPSTATE NEW YORK

Troy NY is embroiled in a major voter fraud scandal. So far, 38 absentee ballots have been fraudulently cast and subsequently thrown out. Needless to say, accusations are flying. A special prosecutor, Trey Smith, has been appointed to investigate the allegations. There is little doubt that there will be arrests and prosecutions, and substantial jail time is involved.

At the center of this whirlwind is the Working Families Party. This is an ACORN affiliated group co-founded by Bertha Lewis, CEO of ACORN. One would think that this would indict the democrats, and there are many who believe 'rogue' democrats are at fault.

"As soon as I heard it -- I was mad, disappointed, frustrated," says Troy Democratic Chairman Frank LaPosta. He blames what he calls "a rogue group of Democrats," and says what happened "is beyond comprehension."

According to BigGovernment.com, "Because of the unique nature of New York State election law, candidates are allowed to be endorsed and appear on the voting machine ballot as the candidate of multiple parties, winning the cumulative total of all votes cast for that candidate on multiple party lines. Minor parties such as the Conservative, Liberal and Right to Life Party have played significant roles in New York politics."

But this little caveat is the opening needed for there to be some finger-pointing over who is to blame for the fraudulent votes. Bob Mirch, the majority leader of the Renssaeler County legislature, is a Republican leader who often runs candidates on the WFP line in order to work the system to garner additional votes for conservative candidates. This process is not unlawful, and is viewed as simply a legal way of gaming the system. But Republican/Conservative use of the WFP is why there are those who are placing the blame on Republicans, namely Rensselaer County Democratic Chairman Tom Wade and Troy City Council President Clem Campana:

"A former 18-year Democratic county elections commissioner himself, Wade puts the blame not on his party's political operatives, but on Mirch, and is calling for a countywide investigation of absentee ballots. He says he does not know if the allegations are true.
"I have known Bob Mirch long enough and well enough to know he would not pay private investigators to provide information that was not beneficial to his political agenda. This entire investigation is a smokescreen to cover a back-door pay raise" the legislature granted itself, he claimed. He calls the allegations "a diversion" created by Mirch for political reasons. But the accusations and affidavits are now the province of Trey Smith, a lawyer and former prosecutor, who has been appointed as a special prosecutor to investigate the scandal. Many of the people we talked to in Troy believe his findings will eventually lead to prosecutions."

It sounds like the usual liberal projection, though. Expect the Neo Pravda media to follow this line of thinking - at least until the investigation proves otherwise. Then you can expect them to not report it at all. Mirch's use of the WFP to level the political playing field, though necessary, has given his liberal opponents temporary cover.

By all accounts, the fraud would have tipped the election in favor of Democrats, so that in itself should tell you who is at fault, but this is a country where innocence is presumed, so a full investigation must be concluded first.

It will be interesting to see how Bertha Lewis tries to distance herself from this if it gains steam (I wonder which employee will be taking the fall), but, more importantly, how will the White House distance themselves? Patrick Gaspard, the White House's political director, was Bertha Lewis's right hand man during his time with ACORN, worked with ACORN in upstate NY to set up WFP and sat on the board with Bertha Lewis.

I'm sure there is no relation to Obama whatsoever. Hey, I managed to write that with a straight face - I must be getting really jaded....

Patrick Gaspard is a highly regarded member of the Obama administration (the Huffington Post calls him Obama's 'Glue Man') who has a long history with democrat politics and union organizations. Gaspard's involvement in SEIU, WFP and ACORN fly in the face of Obama's assertion that he's 'barely aware' of ACORN's numerous ethics and criminal issues. This man is Bertha Lewis' direct contact with the White House. She has Gaspard's ear and he, in turn, has Obama's. The American Spectator has a great piece on Gaspard and his relationship with both Lewis and Obama.

The voter fraud in Troy and the WFP's connections to ACORN could potentially sound the death knell for the unholy beast that is ACORN and all of it's many affiliations. But, just like in horror movies, sometimes the beast rises again and, considering the political clout backing the organization, that scenario isn't too far fetched.

It certainly bears watching.