Keep an eye out

Since I historically write a lot about politics, it probably seems strange that the closer we have gotten to next week's vital mid-term elections, my posts have become less and less political. But, because the electorate obviously understands the big picture of these elections, and my writings over time have made it clear that I never side with the Democrat Party way of doing things, voicing my opinions about the minutia of recent weeks has felt unnecessary and, frankly, uninteresting.

Still, I can't keep myself from commenting about the mid-terms, if for no other reason than to warn my fellow conservatives to keep their foot on the gas and to not assume anything before the final gun sounds. Polls suggest that the GOP is in good position to at least regain control of the House of Representatives, but given the Democrats' long history of chicanery (deceased Chicagoans casting ballots for JFK, Al Gore trying to overturn Florida's entire statewide election by cherry-picking which counties to recount, Black Panthers threatening white voters in Philadelphia) I am nowhere near ready to believe all those predictions that say a GOP sweep is inevitable.

If you don't think voting fraud is a genuine concern, consider what has been reported recently about Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District, where the incumbent, Democrat Patrick Murphy, is facing a challenge from Republican Mike Fitzpatrick. As reported on The Corner blog on National Review Online:

New reports are emerging that could spell trouble for Patrick Murphy's campaign after it was revealed that his campaign manager controlled a post office box where voters were being instructed to send their absentee ballots. The ballots were then re-mailed to the county Board of Elections.

A letter from a fictitious agency, the "Pennsylvania Voter Assistance Office," was sent to an unknown number of residents across the 8th district in southeastern Pennsylvania warning them that their ability to vote could be jeopardized unless they returned an enclosed absentee ballot in a pre-paid envelope that went to a private post office box in Bristol, PA...

At the heart of the controversy is the unusual practice of a party not only soliciting absentee voters, but specifically directing the ballots be returned to the party -- rather than directly to the board of elections.

While Democratic operatives insist there was no wrongdoing, the mere fact that ballots were directed to their private post office box before being received by the county raises a cloud of suspicion over the motive for receiving and holding the ballots.

In other words, local Democrats with the Murphy campaign are asking for trust in their word alone that no ballots were discarded or manipulated.

It is incumbent on me to state that neither Murphy nor any of his campaign workers have been charged with breaking any laws; and even if they were, they are entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty.

But what we know is suspicious at the very least, and I guarantee you that if Murphy was a Republican, the MSM would be talking about the story ad nauseum and ringing alarm bells from coast to coast. This shows why we should remain vigilant in the days and weeks ahead, as the elections come to an end and as the results are sorted out.

For the entire National Review Online report as of this evening, go here.