Then suddenly the playing field in Pennsylvania became a little more even. NBC News' Tom Curry is reporting that Pennsylvania judge, Robert Simpson blocked enforcement of that state's newly minted and GOP designed voter ID law. The law, which state republican lawmakers openly bragged would hand Mitt Romney the election in November, will not be in effect.
According to Curry the judge stated, "The proposed changes are to occur about five weeks before the general election and I question whether sufficient time now remains to attain the goal of liberal access." (To the ID cards). Indeed, the entire premise of this scam was to make sure there wasn't enough time for tens of thousands of people to get their voter ID's. In fact the fix was in so deep that when NBC news followed one black hospital worker in her quest to obtain an ID, they found it took her one burned vacation day and four hours of her life she'll never get back to become, "a legal voter." The stench of Jim Crow's mouldering body was nearly overwhelming.
Simpson also ruled that those who have all ready cast provisional ballots won't have to return to their local county election boards within six days to provide ID.
It isn't all good news though. Simpson didn't strike down the law, he just said it was implemented too late for this election. In other words the law is entirely valid in future elections when there has been ample amount of time for voters to obtain their ID's. The Homeless Advocacy Project contends it will keep fighting the law. Other current petitioners such as the League of Women Voters have not said whether they will continue to challenge it, or not.
So on the eve of the first presidential debate the situation in the Keystone state has become dire for Mitt Romney and republican senate candidate Tom Smith. Mr. Romney trails the president in Pennsylvania anywhere from seven to twelve percent in recent polls. Senator Bob Casey Jr. leads his challenger by a full twelve points. And now everyone gets to vote. All those people the GOP thought would be banished from the booths are going to be there in force and with a vengeance.
Tomorrow night in Denver the first of three presidential debates will take place and the subject will be domestic policy. The republicans need for their boy to hit one out of the park and clearly people like Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, thinks that is going to happen. They are all hoping for that Ron Reagan, Jimmy Carter debate where the polished actor took it to the hapless rube from Plains, Georgia. The problem is that Mitt Romney isn't an actor and certainly isn't polished, unless you count that private moment in Boca Raton with the fat cats when he actually said what he really believes. And the Carter/Reagan debacle happened right before the election with no rematch. This is a three game playoff in which Obama, if he knows his stuff, will look Romney directly in the eye and say, "you guys fucked up this economy beyond belief and now you want America to trust you to fix it."
Thanks to Judge Robert Simpson things just got tougher for Mr. Romney. If he completely screws the pooch tomorrow night he will be, despite all the millions of campaign dollars, a dead duck. If he stays close he might be able to recover in the second and third debates. If he wins going away Obama will be on his heels and the race will come down to a handful of votes in two or three key states.
As they say on television, stay tuned for further developments.
10-2-12
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