on the forclosed ex-homeowners and the right to vote in Michigan..,

[acroyear]

Dispatches from the Culture Wars: Michigan GOP Lies About Michigan Messenger:

The other day Macomb County Republican Party chairman James Carabelli had told her directly that they were going to use foreclosure lists to challenge voters at the poll in that county. Now he is frantically trying to cover up the fact that he revealed the truth by claiming that our reporter, Eartha Melzer, made up the quote. They put out a press release saying that she had fabricated the whole thing.

The fact that it was a press release is important to note. They didn't contact us to challenge it, they didn't send a formal letter to us demanding a retraction, they did it in a press release. Why is this important? Because the formal letter would be the first step of a lawsuit. And you know why they won't be filing a lawsuit? Because they know damn well that discovery would prove that they are lying.

If they file a lawsuit, then that opens up all the emails and memos to discovery. And those emails and memos, I guarantee you, will show that what Eartha reported is 100% accurate, that they have, in fact, been planning to use foreclosure lists and voter caging to deny people the right to vote. The fact that they won't file a lawsuit speaks volumes about who is telling the truth.

I'll gladly go to bat for Eartha Melzer. She is an award-winning reporter with a track record of excellence and integrity. There is no way in hell that she would ever fabricate a quote for a story. The only thing going on here is the Michigan GOP panicking about one of their county chairman having slipped and told the truth. The good news, though, is that now the Macomb county clerk has been alerted to the plan and has issued a statement saying that foreclosure lists cannot be used to challenge a voter's address. So, plan foiled.