Voting is good. Flu shots are good. But mix them together in the middle of a hard-fought election season and politics takes over.
Mayor Bill White ordered a halt Wednesday to the city health department’s privately funded drive to offer flu vaccinations at early voting sites in predominantly Hispanic and black neighborhoods, amid conservative criticism that the effort would boost Democratic turnout.
About 1,300 flu shots were given to people age 50 or older in the past three days under the program, which didn’t require the recipients to vote. Health officials said they were only trying to reach people in medically underserved communities.
White defended the program Wednesday but said he decided to abandon it to avoid the perception that it was an attempt to draw certain voters to the polls.
“There was no political motive whatsoever to do it,” he told reporters after the City Council meeting. “I don’t want to have to spend more money in defending a baseless lawsuit than we’re giving away in vaccine or allow anybody to question the integrity of the political process.”
Texas Republikans and tame judges have already gerrymandered the election beyond reason. I guess any collateral attempt to aid senior citizens still worries them.
#22
Umm it was a Republican governor who tried to end gerrymandering in California, but Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats opposed it. If only they’d supported it, they’d probably be looking at another 4-5 seats right now.
Comment by AB CD — 11/2/2006 @ 2:33 pm
Once again, there you are trolling. Pelosi has nothing to do with drawing the California state electoral map, that falls under the preview of the legislature, which by the way is Democratic. The Governor wanted to redraw the map to favor Republicans and the legislature declined to do so until after the next census.
Well, at least we know what Rush Limburger was screaming about. AB CD will be sure to quote him.
#29, so which was it? As a lawyer you should understand the principle of accuracy. Suggesting it was either this place or that place sure the heck doesn’t help anyone check it out.
Ooopps, I forgot, Republicans like to present bull crap arguments as fact. They have this big thing about inventing shit in the hopes that it will stick. It worked in the past, but that doesn’t make it any less wrong.
#33…Mr. Fusion….just for you Fusion, I found the story…..and the links. God knows we wouldn’t want to cause you to take time out from your busy scheduale of spewing nastiness to those who don’t agree with you, to look it up yourself.
The first link is to the original story last December from ABC, when it became a national story. The second link is the story I read a week or so ago in the New York Times.
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=1449254
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/11/us/politics/11voting.html
Oh, and your wrong about Pelosi….and in fact your wrong about Schwarzenegger and the redistricting.
Pelosi and all of the other Democrat as well as a lot of the Republican members of the Congressional delegation from California banded together with the Democrats in the State Legislature several years ago and gave everyone of them safe new districts….they locked in the status quo.
Last year the Govenator, listening to complaints from many voters of both parties, decided to try to get the way redistricting was done. To take it out of the politicians hands and give it to a panel. I think it was 5 members, to be picked from former Supreme Court Judges or something. 2 appointed by the legislature, 2 by the Governor, and 1 (to be honest, I can’t remeber how the final was to be picked.)….All hell broke loose, even the Republicans didn’t back it, and it lost on the ballot.
The California politicians don’t want it changed. The Republicans are afraid that they will lose seats and the Democrats are also afraid that some of their big stars will be dumped in new districts. The deal worked out amoung themselves means that there are no compitive districts in California…..this isn’t just a statement, it’s an actual fact. The districts are so safe for each party that even Cunninghams seat stayed in Republican hands after he went to prison.
It was actually a breath of fresh air. I didn’t care for the plan itself, if I remember. I’m in favor of a computor program to do the redrawing. But, anything that takes redistricting out of the hands of the political hacks is fine with me.
Have a nice day Fusion.