Twenty dollars and a ride to the polling place-Five Dollars and a Pork Chop Sandwich

Richard Legree was Chairman of Chester County Republican Committee Area 14, which included the City of Coatesville. The going price for buying a vote was allegedly Twenty dollars and a ride to the polling place. 

Richard is gone now and hopefully most of the vote buying in the local area around Coatesville is also gone.

If you don’t look at the dates in FIVE DOLLARS and a PORK CHOP SANDWICH, Vote buying and the corruption of Democracy by Mary Frances Berry, you might think the book is about elections of the 1920s or 1930s. 

“What Creg Malveaux told me about electoral fraud in Louisiana was disturbing. He explained how campaign operatives paid the poor small amounts of money for their votes while making policy contrary to their needs. He talked about family fiefdoms that perpetuated their power illegally. He described how election officials cavalierly accepted payments to let buyers view the ballots to make sure the bought stayed bought. He related how poor voters didn’t mind saying they got paid small amounts of money and treats for their votes, perhaps a pork chop sandwich and a cold drink.” 

FROM:

Five Dollars and a Pork Chop Sandwich: Vote Buying and the Corruption of Democracy

February 2, 2016

by Mary Frances Berry 

Democrats pay "Walking around money". Republicans pay the same people more to handout their material. 

Here in Coatesville Democratic Candidates have in the past given “walking around money” for people, mostly black people, to hand out Democratic flyers on election day. That’s fine and perfectly legal in Pennsylvania.

The problem is the Republican candidate allegedly goes to the same people handing out the Democratic candidate’s material and says he’ll offer more to hand out his material. So the Democratic candidate who thought she had people on the street on election day, really didn’t. 

Black people have many years of promises from Democrats that don’t work out. Even Barack Obama’s promises didn’t work out for black people. 

And there's Hillary Clinton: 

Hillary Clinton takes money from private prisons 

"In another report filed Sunday night, the campaign disclosed that Richard Sullivan of Capitol Counsel—until recently, a Raleigh, N.C.-based federally registered lobbyist for the for-profit prison operator GEO Group—bundled $69,363 in donations for Clinton in the fourth quarter, bringing his total for the year to a whopping $274,891. 

That makes Sullivan the second-most prolific lobbyist-bundler for the Clinton campaign, beaten out only by D.C. lobbyist Heather Podesta, who's tallied up $348,581 so far. 

Sullivan's firm, Capitol Counsel, has been registered for years to represent GEO Group subsidiary BI Inc.—which focuses on electronic monitoring of inmates. While the firm continues to represent BI, Sullivan no longer intends to do so, according to a disclosure form filed with Congress on Nov. 9." 

The figures and the policy rejecting donations from prison lobbyists includes only direct donations to Clinton's campaign, not supportive super PACs or state and federal Democratic committees.

Read more:

Clinton campaign gives private prison lobbyist cash to charity

By Josh Gerstein

02/01/16

$50 or $100 for standing and handing out stuff is tangible help. 

$20 to vote as they are told helps to pay some bills.

The black people working as “double agents” for the Republican candidate were acting against their interests helping him get elected. Why they do it isn't complicated. Democrats make promises but once in office the promises are usually forgotten. Black people might know Republicans are racists but they think their vote won’t change things.

Black churches in the Coatesville area look for candidates at summer cookouts. Some Republican candidates allegedly hand the minister something for their support on election day. The minister and the congregation might know the candidate will vote against black people’s and poor people’s interests but they know from experience the promises of Democrats are empty. And the “help” from Republicans is real and immediate. 

Voting for someone who will break their promises is foolish. Voting for someone who pays them to vote is smart. When enough people think like this, it’s easy to ensure a candidates victory in small local elections. In Pennsylvania and most of the U.S. it’s how oppressive and corrupt governments stay in power for decades. 

Dr. Berry wrote an important commentary on our “Democracy”:

BY THEY WAY:

I got my copy from the Coatesville Public Library: