I’ve been awake all night, feeling miserable, so I won’t really have too much to say, but I just saw this and it seriously makes me want to cry. Will they really stop at nothing?

SONORA, CA – The California Republican party is asking the secretary of state to investigate an organized voting campaign involving developmentally disabled adults in Tuolumne County.

As many as ten clients of the Thumbs Up! adult care center have already cast absentee ballots under the supervision of center director David Simerley, and nearly all of them were for Barack Obama.

“We all registered to vote and we all sat together as a group and went over our ballots and voted,” Simerley told News10.

Among those voting was Michael Rascon, 56, whose father described him as having the mental capacity of a 5-year-old.

“What kind of people would do this to somebody like that,” asked Sam Rascon, who discovered his son had registered and voted only after seeing him with an Obama button last Thursday. “He wouldn’t know one candidate from another.”

News10 spoke to Michael Rascon at the Thumbs Up! center about the election. When asked which candidate he’d voted for, Rascon answered “the black man.” He was unable to remember Obama’s name.

Simerley said the absentee voting followed field trips to both local Republican and Democratic party headquarters.

“When we register people to vote, we try to be totally non-partisan,” Simerley said. He insists he exerted no influence over his clients despite the fact nearly all of them voted Democratic in an otherwise Republican county.

“I think maybe Obama would appeal to people with disabilities,” he explained.

Clients interviewed by News10 agreed that Simerley had allowed them to choose their candidate freely although Simerley filled out the ballots for those who can’t read or write. One client said he voted for McCain.

Simerley said his voting campaign also involved developmentally disabled adults not directly under his care. Tuolumne County clerk Deborah Russell confirmed Simerley took out 25 voter registration cards in January, but she could not say how many had been returned.

Russell said she’s asked the district attorney to investigate the specific complaint by Sam Rascon that his son was manipulated.

California Republican party leaders are calling on Secretary of State Debra Bowen to conduct a broader investigation of Simerley’s activities, according to the party’s communications director Hector Barajas.

When asked about it on Tuesday, Bowen had not yet heard of the complaint. “The situation’s never arisen,” Bowen said.

She explained there is no prohibition against developmentally disabled adults voting without a court order declaring them incompetent.

Simerley defends his actions despite complaints from Sam Rascon and other parents of his adult clients. One parent actually tore up her son’s absentee ballot before it was mailed.

“Our mission is to help these people become valued, respected citizens,” he said. “And one of the most important things is to vote.”

This is absolutely appalling. These poor disabled people were taken advantage of by ruthless political profiteers. It doesn’t sink any lower than taking advantage of the weakest, most helpless amongst us, just to attain power.
Remember, this was done without the consent of their families! Their families are the ones who have the legal right to make decisions on their behalf! Not the director of that facility, not the employees; the families.
This is hideous, beyond hideous. Do Obama supporters really believe that they cannot win based solely on the merits of their ideas, but rather they must trample upon the most helpless amongst us just to get ahead? Power attained via treachery and deceit will never be exercised with wisdom and benevolence. It never has and it never will.

This is a clear and obvious case of absolute voter intimidation, manipulation, and outright fraud. I sincerely hope the families of the individuals who were victimized in this situation will stand up for their rights and hold these people accountable for their hideous actions. I hope those who speak on the behalf of these people will speak up now, because let there be no doubt, the people under the care of that home were manipulated, victimized, and utterly extorted. This is not the behavior of a democracy, this is not in the spirit of a democratic election. This is hideous and it must be stopped. This wrong must be righted immediately.

For quite a while now I’ve been compiling interesting videos on YouTube, separating them into separate playlists dedicated to various categories relevant to the campaign. I’ll be posting these playlists to the video directory of this site soon, but I thought I’d give you a sneak peek now by offering you a new playlist – a selection of the best of the best! For the discerning voter, I’ve pulled together the videos I think are most important into one easy-to-watch must see list. Watch these and you’ll be well on your way to understanding several major issues of Obama’s campaign.
As always, don’t believe me flat out, but here’s some food for thought and fuel to get your research started!

The NObama YouTube Must See Videos

For a complete listing of the videos and what they mean, click “more”!