Did we ever tell you that these next few years wouldn’t be a constant daily struggle, with new shit being thrown at us Americans every hour, from every direction, by the Trump/MAGA/Project2025 forces? Did we suggest you would ever be able to rest, let your guard down, that you wouldn’t have to sleep with one eye open and your boots on? Did we lead you to believe that there’d be any let-up, even for a day, from the constant assault on everything America holds dear? If we ever sounded that way, we apologize, but I’m pretty sure we never did.
Michael Gates is having the time of his life. Remember Michael E Gates (Or Mikey Gates as the late lamented Briscoe called him?) The elected City Attorney, and pretty much the leader, of Huntington Beach for a decade, where he launched losing lawsuit after losing lawsuit against the state of California? The corrupt butt-boy of the Pacific Airshow? Earlier this year he was snatched up by the Trump administration and made “deputy US assistant attorney general for *choke* Civil Rights.”
And what the Trump crowd considers “civil rights” is not at all what normal people have traditionally meant by the phrase. (What they mean is “white grievance.”) Mike E. turned cartwheels on Wednesday while announcing his department’s lawsuit against Orange County’s fine registrar of voters for alleged “ELECTIONS LAWS violations.”
WHAT “ELECTIONS LAWS violations”??? Since at least the 1990’s, when Loretta Sanchez stunningly beat Bob Dornan for Congress, the more paranoid Republicans have been sure that there just HAD to be ILLEGALS VOTING, because that’s the only way a Democrat could win in Orange County, the fabled citadel of conservatism. 30 years later as our County becomes bluer and bluer, with all but one of our Congressmembers Democrats, well obviously the (imaginary) plague of illegal voting in OC must have reached epidemic proportions! Behold, for example, the first few simpletons who responded to Mike E.’s tweet:
…but WHAT “ELECTIONS LAWS violations”??
In the lawsuit Trump’s DOJ accuses our Registrar of Voters, the award-winning and nonpartisan Bob Page, of “refusing transparency of its voter information, in violation of federal voting laws, and concealing the unlawful registration of ineligible, non-citizen voters.”
There’s been a crazy-eyed fidgety gang of a dozen or so election deniers, hanging out at OC Board of Supervisors meetings for a few years now, accusing our registrar of all manner of malfeasance especially letting non-citizens vote. But it seems the genesis of this particular suit was ONE vote-by-mail ballot, allegedly sent to one non-citizen, and handed over to Mike E. Gates himself, last October, by the guy’s son-in-law. One ballot. The Holy Grail:
Well, that sure explains Dave Min’s 10,000+ victory over Scott Baugh! But seriously. This led, reasonably enough, to a June 2 request from the US AG for all Page’s records (apparently since 2020 if I’m reading these articles correctly) – all OC voter registration records that have been canceled because the registrant did not meet citizenship requirements.
And within two weeks, Page complied with that request. There were 17 such purged voters. “17 registrants who self-reported being non-citizens or whose ineligibility was confirmed by the Orange County District Attorney’s office and therefore had their registrations canceled.”
SEVENTEEN OF THEM, since 2020! Well, that helps explain Derek Tran’s 500+ victory, Mike Levin’s 16K+ victory, and Lou Correa’s 57K+ victory. But seriously. The info Page sent to Trump’s DOJ was not enough for them, because – following his own state’s law – Page redacted Social Security numbers, Driver’s License numbers, etc.
The DOJ demanded all that. Why would Trump’s DOJ want these 17 people’s SSN’s etc, we can only imagine. Page’s lawyer tried to work out a compromise that would partially protect these folks’ privacy, but this wasn’t good enough for the DOJ, so hence this lawsuit, hence Mikey Gates’ cartwheels.
We’ll see what comes of the suit; maybe Page will have to fork over this extra info, maybe not, maybe it’ll go way up to some high court where the MAGA forces can win. I bet they’d love to bang down the doors of these 17 people who mistakenly registered and ship em to El Salvador Alligator Alcatraz. I bet they’d love to put our ROV under some kind of receivership, and run our elections themselves. I bet they’d like to force Voter ID on California, and make it as hard as possible for ordinary folks to vote. That’s been the Republican dream for decades.
Meanwhile we can be proud of ALL FIVE OF OUR OC CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS, who refused to join Republicans in CONDEMNING the L.A. PROTESTS, when a lot of other wimpy Democrats did. Let’s get rid of Young Kim next year, put a stake in MAGA’s heart after that, and finish the BLUING of OC.
Good Grief! A stake in MAGA’s heart? Mr Nelson, you do not have to wait to live in an entirely Blue County. I recommend moving to Ramsey county, in particular, St Paul, Minnesota.
For five years, citizens of St. Paul (and twin city, Minneapolis) have been endangered through police defunding.
The statues have been taken down.
https://www.twincities.com/2020/06/10/protesters-tear-down-christopher-columbus-statue-on-minnesota-capitol-grounds/
The new Minnesota flag is a spittin’ image of the esteemed Somali flag!
This scorn toward law and order has resulted in the death of innocent citizens. Let me tell you about Carrie Shobe Kwok. I knew her family well. Growing up in Minneapolis, we attended church, school, Bible camp, and many activities together. When my Mom died two years ago, my 94-year-old Dad ran into Carrie. She asked him if there was anything she could do. My Dad asked if she would write out the dozens of thank-you cards for condolences. She stepped right in and took care of it.
https://www.fox9.com/news/st-paul-lowertown-artist-shooting-victim-identified
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/seantrell-murdock-st-paul-police-killing-background/
Her Mom and Sister are still alive, as well as her children and grandchildren.
Regarding the selections, the Constitution guarantees fair elections. Showing an ID to vote is not a burden. I can’t get medical help, go on a plane, prove I am a senior, or make a charge purchase at Macy’s (when I do not have their plastic card) without my ID.
I have to follow both CA state and US federal laws, and so does the OC voter registrar.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/11/voter-fraud-orange-county-numbers-dont-add-up-democrats-had-300000-more-votes-for-congressional-seats-than-for-governor/
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/01/caught-video-orange-county-ca-election-worker-repeatedly/
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/10/part-2-actuarial-analysis-unmasks-impossible-voter-turnouts/
Dave Min had WEEKS for his lead to come through. When I was at the OC vote center, I observed men bringing in ballot sized boxes. We know China printed ballots, and many levels of software which led up to Dominion were made in China. Dominion had NO accountability to anyone for the results.
When you put the final stake through MAGA, law and order and goodwilled citizens will be gone with the Santa Ana Winds.
You’re a nice lady with good taste in music, but very delusional. We don’t want to put a stake in your heart, just your movement starting with your misinformation mill.
You guys are still passing THIS thing around, I see, glancing through your links. I demolished that here:
https://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2025/01/twitter-terrorists-defame-oc-elections-worker/
ps. I recommend you gas up your car today before Newsom’s new green fees and taxes begin tomortow.
Yes, they add 1.6 cents to a gallon, based on inflation, an automatic increase. You seem to be poorly informed.
I had sworn off arguing with MAGA stupidity, but sometimes the fruit just hangs way too low! For the record, Ramsey County in Minnesota voted over 70% for the Harris – Walz ticket just seven months ago. I suspect that Ms. Wykoff won’t be able to grasp how that fact undermines the entirety of her argument. My grief is good!
https://www.npr.org/2025/06/30/nx-s1-5445398/denaturalization-trump-immigration-enforcement
Maybe Andrew do and Melahat and Harry should be worried about this new front being opened by Trump
I don’t want them denaturalizing anyone. It won’t be people like Harry, it’ll be critics of Israel and Trump. And Putin.
Actually Vern, Page didn’t say only 17 non-citizens had registered to vote since 2020. What he said is 17 non-citizens “self-reported” and were subsequently purged. Two different things.
As far voter fraud: who really knows how much or how little goes on? however, it is a FACT that hundreds of non-citizens voted in the 1996 contest between Dornan and Sanchez. Remember Nativo Lopez?
What the court decided is Sanchez victory margin exceeded the number of illegal ballots.
Happy 4th!
Re. Dornan / Sanchez / Lopez:
“In 1996 Bob Dornan faced Democratic challenger Loretta Sanchez and, backed by citizenship and registration drives organized by Lopez’s organization, Hermandad Mexicana Nacional, Sanchez won by 984 votes… But Dornan challenged the results, and a House Oversight Committee investigation found that 748 ballots were improperly cast. Of those, 624 were cast by immigrants, many of them Hermandad clients, who had passed the citizenship test but were waiting to be sworn in. The House voted to dismiss the challenge and no charges were filed.”
https://www.ocregister.com/2019/05/20/obituary-long-time-voice-for-latino-rights-nativo-lopez/
The difference between 748 and 624? Apparently mainly geezers who voted twice thru oversight.
[h/t Rintrah]
In other words, 624 non-citizens voted in that election.