Vote Turn Out Project Disguised As Forum

Shawn Williams Uses Church To Turn Out Sector of Population

Editor's note: There are big developments with the Commissioner's October Surprise and Lee County High School. If you missed the Uncommon Sense column yesterday, it fits right in. You can read it by clicking here. Also don't miss yesterday's post here at the e-Lee Dispatch. Click here.

Shawn Williams knows how to promote himself, and he has created a clever way of turning out the vote for Obama. He is using the fact the C.E.A.D. forum is dead because of too much publicity about it's legal status to cleverly disguise a haul-in-the-voters effort as a candidates forum. His announcement reads "The Fair Promise AMEZ Church located at 712 Wall St, Sanford, NC will be hosting a candidate forum on Saturday October 18, 2008 at 2:00 P.M.. We are asking that you will come out and meet the local candidates and some of the State candidates that are running. We have received commitments back from several that will be there for this event. This is the first time that the Fair Promise Church has hosted an event such as this, but it is important that everyone has an opportunity to meet all the candidates and make an informed decision." He goes on to say (incorrectly) that would-be voters can register at the church--actually they have to go to the polls to register and vote and plans to have buses running on a schedule to take those who turn out in the audience to the polls. His claim that candidates will be there does not mention names, but they are likely to be the candidates Shawn is supporting. The questioning of the candidates is very controlled. Questions are to be sent in advance to be put in a box. None from the floor. I doubt a question to Jerry Lemmond like "Do you believe Robert Reives should allow the recording of finance committee meetings for posting on the web?" would ever make it out of the box. Nor would a question about Lemmond's conflict of interest in seeking increased funding for Tri-County Community Action when he is vice-chairman of the board of the the organization. No question about Lemmond's signing with Robert Reives and Jamie Kelly a letter on county stationary to push the CCCC board into naming a black president. Democrats want to keep Lemmond away from as many truly open forums as possible. IRS regulations limit the role of churches in politics, but Williams has done his homework and is going right to the edge. Of course, if he slips just a bit, he could face a federal investigation. So it is a clever scheme. Pure theater. Voter turnout in disguise. Perhaps scam some Republican candidates to come in for "credibility" along with the Democrats that Shawn supports as a "draw" for a crowd from the predominately black area and then haul them off on buses to vote at one stop voting sites where they can register and vote the "party line."