Political CAR Question I love my old pick-up truck but if I drive it to the polls will I get my tires slashed?

Question

MY MERCEDES 500SL IS MORE OF A REDPUBLICAN LOOKING CAR BUT IT'S A CONVERTIABLE WILL THE TIRE SLASHING REDSTERS THINK I'M A LIBERAL FOR DRIVING WITH THE TOP DOWN.

Just trying to get to and from the polls with a good set of tires.

Answer 1

Campaign strategist: Five activists celebrated after tires were slashed

Sowande Omokunde, the son of Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), is accused of slashing the tires of vans rented by Republicans on Election Day.

By Chris O'Connell
Court TV

MILWAUKEE — A Democratic political consultant for the 2004 John Kerry presidential bid told jurors Tuesday that the five campaign workers accused of slashing the tires of vans rented by Republicans on Election Day boasted about the stunt.

"They were boisterous, slapping high-fives, laughing and so forth," said Opel Simmons III, a campaign strategist, referring to the five defendants after they returned to campaign headquarters at about 3:30 a.m. on Nov. 2, 2004.

Simmons, who said he saw the men leave the office about 30 minutes earlier, testified that he only learned of what they did after Michael Pratt, the son of then acting Milwaukee Mayor Marvin Pratt, and others, spoke.

"[Pratt] says, 'We got them. They're not going anywhere today," Simmons testified.

Pratt's father was in court for much of the day Tuesday, as was U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (DWis.), whose son Sowande A. Omokunde is also a defendant in the trial.

Simmons said the defendants' behavior led him to only one conclusion.

"I believe that they were telling me that they had gone from our office to the Bush-Cheney office and had punctured tires of vehicles in the staging area," he said.

Defense attorneys attempted to discredit Simmons on cross-examination by pointing out inconsistencies in his statements to police, which, the attorneys hope, will leave jurors wondering if the state's key witness was in fact one of the vandals.

Pratt, Omokunde, Justin Howell, Lewis Caldwell and Lavelle Mohammad are all charged with criminal damage to property — a felony that carries a maximum sentence of 3 1/2 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The GOP rented more than 100 vehicles for a get-out-the-vote campaign on Nov. 2, 2004. The vehicles were parked in a lot adjacent to a Bush campaign office, and party workers planned to drive poll watchers to polling places by 7 a.m. and deliver any voters who didn't have a ride.

Defense lawyers attempted to have much of Simmons' testimony ruled as hearsay and therefore inadmissible, but Judge Michael Brennan denied the motions.

Simmons said that despite plans for an election eve stunt dubbed "Operation Elephant Takeover" — a plan to placard the same Republican office where the tires were slashed — the operation was dropped after he overslept and several people were spotted still in the GOP office late at night.

When he came into the Democrat's office at about 3 a.m., Simmons said he saw all of the defendants dressed in black and then leave the building. When he asked two of them where they were going, both Mohammad and Pratt replied to the effect of, "Don't ask. You don't want to know," Simmons testified.

When they returned, aside from the boisterous behavior, their shoes were also covered in mud and the five men were making noises to mimic the deflating tires.

Caldwell then explained how they targeted tires of vans on the perimeter of the lot and on soft ground so that the numerous vehicles on the interior would be unable to exit because they would be trapped by the disabled vans.

On cross-examination, however, Pratt's lawyer, Rodney Cubbie went on the offensive, getting Simmons to concede that his testimony on the stand was inconsistent with his first police statement, which he endorsed as being truthful.

In the statement, Simmons told a detective that he did not arrive at the office until 4 a.m. that morning.

"Were you telling [the detective] a different story?" Cubbie asked.

"No," Simmons said. "I was telling him a very vague variation of the truth."

Simmons, who was detained by police when they connected a van seen by a security guard outside the Republican offices to him, said that he gave police the defendant's names only after 36 hours of incarceration.

Cross-examination of Simmons continues Wednesday morning and could take most of the day. The trial, which Court TV Extra is streaming live on the Web, is expected to last about two weeks.

Answer 2

you will no longer get your tires slashed because of the fact you won't be in a position to tell what political association you're via your motor vehicle. My pal drives an Audi and is a die-complicated Democrat. via your definition, an Audi is a "Republican" motor vehicle. i do no longer think of you've a situation. I additionally understand a female who's a Republican and drives an previous beat up Oldsmobile 80-8. So, you may never tell. i think of the tire slashing situation is somewhat over dramatized.

Answer 3

You won't get your tires slashed because you can't tell what political affiliation you are by your car. My friend drives an Audi and is a die-hard Democrat. By your definition, an Audi is a "Republican" car. I don't think you will have a problem. I also know a lady who is a Republican and drives an old beat up Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight. So, you can never tell. I think the tire slashing thing is a bit over dramatized.

Answer 4

If you have your tires slashed, it's more likely to be because of issues in your personal life than because of the political implications of the truck. Or the car.

Take a cab or bus if you're worried about it. Cab fare would be cheaper than new tires, right? Easy.

Answer 5

Tell them that it was a gift from Al Gore. He gave it to you so he could ride a bicycle. LOL!

Answer 6

I doubt it, but regardless, go help get those f**ckers out of office. Even if you have to take a cab there.

Answer 7

Hooo hummm.. boring.

Answer 8

no, the demos will slash them, like they have slashed mine this morning
:(

Answer 9

I think you're fine, dude...............