George R.R. Martin, author of "A Game of Thrones", has slammed "Republicans and their Teabagger allies" in so-called swing states for what he calls "voter suppression."
In a recent blogpost on Martin's website, he refers to recent voter purges in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Iowa, saying that "The people behind these efforts at disenfranchising large groups of voters (the young, the old, the black, the brown) are not Republicans, since clearly they have scant regard for our republic or its values. They are oligarchs and racists clad in the skins of dead elephants."
Martin, an avowed Democrat from Bayonne, N.J. who has described President Obama as "the most intelligent president we've had since Jimmy Carter", doesn't often write about politics on his blog, but when he does, it is usually to speak about something he feels strongly about, be it TSA screenings or the Affordable Care Act.
Even by his standards, his blogpost is extremely forthright, and so far has received 162 comments, overwhelmingly in agreement with Martin's words. In response to one of the comments, Martin wrote
"FWIW [For What It's Worth]... I am pretty upfront about my political views... but I also strive to keep contemporary politics out of my medieval fantasies.
Mind you, there are certain themes that are universal -- musings on power, justice, the purpose of government -- and those will inevitably be a part of any book that treats with kings and wars, etc."
A study published on Sunday found that voter fraud in the United States is nearly nonexistent, further undermining the stated rationale behind voter ID laws.
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'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 8
Jack Gleeson as Joffrey Baratheon, Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 8
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 8
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 8
Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister, Natalie Dormer as Margaery Tyrell
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 8
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 8
Sibel Kekilli as Shae, Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 8
Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei, Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 8
Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister, Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 8
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 10
Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 10
Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 7
Richard Dormer as Beric Dondarrion
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 7
Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 7
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Sibel Kekilli as Shae
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 7
Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 7
Jack Gleeson as Joffrey Baratheon, Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 6
Dianna Rigg as Olenna Tyrell
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 6
Finn Jones as Loras Tyrell, Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 6
Hannah Murray as Gilly
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 6
Thomas Brodie Sangster as Jojen Reed
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 6
Joe Dempsie as Gendry
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 5
Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 5
Stephen Dillane as Stannis Baratheon, Kerry Ingram as Shireen Baratheon
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 5
John Stahl as Rickard Karstark, Richard Madden as Robb Stark
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 5
Paul Kaye as Thoros, Richard Dormer as Beric Dondarrion.
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 5
Richard Madden as Robb Stark
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 5
Richard Madden as Robb Stark, Oona Chaplin as Talisa Maegyr
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 4
Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 4
Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 4
Jack Gleeson as Joffrey Lannister, Natalie Dormer as Margaery Tyrell
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 4
Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 4
James Cosmo as Jeor Mormont, Luke McEwan as Rast
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 4
John Bradley as Samwell Tarley, Hannah Murray as Gilly
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 4
Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 4
Conleth Hill as Lord Varys, Diana Rigg as Olenna Redwyne
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 4
Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 3
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 3
Michelle Fairley as Catelyn Stark
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 3
Clive Russell as Brynden "The Blackfish" Tully
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 3
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 3
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 3
Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei, Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 3
Esmé Bianco as Ros
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 3
Noah Taylor as Locke, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 3
Aidan Gillen as Petyr Baelish, Conleith Hill as Lord Varys, Julian Glover as Grand Maester Pycelle
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 3
John Bradley as Samwell Tarly
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lanniser, Jerome Flynn as Bronn, and Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 2
Jack Gleeson as Joffrey Baratheon, Natalie Dormer as Margaery Tyrell
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 2
Carice van Houten as Melisandre
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 2
Stephen Dillane as Stannis Baratheon
'Game Of Thrones' Season 3, Episode 2
Ciaran Hinds as Mance Rayder
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Posted: 08/13/2012 2:16 pm Updated: 08/13/2012 6:23 pm