Turning Point Novel Suggests 2012 Presidential Election Shaping Up as Chilling Déjà vu of Recent Voter Suppression Controversies

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Contact:     George Clarke

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      George@TurningPointNovel.com

Turning Point Novel Suggests 2012 Presidential Election Shaping Up as Chilling Déjà vu of Recent Voter Suppression Controversies

August 26, 2012 – Alexandria, VA – Turning Point provides a chilling reminder of voting controversies in recent presidential elections and a warning for what could happen again in 2012.  From the critical role of swing-vote Supreme Court justices to current concerns over voter suppression and voter identification in key battleground states, author and political veteran Charles A. Santangelo writes a thrilling political narrative, Turning Point:  A Compelling Vision of America Today Had the Supreme Court Recounted the Florida Votes in the 2000 Presidential Election.

Santangelo’s well-crafted novel is the first book to provide a compelling vision that America would be a far different place today had the Supreme Court decided in 2000 to recount all the rejected ballots in Florida. This powerful narrative is presented through an action-packed love story between a liberal Democratic environmentalist and a conservative Republican Air Force pilot that extols the virtue of compromise, rather than adherence to extreme ideology.

In telling the story, Turning Point answers the great questions of our time.  If a Democrat had been elected in 2000, would we have invaded Iraq?  Would Bin Laden have been captured at Tora Bora?  Would our economy still be flourishing and what would we have done with the projected $4.5 trillion budget surplus?  Would America have turned the corner on global warming? Would the financial crisis have been averted?  Would Israel and Palestine be on a path to peace?

“Recent concerns with voter identification and suppression in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and other states suggest a potential replay of the 2000 and 2004 presidential voting irregularities,” said author Charles A. Santangelo, who has served as a White House aide and in press roles for more than six presidential campaigns.

But Turning Point is not a pessimistic look back at what America could have been if a Democrat been elected in 2000.  Rather, it provides a credible narrative of inspirational leadership in fighting terrorism, combatting suppression of minority voters, and taking on electronic voting fraud and global warming politics. 

Turning Point is available on-line in hardcover and paperback through Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com (keywords: Turning Point Santangelo).  Trade discounts in quantities of ten or more are available at www.outskirtspress.com/bookstore.  Turning Point will also be available in selected brick and mortar bookstores.

Turning Point format options:

6 x 9 paperback cream            ISBN: 978-1-4327-9396-8               SRP:  $16.95

6.14 x 9.21 hardback with jacket       978-1-4327-9398-2                         $25.95

e-Book, Kindle, Nook                                                                            $  9.99

Genre: Political/Historical/Fiction/Action and Adventure/Romance

About the author:

Charles Alfred Santangelo is a veteran of six presidential campaigns and a former White House aide who has served in senior positions in the Clinton, Bush and Obama Administrations at NASA, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  Mr. Santangelo is the author of numerous articles and has been interviewed by CNN, Newsweek, Time, Associated Press, and other media outlets.  He is a former assistant professor of information technology policy and the Co-Editor/Researcher of the award-winning political biography, Lucky Corner: The Biography of Congressman Alfred E. Santangelo.

To reach the author for interviews contact George Clarke, whose contact information is listed above.  For more information about Turning Point, visit www.outskirtspress.com/turningpoint or www.turningpointnovel.com.

Outskirts Press offers high-quality, full-service self-publishing and book marketing services for writers and professionals who are seeking a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide while retaining 100% of their rights, 100% of their profits, and 100% of the creative control. www.outskirtspress.com.

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Stop voter suppression in Ohio

Ohio’s secretary of state wants to roll back the clock on voting rights. Tell Jon Husted: Extend voting hours for all Ohioans.

In 2008, we saw just how important weekend voting is to Black Americans. In Ohio, which had narrowly gone Republican in 2004, Black voters took advantage of extended hours and helped Obama win the state.¹ By opening the polls on Saturdays and Sundays, this battleground state enabled Black and low-income Ohioans to vote in record numbers.
But now, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted wants to put an end to weekend voting. It’s clearly a partisan move to secure Ohio for Mitt Romney.
As Ohio’s top election official, Husted has the power to restore weekend hours statewide. He needs to know that the nation is watching. Please join us in calling on him to make sure that all Ohioans can exercise their basic right to vote this November. It only takes a moment:
http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/early_voting_ohio
Earlier this month, state election officials decided that if you lived in a Republican-leaning county in Ohio — mostly suburban and rural areas — you could stroll into your polling place to vote late into the evening or on weekends in the weeks leading up to Election Day. But if you lived in a county that encompassed a racially diverse city such as Cleveland, Cincinnati or Columbus, you had to make it to the polls between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.²
Husted stood by county Republican election officials who voted to put this disparity in place until a national outcry forced him to announce a new plan.³ As secretary of state, Husted had the power to expand evening and weekend early voting hours to people in urban counties, making access to the polls a priority everywhere. Instead he chose to eliminate weekend voting statewide. And now he's even trying to fire Board of Elections officials who would open their county's polling place doors on weekends.⁴
Ohio’s recent history around elections is key to understanding why early voting is so important. In 2004, Black voters and others in the state’s urban areas experienced faulty machines and lengthy voting lines.⁵ Many eligible voters gave up in frustration, returning to work or home without getting to cast their ballot. But starting in 2006, the state allowed people to vote in the weeks leading up to the election, including evenings and weekends.
Evening and weekend hours have been especially critical to Black voters who cast their ballots after work or after church in the weeks preceding elections.⁶ In the 2008 election, 56% of early voters in Cuyahoga County, where Cleveland is located, were Black. African Americans of voting age make up only a quarter of the county’s population.⁷ Our communities take advantage of extended hours.
Husted’s efforts to limit early voting in Ohio is just one piece of a larger, coordinated effort to derail democracy. Across the country, right-wing legislators are erecting barriers for Black voters including discriminatory voter ID laws,⁸ failure to restore the vote to people with felony convictions,⁹ and predatory voter purges.¹⁰
As Ohio’s secretary of state, Jon Husted is charged with ensuring that every Ohioan has equal access to the voting booth. Please join us in telling him to rise above party politics and protect Black voters and all Ohioans by extending early voting hours:
http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/early_voting_ohio
-- Rashad, Gabriel, Dani, Matt, Arisha, Aimée and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
   August 21st, 2012
Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU—your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don't share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:
http://www.colorofchange.org/donate
References
1. "Ohio Early Voting Cutbacks Disenfranchise Minority Voters," The Nation, 08-08-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1706?t=6&akid=2600.1372604.DI3a8P
2. "Ohio Limits Early Voting in Democratic Counties, Expands in Republican Counties," ThinkProgress, 08-10-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1691?t=8&akid=2600.1372604.DI3a8P
3. "Ohio Secretary of State Restricts Voting Hours in All Counties," ThinkProgress, 08-16-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1702?t=10&akid=2600.1372604.DI3a8P
4. "Husted suspends Democrats on election board," Dayton Daily News, 08-17-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1708?t=12&akid=2600.1372604.DI3a8P
5. "Several Factors Contributed to 'Lost' Voters in Ohio," Washington Post, 12-15-04
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1692?t=14&akid=2600.1372604.DI3a8P
6. "Equal voting processes for Ohio counties may still be unfair for voters," WKSU, 08-16-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1703?t=16&akid=2600.1372604.DI3a8P
7. "Black Pastors Group Criticizes Ohio For New Rules That Limit Early Voting," The Huffington Post, 08-14-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1695?t=18&akid=2600.1372604.DI3a8P
8. "Top PA GOP politician admits voter ID is a partisan move," ColorOfChange.org blog, 06-24-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1709?t=20&akid=2600.1372604.DI3a8P
9. "Few Felons Regain Right to Vote in Florida," FCIR, 08-13-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1705?t=22&akid=2600.1372604.DI3a8P
10. "Thousands petition Department of Justice to ‘protect the vote’ in Florida," Florida Courier, 07-12-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1710?t=24&akid=2600.1372604.DI3a8P

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