In Defeat, a Victory?

[stevedeshazer]

The Dems' latest challenge of the 2004 election result may have seemed futile. But those involved see it as a win for morality

Jan. 7 - When Americans flocked to theaters to see Michael Moore's controversial film "Fahrenheit 9/11" last year, many were surprised to see footage of a riveting political drama they didn't even know had taken place. During the official tally of Electoral College votes for the 2000 presidential election, several black members of Congress stood to deliver wrenching, emotional pleas for a senator, any senator, to vote in support of their plan to challenge the election results. None did, including Senate president Al Gore, shown in the film stoically reading the Electoral College results that sealed his defeat.

As a similar scene played out on the House floor yesterday, critics dismissed it as another exercise in futility. With the House and Senate both firmly in Republican hands, and many Democrats leery of being seen as sore losers, President George W. Bush's second official certification as the nation's president was a foregone conclusion. As expected, the challenge was defeated in both the House (267-31) and the Senate (74-1). But this time around, there was one important difference. Thirty-one congressional Democrats were joined in their challenge by Sen. Barbara Boxer, forcing both houses of Congress to hear debate and to vote on the issue. As only the second time since 1877 that Congress has been forced to consider such a challenge, the protest did more than stall certification of the Electoral College vote. It also marked Jan. 6, 2005, as a historic day. "We've breached the silence that has always prevented us from employing this statute," said Rep. John Conyers.

more: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6800367/

[Edgewater_Joe]

1. Still Shoulda Had More Dems Vote For The Objection

Because once again, if I can mix a couple of movie metaphors together, we showed up for a knife fight with a set of rules instead of a gun.

Leave it to the Democrat Losers Committee's influences to take the right thing to do and screw it up ...

[stevedeshazer]

2. I agree

Boxer got hung out to dry.

[babylonsister]

3. Success! More attention is being paid to election

problems. That IS what was wanted and needed.

[katinmn]

4. I agree. It sucks that we didn't have ALL the democrats

speaking up, but we sure the hell got their attention, on both sides of the aisle.

There's been more written and broadcast about election fraud during the last 24 hours than, well possibly EVER, and they are sounding more sympathetic to the cause.

And we are motivated from our win.

The left wing kooks rule!
:)

[babylonsister]

5. Right on!

I can choose to be cynical and negative, but prefer optimism!

[Politicub]

11. Yeah we do!

Boxer has real courage. She is my role model for defeating the right.

[cosmicdot]

6. why didn't msnbc/msm cover 1/6/2001's "riveting political drama"?

"riveting political drama" sounds newsworthy

we here at DU at the time knew it took place ...

Josh Marshall mentioned it in his Talking Points Memo column.

(January 11, 2001 -- 11:02 PM EDT // link // print)
As you know Talking Points was pretty taken with the protests/objections raised by the members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) on January 6th during the formal counting of the Electoral College vote. And also chagrined that no Senator would agree to sign on with one of their objections, and thus force a brief debate on the merits of the Florida electors http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2001_01_07.php


MSM ignored, as well, the larger rally on J20, 2001, one block over from the coronation of commander in thief.

MSM has been vacant in too many ways on so many things to be able to uphold it's tradition as the 4th Estate.


1/6/04 was a historic day. I don't want to distract from that point.


"For most of us in the Senate and the House, we have
spent our lives fighting for things we believe in always
fighting to make our nation better.

"We have fought for social justice. We have fought for
economic justice. We have fought for environmental
justice. We have fought for criminal justice.

"Now we must add a new fight the fight for electoral
justice.

"Every citizen of this country who is registered to vote
should be guaranteed that their vote matters, that their
vote is counted, and that in the voting booth of their
community, their vote has as much weight as the vote of
any Senator, any Congressperson, any President, any
cabinet member, or any CEO of any Fortune 500
corporation.

"I am sure that every one of my colleagues Democrat,
Republican, and Independent agrees with that
statement. That in the voting booth, every one is equal.

"So now it seems to me that under the Constitution of the
United States, which guarantees the right to vote, we
must ask:

"Why did voters in Ohio wait hours in the rain to vote?
Why were voters at Kenyon College, for example, made
to wait in line until nearly 4 a.m. to vote because there
were only two machines for 1300 voters?

"Why did poor and predominantly African-American
communities have disproportionately long waits?

"Why in Franklin County did election officials only use
2,798 machines when they said they needed 5,000? Why
did they hold back 68 machines in warehouses? Why
were 42 of those machines in predominantly African-
American districts?

"Why did, in the Columbus area alone, an estimated 5,000
to 10,000 voters leave polling places, out of frustration,
without having voted? How many more never bothered
to vote after they heard about this?

"Why is it when 638 people voted at a precinct in Franklin
County, a voting machine awarded 4,258 extra votes to
George Bush? Thankfully, they fixed it but how many
other votes did the computers get wrong?

"Why did Franklin County officials reduce the number of
electronic voting machines in downtown precincts, while
adding them in the suburbs? This also led to long lines.

"In Cleveland, why were there thousands of provisional
ballots disqualified after poll workers gave faulty
instructions to voters?

"Because of this, and voting irregularities in so many other
places, I am joining with Congresswoman Stephanie
Tubbs Jones to cast the light of truth on a flawed system
which must be fixed now.

"Our democracy is the centerpiece of who we are as a
nation. And it is the fondest hope of all Americans that
we can help bring democracy to every corner of the
world.

"As we try to do that, and as we are shedding the blood of
our military to this end, we must realize that we lose so
much credibility when our own electoral system needs so
much improvement.

"Yet, in the past four years, this Congress has not done
everything it should to give confidence to all of our
people their votes matter.

"After passing the Help America Vote Act, nothing more
was done.

"A year ago, Senators Graham, Clinton and I introduced
legislation that would have required that electronic voting
systems
provide a paper record to verify a vote. That paper trail would
be stored in a secure ballot box and invaluable in case of a
recount.

"There is no reason why the Senate should not have taken up and
passed that bill. At the very least, a hearing should have been
held. But it never happened.

"Before I close, I want to thank my colleague from the House,
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones.

"Her letter to me asking for my intervention was substantive and
compelling.

"As I wrote to her, I was particularly moved by her point that
it is
virtually impossible to get official House consideration of the
whole issue of election reform, including these irregularities.

"The Congresswoman has tremendous respect in her state of Ohio,
which is at the center of this fight.

"Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones was a judge for 10 years.
She was a prosecutor for 8 years. She was inducted into the
Women's Hall of Fame in 2002.

"I am proud to stand with her in filing this objection." - Senator Barbara Box, January 6, 2005

[katinmn]

7. True. In most situations "Riveting Political Drama" would turn heads

Don't assume MSM is making their decisions based on:

1) audience size
2) Timeliness
3) impact

They choose their coverage based on political and economic expediancy.

Put your faith and money into online alternative media. It's the future.

[diatribe]

8. More Democrats SHOULD have stood.....

What do they have to lose? NOTHING.

They won't even stand up for themselves and they continue to wonder why the (moderate) Independents won't join them.

There was no way that Kerry or Edwards was going to vote for it - just to save face. In fact, Kerry was in Baghdad - but like you've said, it wasn't about Kerry and Edwards. If Kerry does have lawyers on the job, then he SHOULD have stood up right then and there.

But does he? NOPE. The only upside on this is that Kerry did investigate BCCI and basically shut it down completely AGAINST the political machine. Let's hope he makes this a top priority in the coming years.

Anyway, if a Moderate Independent party was to rise up our this mess, they would have the largest voter base of them all.

[Child_Of_Isis]

9. Democrats leery of being seen as sore losers

We've been called sore losers since the 2000 election. This is not likely to change.

[Politicub]

10. I am in awe of Boxer

She has real courage. I'm proud to be in the same party as someone so brave as her.

Boxer for president!

I watched f9/11 again tonight. it's been several months since I've seen it. It helped to watch it again and remember 2000. I didn't even know about no one not standing up in 2000.

[stevedeshazer]

12. I'm very pissed at my Senator, Wyden

He stood up and mouthed some support at the Senate session, and then voted no.

He was JUST reelected to a SIX YEAR TERM. He had nothing to lose, but chose to put on a pink tu-tu. :grr:

And to think he holds the Senate seat once occupied by the late, great Wayne Morse, who must be rolling in his grave.

[katinmn]

13. I'm pissed at mine, too

Dayton had as much or more info from constituents as any of them. People traveled to D.C. to get 20 minutes with him. And then he stood up and was incoherant and actually spoke against the challenge.

The Democratic senators just didn't want to compromise their elite positions. It's their exclusive club, corporations pay their dues, and they look at us as their awestruck caddies.

[stevedeshazer]

14. Dayton.

Oh man. Dayton.

You are so right.