I talked with Howard Dean today on the election machine issue!

[gristy]

I sat two rows behind him today on a flight from Minneapolis to Albany. He was traveling by himself, and I walked with him from the gate to the front of the airport. I wanted to talk about the election machine issue, and he indicated he was interested in hearing what I thought. I said the focus of the debate should be on voter verified paper ballots (not "receipts", not "paper trail" - because IMO these are not synonymous). I talked about the influence that HAVA has on the direction that the states take, but IMO, that HAVA does not specifically dictate electronic voting (touch-screen) or the direct, electronic tabulation of votes (DRE) and that there are ways to satisfy HAVA requirements for the disabled that use neither touch-screen or DRE. I urged him to continue to take advantage of his position to highlight the danger we face with these machines. At the conclusion of our walk (we must have talked for about 5 minutes), he said that he would like to get exit-pollers at those precincts (he thought 20% of total?) that will use electronic voting next year. I suggested that it might be a challenge to get a non-partisan organization to do it. And with that, he autographed my NY Times for me, and headed out to the curb to look for his wife.

He said he was taking a vacation.
Yeah, I'm OK with that. :)

[SandraK]

1. From what I know about HAVA

It has some great parts that helps cut down the red tape, but it also has some awful things in it like the req that people show ID when they mail in voter registrations?

That is just awful!

[wryter2000]

2. Way cool!

I'm jealous.

The dh was finally able to see Dean on CSPAN last night, and he was impressed.

[blm]

3. That is pretty cool that you

spent the time talking about one of the most serious issues this country faces. Good job.

[Pastiche423]

7. I most defintely agree

W/o corrections made to the voting systems, why even campaign for our preferred candidate, if it won't matter on election day?

P. S. Thanks for the report and I am very envious of you, gristy!

[Larkspur]

4. Lucky you!

How did you recognize him if he was 2 rows in front of you? Just curious.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

5. Big neck

bulging at the collar. :)

[gristy]

8. and that awesome hair

very distinguished - very... presidential!

[gristy]

6. I thought I recognized him at the gate before we boarded

and when I saw some other folks coming up to him to shake hands (still before we boarded) I knew that was him.

[indigo32]

9. Wow

I am sooooo jealous... and good job bringing up the voting machine issues.

[jiacinto]

10. Are you telling us the truth?

I seriously doubt that Govenor Dean would travel alone without some campaign staff with him.

I am sure that his calendar for the next six months at least is already booked, if not even longer. And I doubt he goes anywhere without some staff or advance people with him.

Maybe you did fly with him--I don't know, but this story seems suspect for me.

[Room101]

12. I find it wierd he was alone ????

I'm jealous

[jiacinto]

14. Presidential candidates have scripted schedules

planned way in advance. Every minute of their day is accounted for. I seriously doubt that Dean would travel without staff with him .

[NewYorkerfromMass]

16. he's on vacation

however, ever since Wallace was shot candidates have been assigned Secret Service protection. Now obviously that must not begin until the actual election year.

[indigo32]

17. It's odd that he was traveling alone

except that maybe he is really going to take a break with his wife for a couple of days. He's earned it. AND while listening to him live on C-Span I heard him in his pre-speech hob-nobbing mention heading to MN... my ears perked up because I'm from MN. So that part checks out to me.

[w4rma]

15. He's a regular person, just like the rest of us

And on a budget, also. He can still contact Trippi and other staffers via cell phone. And, as he said, he was going to be picked up by his wife at the airport, so he wasn't going to be alone for long.

[jiacinto]

18. I really have trouble beliving this post

I really do. Maybe the original poster is telling the truth, but I highly doubt that Dean would travel anywhere without one key staffer with him or without any security around him.

[w4rma]

23. A scenario

Dean goes to the airport with a staffer and/or security. They leave him once he passes through the metal detector.

Then he's pretty much safe. He gets on the plane. Gets off the plane at the next airport and passes through the metal detector.

Then he meets his wife and maybe a staffer at the entrance to the airport.

So, he's "alone" only when he's in a heavily guarded airport waiting room and plane and when he's passing through the airport to get picked up by his wife at the curb.

[tsipple]

19. No, That Checks

Dean travels with very little entourage to keep expenses low and to maintain closer contact with voters. He's taking a well-deserved break this weekend according to his blog.

We're all just human beings, folks. I've bumped (literally) into Harrison Ford at an airport (flying himself in, by himself), for example. I also saw Senator Chuck Grassley at the Des Moines Airport, sans entourage, chatting with some constituents.

I met Joe Trippi, Dean's campaign manager, a couple days ago. He still puts on his pants one leg at a time. He was milling about and saying hello to a few people, and it was great.

[West Coast Democrat]

22. It's probably easier to travel w/o an Entourage

It attracts less attention.

And I agree, the famous people whom you can just bump into seems surprising, but is not uncommon. Celebrities are all over the place.

[tsipple]

26. Bill Clinton Was Famous for This

He'd leave (with the smallest possible Secret Service detail consistent with security) and stop by a McDonald's, go Christmas shopping, or whatever, all unannounced. (He still does it, more than ever.) And, as anyone living in Manhattan can attest, lots of celebrities visit the delis, walk their pets, jog through the parks, and otherwise lead entourage-less lives in the nation's most densely populated city.

Furthermore, campaigning this way is dramatically more effective. The big entourage gets in the way of people opening up and talking honestly. In the very-retail political environment of Iowa and New Hampshire, it's the only way to go.

[Aaron]

20. Barebones campaign probably saves money by only flying him around

and not a cadre of of assistants. Just my best guess.

[gristy]

21. yes, it was Howard. No, I am not lying

He was traveling alone. His wife was picking him up at the Albany airport. He said he was taking a vacation. Call his campaign HQ. Ask them what flight he was on today. You challenged. You call.

[ElementaryPenguin]

11. Fantastic job!!! That is THE issue!!!

I might have been tempted to encourage him to keep flying LARGE, commercial jets!

[peabody71]

13. I take issue with the neccessity of a 'Non-Partisan' exit polling group.

As the Founder of POLLWATCH.org I have considered this extensively.
My conclusion is that it will be next to impossible for a citizen exit polling organization to appear 'non-partisan', simply because the nature of the situation. Republicans don't care about election fraud because they are the benefactors. A very general statement I realize.
My point is that It is simply not as important as getting citizens involved in exit polling. All are invited, but if only the Democrats take part then so be it. This is our country too.
There is no excuse for not safeguarding our Democracy.

[gristy]

24. ok - good point

So if the exit polling is going to be done by a (somewhat? very?) partisan group, then it needs to use a very transparent method with lots of checks and balances so that the numbers obtained are credible.

[peabody71]

25. We do what we can. Period.

Basically the biggest goal is to make people aware not to take the vote for granted. Secondly, if major discrepencies exist between exit polling data and official totals then to make that as large an issue as possible to wake people up. Fraud will continue until the populous gives a damn. So we must do whatever we can and not worry about being labeled.

[dofus]

27. Howard Dean is completely down to earth

and incredibly approachable. I met him at a fund-raising thing a couple of months ago, and he had one staffer (maybe two) with him. He stays in supporter's homes when he travels, not hotels. There is absolutely no pretentiousness in him at this point, no sense that he's more important than anyone else.

Why I'm such a Dean supporter. He's the first politician I have ever given money to, which is true of many of his donors.

[ThorsteinVeblen]

28. Dean stays in supporters homes.

Man, that is cool.

[hedda_foil]

29. And he flies coach with one staffer.

Although Trippi was there for the AFL-CIO forum in Chicago, Kate (his aide) was with him in Iowa and Minnesota. She probably flew directly back to Vermont. When I met him at a meet and greet for Jan Schakowsky's Progressive Choices PAC, he was travelling with Jen, who is supposed to open the Chicago office soon. They left to catch their flight and were stuck on the plane on the runway at Midway Airport (where the cheap flights take off in Chicago)for several hours. Jen blogged their wait on the tarmac from the plane.

This is no big budget campaign.

(edited to insert an omitted word.)