How Bush Won CA in 2004

[Eloriel]

They’ve already created the backstory.
Four days before Arnold announced, the Washington Times reported that the Bush/Cheney team thinks they can win CA and NY in 2004.

The next step: get a Republican elected
They dumped the man who funded the recall to the tune of $2 million of his own funds (Congressman Darrell Issa), to run an action figure who comes complete with his own built-in name recognition, money, and automatic media coverage from a star-struck press. Sure, they had Arnold in their sites since at least April of this year, though the plan was originally for 2004. They had to muzzle him not long after his announcement, though, to save him from himself, and have been reminded that he comes with some of the same Enron baggage as Gray Davis.

Still, it could work.

Especially if the recall ballot just happens, by sheer coincidence, to be the biggest and best vote suppression technique in history, something that always disadvantages Democrats. With 135 names listed in random order on the ballot, voting will be a chaotic nightmare, and many people won’t bother or won’t have the time or patience to tough it out. Think moms with hungry children in tow, workers docked by the hour, elderly folks with bad knees.

Next: Send Bush – and plenty of pork – to California.
They’ve already promised to make a big play for California. Add some federal largesse, some cooperative or merely biased pollsters to ask the right questions of the right people (or interpret the data favorably) and little by little Bush will look like he’s moving up in the polls and viable. That alone will convince some to vote for the “popular guy.”

Finally, cook the books.
The recall election will have been debacle enough (think Florida 2000 on steroids) that despite the fact that Californians are even now being warned about them, everyone will be clamoring for computerized voting. And what a relief for Rove&Co., since electronic voting systems, owned by Republicans, have provided some of the most stunning Republican victories* in history. Voila! Bush wins California! Another Rove coup.

*See for example Senator Chuck Hagel, victories by Republicans Perdue and Chambliss in GA despite no change in demographic turnout, Allard in CO and Coleman in MN, Riley in AL, and three different Republican candidates in Comal County, TX, who each won by exactly 18,181 votes in 2002.

Even MORE Voting Irregularities with computerized voting systems
http://www.workersrighttovote.org/more.htm
http://blackboxvoting.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=12
http://pub103.ezboard.com/bsoldiervoice
http://www.csl.sri.com/users/neumann/illustrative.html#24
http://www.thewe.cc/contents/more/archive/july2003/kewearchive_july1-14_2003.html

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST? You bet.
http://www.ecotalk.org/VotingMachineCompanies.htm#DIEBOLD%20ELECTION%20SYSTEMS,%20INC
ESSENTIAL READING: How safe are computerized voting machines? Not at all:
PIMA COUNTY (AZ) REPORT: http://www.pimademocrats.org/votingreport/votingintegrity.htm
HOPKINS/RICE REPORT: http://avirubin.com/vote.pdf)
Diebold Rebuttal to Hopkins Report: http://www.diebold.com/checksandbalances.pdf
Rubin et. al. - response to Diebold rebuttal: http://avirubin.com/vote/response.html
HARRIS REPORT (and other articles by Harris): http://www.blackboxvoting.org/access-diebold.htm

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
BlackboxVoting: http://www.blackboxvoting.com and http://www.blackboxvoting.org
Dr. Roberta Mercuri: http://www.notablesoftware.com/evote.html
Lynn Landes website: http://www.ecotalk.org/VotingMachines-TechnicalIssues&Standards.htm
Dr. David Dill’s Verified Voting: http://www.verifiedvoting.org/drefaq.asp
CalTech/MIT report: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/nr/2001/voting2facts.html

[chookie]

1. CA is a key part of the overall strategy

Cities and states all across the nation are in a financial meltdown -- and they've all fallen in the last 3 years.

In times of recession, in the past, the Feds have bailed out local governments in order to stop the hemorraging of jobs and services -- but since the Bushistas are advancing their agenda of dismantling New Deal and Great Society programs -- the current administration is offering no aid.

They know this goal is not popular, so they have to pursue it by stealth. Sept 11 was an immeasureable aid to their cause -- a sacred cow they could hide behind to avoid the questions that would expose them.

Given that it is a crisis from sea to shining sea, they *have* to shift the blame from Bush's policies, to blaming Democrats. Gotta give them credit for being so damned bold -- given that Enron and Cheney were key players in the California energy crisis which was a major part of CA's current problems.

So, getting a Rep governor in power there -- a faithful radical like Issa, or a puppet drunk on his own ego -- is important to help steer or steal the election for Bush -- but also to create an example, a precedent that they want other states to follow -- namely, that, yeah yeah -- REALLY! -- it's irresponsible Demoocrats that are the evil doers, not The Repubs that have deliberately set this course!

If the Bush administration had a motto, it would be "Who do you believe, me, or your own eyes?

[newsguyatl]

2. thanks for posting this eloriel!

hope everyone reads and understands what's at stake here... i hope, as well, that this gets passed around.

[Bombtrack]

3. I'm pretty sure they could win both against Dean

All of the resources that Bush put into the moderate red states in 00 that he would then sweep in 04 could be put into all but the bluest of blue states.

See 1988.

[Emboldened Chimp]

4. Dean has huge support in CA

It's his base, actually. * has a long road ahead to get anything like Dean's support here. A puke like Ah-huld won't help him, because there is still a Dem legistlature to deal with. It's not a done deal if Arnie gets in, which, imo, is not likely to begin with.

[ButterflyBlood]

5. why is it you never explained why Dean is the antichrist?

are you dumb enough to buy the garbage that he's left of Lenin? Your obsessive hatred of Dean is as idiotic and illogical as the Freepers' hatred of Clinton.

[Eloriel]

6. Well THIS sank like a freakin' rock

Hardly worth my trouble. (Note to self: work on mysterious topic lines that leave no clue as to the nature of the thread, but are intriguing.)

And there's no freakin' need to make it an anti-Dean thread, either.

Bah.

Eloriel

[Booberdawg]

10. I'm watching, Eloriel

I'm sitting back here in Iowa watching this unfold in California and holding my ass with both hands.

I'm convinced this blatant and naked partisan attempt to overturn an election affects the rest of the nation. I'm counting on people like you to stop it in California. I see this as if they succeed in recalling a bona fide and democratically elected Governor in California, they are going to pull this crap with other State elections around the nation for which they didn’t appreciate the results. Not only that, I see a seated Republican Governor as affecting the 2004 Presidential election.

The Republicans (Rove) are long-term planners and they are good at it. I am sick to death of them winning these battles. We, and collectively the Democratic Party, have to stop allowing them to even play this game. A good step in that direction is to stop this crap they are trying to pull in California. It will metastasize if it doesn’t stop there, I’m sure of it.

Linda

[Q]

12. Another hint: refer to 'titmouses'...

- I think DU is becoming the wrong place to discuss politics of any import. Perhaps it's that we've been overwhelmed by too many high schoolers or New Democrats?

- You're not alone in trying to raise the alarm that the Neocons are working behind the scenes to steal another one. It's safe to say that most simply don't understand or give a shit...considering that the Bushies got away clean with the theft of the 2000 election.

[indigo32]

15. Just a point of clarification.

we've got some kick-ass high schoolers here. Goobergunch for instance does all of us proud and she's not the only one.

[radwriter0555]

7. SO VOTE NO ON THE RECALL AND ENCOURAGE

EVERY Californian you know to do the same.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

8. Don't underestimate our own little homegrown Rove's out west though

Art Torres ad a few strategists that will go unnamed have done a great job of rallying the troops in California.

They still have to win. McClintock may bow out but there are hard core conservatives that will NEVER vote for Arnold.

I don't want to leave the impression that it is all under control..I just want to remind everyone that the California Dems are NOT the national Dems.

[Clete]

9. Thanks Eloriel

You have put up a post that is full of good information as usual. I am with NSMA as far as California Democrats are concerned. We aren't going down unless it's in flames and even if the GOP "wins" in October, there will be a lot of resistance, investigations petitioned for and perhaps other recall depending on where the election ball lands.

[tom_paine]

11. Sadly, Eloriel, I think you're right

And after the Rigged Recall of 2003, we will have to call it Kalifornia.

[Democat]

13. Why is Oprah helping Arnold

Something stinks in "Hollywood".

[Cooley Hurd]

14. With honest and fair elections in 2k4, the Dems would clobber the GOP

However, the repug trump card could be to have "ringer" governors "recalibrating" the state's voting processes. Look how crooked Florida's voting processes are (w/ Jebtho in Tallahassee).

I'm hoping for a Dem landslide that can overcome any crookedness in the process...

[Q]

16. Kick for the people of the night...

...

[hunter]

17. Watch Tom McClintock...

I'll start sweating if McClintock quits, but I don't think he will. Nor will I be surprised if he somehow manages to stab Schwarzenegger in the back.

I trust the last few weeks of this campaign will be extremely dirty. Cheerleader Bush, and his big botfly maggot Dick Cheney (we call him Dermatobia hominis here) are going to be surprised when their "Terminator" buddy ends up as political road kill.

Please Eloriel, don't take away my hope... I'm not ready to move to Canada yet.