Let's talk about Chuck Hagel

[Morgana LaFey]

Dang, if he doesn't seem like a nice guy. Not bad looking, either. Measured tones, sensible attitude about the war, -- darn near our kinda guy. And THEN add to all that the fact that he dared mention Impeachment as a viable option. It all becomes very, very seductive, doesn't it?

Especially if you like election thieves, I suppose. You see, there are some very, very strange circumstances surrounding his two elections to Senator from Nebraska.


This from an article by Thom Hartmann:
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/020603Hartmann/020603hartmann.html

The respected Washington, DC, publication 11 has confirmed that former conservative radio talk-show host and now Republican U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel was the head of, and continues to own part interest in, the company that owns the company that installed, programmed, and largely ran the voting machines that were used by most of the citizens of Nebraska.

Back when Hagel first ran there for the U.S. Senate in 1996, his company's computer-controlled voting machines showed he'd won stunning upsets in both the primaries and the general election. The Washington Post (1/13/1997) said Hagel's "Senate victory against an incumbent Democratic governor was the major Republican upset in the November election." According to Bev Harris of www.blackboxvoting.com, Hagel won virtually every demographic group, including many largely Black communities that had never before voted Republican. Hagel was the first Republican in 24 years to win a Senate seat in Nebraska.

Six years later Hagel ran again, this time against Democrat Charlie Matulka in 2002, and won in a landslide. As his hagel.senate.gov website says, Hagel "was re-elected to his second term in the United States Senate on November 5, 2002, with 83 percent of the vote. That represents the biggest political victory in the history of Nebraska."

What Hagel's website fails to disclose is that about 80 percent of those votes were counted by computer-controlled voting machines put in place by the company affiliated with Hagel. Built by that company. Programmed by that company.

"This is a big story, bigger than Watergate ever was," said Hagel's Democratic opponent in the 2002 Senate race, Charlie Matulka <www.lancastercountydemocrats.org/matulka.htm>. "They say Hagel shocked the world, but he didn't shock me."


------------------------

So I get very, very nervous when I see DUers line up to praise Hagel. Yeah, sure, even the worst neocon or freeper deserves a little praise when they're on the right track. Really, I do believe that -- and sometimes practice it. But praise the single act, not the whole man. This one's dangerous.

Oh, and I didn't even mention his ties with Dominionists (aka: Reconstructionists), did I? Have a look, from a 2004 article:

http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html
Bob Urosevich is currently president of Diebold. Todd is vice president of ES&S. In 1999, American Information Systems (AIS), purchased Business Records Corporation (BRC) to become ES&S. AIS (1980) was formerly Data Mark (1979). Both AIS and Data Mark were founded by the brothers Urosevich. In 2002, Diebold acquired Global Election Systems. Global was founded in 1991, which itself acquired the AccuVote system the same year. Bob Urosevich is a past president of Global.

Of course, most interested observers don't believe that the Urosevich brothers are the real brains behind their respective operations. For information on their financial backers, check out Chapter 8 of Bev's book and my webpage.

Diebold and ES&S have been involved in countless election irregularities over the years, involving both ballot scanners and touchscreens. But, it seems that they've always managed to finesse a happy ending for themselves. Now, it appears that at least Diebold might be in real trouble.

----------------------------------
More information about the principals:

Howard Ahmanson
http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2004/01/06/ahmanson/index.html
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Ahmanson,_Jr

Ahmanson & ES&S
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0225-05.htm
In the early 1980s, brothers Bob and Todd Urosevich founded ES&S’s originator, Data Mark. The brothers Urosevich obtained financing from the far-Right Ahmanson family in 1984, which purchased a 68% ownership stake, according to the Omaha World Herald. After brothers William and Robert Ahmanson infused Data Mark with new capital, the name was changed to American Information Systems (AIS). California newspapers have long documented the Ahmanson family’s ties to right-wing evangelical Christian and Republican circles.
and much, much more
---------------------------------------

DUers -- Spread the word about Chuck Hagel, don't line up to support him!

[NV Whino]

1. Thanks for reminding us

Personally I have never forgotten. It's my personal opinion that Hagel was the test case for the voting machine fraud that has been furthre used in Florida and Ohio, not to mention to a lesser extent in other states, including California.

[Morgana LaFey]

3. You could be entirely right about him being a test case

One thing we know for sure -- they keep learning. They don't do 82% victories any more.

And yes, there are a lot of DUers who already know this, and a lot who haven't a clue. Thanks! :hi:

[skipos]

2. upChuck Hagel is a far right wingnut who happens to have changed his tune about Iraq

Thanks for the reminder to those who may not know.

[mmonk]

4. He doesn't bother me. I agree with him on impeachment.

I don't on many other things. I see him as an asset. I'm not going to vote for him but if he wants to help make the case for impeachment, especially to someone out in the public that hasn't given thought to impeachment, he can knock himself out as far as I'm concerned.

[kansasblue]

5. ..and if that didn't scare your socks off...... take a look at this:

look at his voting record, and it is abysmal. Did you know that in 2006 there was not one senator in the country who voted with the Bush administration more than Chuck Hagel? That’s not in 2003, where he might argue - and he does argue - he was deceived. That was a month ago!

http://www.trueblueliberal.com/2007/01/31/who-is-chuck-hagel/

[Stinky The Clown]

6. K&R - Yours is the most important of today's Hagel threads.

He's a dangerous right wingers. The **only** thing he's right about is the war.

[femrap]

8. I think the only reason he is taking

the anti-war position is because he thinks it will get him elected Prez. He has his finger in the air and sees that the voters are against this war....he'll go after all the moderates and Independents.

He's sly like a fox.

BEWARE. Plus he hates women.

[TwilightGardener]

9. I disagree--I think he is sincerely against the war, and has been long before

most other people in either party, even back when it was quite popular. He has been speaking against it for years, and he is genuinely concerned for his fellow "grunts" on the ground in Iraq, I believe. There are plenty of other reasons to hate him or distrust him, but I can't see his opposition to the war as anything but truthful. Really, he would have had a MUCH better shot at the GOP nom if he had just kept his mouth shut all these years. He knows how the GOP treats its "mavericks".

[femrap]

11. Thx for the info....

I wasn't aware that he had been against the war for such a long time.

I also recently learned of his involvement with the Voting Machine companies in NE.

[Morgana LaFey]

12. That's my take too

Plus he hates women.

That sorta goes with the territory, actually.

[understandinglife]

7. "Not One Line Of Software Between A Voter & A Valid Election." And, We the People ...

... don't need Hagel to inform us that Bu$h and his neoconster minions are a pack of evil, murderous criminals.

Recommended.


Peace.

[DemReadingDU]

10. morning kick