Has anyone seen...

[gaspee]

The Whitehouse commercial that started this week? I think it started running the day after the primary.

It's exactly what I think will work in RI. It stresses the effect having a Republican majority Senate has. It doesn't go negative on Chafee and it assumes Rhode Islanders aren't stupid.

In my humble opinion, this is how Whitehouse will win.

One thing I was impressed with Chafee this week too is that he showed up for the big union shindig even though they gave their endorsement to Whitehouse and he knew he wouldn't get it. Class. It's sorely lacking in a lot of republicans (ok, in some democrats too.)

[stellanoir]

1. Yup and I hope you're right.

Hope it doesn't get nasty next month but it generally does as we near the election.

[gaspee]

2. I'm hoping

Whitehouse and Chafee continue the way they are-- I mean without going too negative. For one, I think it will backfire. Aren't their families' friends?

I think it's the outside groups who are going to go negative.

It's going to be an interesting two months. You can't have the TV on for ten minutes without getting hit with a political ad.

[stellanoir]

3. Welp it's a dinky state.

We all have mutual connections here. Far less than 10 degrees of separation and the finest in inbreeding, I assure you. Even I have flukey connections with both of them.

I think you're right about the outside groups going negative. The Club for Growth especially, and with their war chest, I can easily guess the very issue for which they'll go after Sheldon. It'll hopefully not work.

Then there is that little problem with the insecurity of the tabulators of the optical scanners.

It's daunting but there is a chance. I try to be optimistic despite all the crapola. Silly me.

[chumbawamba]

4. Please don't hate me, but...

To be honest, if Chafee wins reelection, I think I could be fine with that. He's pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, anti-handgun, anti-war, and even anti-Bush. I even read in last week's The Economist that his voting record is more liberal than Hillary's or Feingold's! I know I feel silly partially rooting for a Republican, but he's the only one I've ever even liked! So I say, go RINO!

[Chemical Bill]

5. He has an (R) after his name. That's really bad.

A Vote for Chafee is a vote for the repug leadership in the Senate. If you want that you are at the wrong website.

Bill

[gaspee]

6. The only way

I would be fine with it is if he immediately went independent and voted for a Dem Majority leader. otherwise, I'm not going to be very happy if he wins.

On the social issues, he votes the way I'd like him to, but I think Whitehouse would as well. On the Economic issues like tort reform and the bankruptcy bill, he and I are worlds apart.

If the dems had a 60-40 split in the Senate, I'd probably vote for Chafee. The big two social issues I'm with him are: I am in favor of full marriage rights for same sex couples and I am anti death penalty, no exceptions.

And he was one of the few with the courage to vote no on Iraq. And make no mistake, that took courage in the climate we were in in 2001-2003. Now, sure, everyone is against the war, but we were pretty lonely voices back then.

[grizmaster]

7. Who you calling dinky (fluffing chest feathers furiously)

This is the fiestiest and bluest of all blue states.

As to the optical scanners, the paper ballot is still there if the count is contested. Could be a better system but it is considered one of the most dependable.

[Chemical Bill]

8. As to the optical scanners....

>As to the optical scanners, the paper ballot is still there if the count is contested.

If the count is not close enough to contest, then the paper ballots mean nothing.

While the heavily scrutinized touch-screen voting machines seemed to produce results in which the registered Democrat/Republican ratios largely matched the Kerry/Bush vote, in Florida's counties using results from optically scanned paper ballots - fed into a central tabulator PC and thus vulnerable to hacking – the results seem to contain substantial anomalies.

In Baker County, for example, with 12,887 registered voters, 69.3% of them Democrats and 24.3% of them Republicans, the vote was only 2,180 for Kerry and 7,738 for Bush, the opposite of what is seen everywhere else in the country where registered Democrats largely voted for Kerry.

In Dixie County, with 9,676 registered voters, 77.5% of them Democrats and a mere 15% registered as Republicans, only 1,959 people voted for Kerry, but 4,433 voted for Bush.

The pattern repeats over and over again - but only in the counties where optical scanners were used. Franklin County, 77.3% registered Democrats, went 58.5% for Bush. Holmes County, 72.7% registered Democrats, went 77.25% for Bush.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1106-30.htm

[grizmaster]

9. with random recounts for machine accuracy

the scanner system can be used with a lot of confidence. The problem is when (as you mention) if they only check the counters accuracy if the election is close.