31% IS NOT A MANDATE

[WilliamPitt]

Received via email:

COBB TO BUSH: 31% IS NOT A MANDATE

Green Party presidential candidate will speak for the majority of Americans
at DC counter-inaugural activities

David Cobb, the Green Party's 2004 presidential candidate, will
be speaking at two counter-inaugural rallies on Thursday, January 20, in
Washington, DC, refuting the notion that President Bush has a mandate to
bomb civilians in Iraq or spy on law-abiding citizens in the U.S.

"President Bush has lied to the American people time and time
again and he's lying to himself if he thinks he has a mandate to govern--31%
is not a mandate," said Cobb.

According to recently released figures, Mr. Bush won 50.8% of
the popular vote from the 60.7% of eligible voters who actually cast
ballots. Seventy eight million eligible voters did not vote for any
presidential candidate. More people abstained from voting than the number
who voted for Mr. Bush.

"The Green Party speaks for the majority of Americans. Most
people want an end to the war in Iraq and to bring our troops home safely as
soon as possible. Most people believe that everyone in this country is
entitled to a Living Wage, health insurance and affordable housing. Most
people believe in the Bill of Rights and the Constitution and are offended
by the so-called "Patriot Act" and Bush's war on our civil liberties. Only
when our voting system is improved and people are able to vote their
conscience and know that their votes will be counted, will our government
reflect the views of the people," said Cobb.

As part of a wide range of counter-inaugural activities taking
place in the nation's capital, Cobb will be speaking Thursday at a 9 a.m.
rally in Malcolm X Park, 16th and Euclid Streets NW, sponsored by the DC
Anti-War Network. Cobb will then speak at a rally at MacPherson Square
Park, 15th and I Streets NW, at approximately 11 a.m.

Information about additional counter-inaugural events, the
Cobb-LaMarche campaign's role in the Ohio recount, and the New Voting Rights
Movement can be found at http://www.votecobb.org. The website for the
national Green Party is http://www.gp.org.

[bemis12]

1. Same arguement

The Repubs used against Clinton.

[WilliamPitt]

2. ...with a third candidate drawing 19% in the game

[Fly by night]

3. I'm glad Cobb is speaking out -- wish he wouldn't use the "cooked" numbers

I would prefer that we keep saying consistently that it is highly likely that Bush did not win and that the evidence for voter intimidation and disenfranchisement, election fraud and theft remains voluminous and convincing. Using the "51% voted for Bush" statistic gives credence to what most of us believe to be a lie.

In addition, these excerpts from today's Washington Post suggest that Bush's "mandate" never existed. It's pretty unlikely that Bush's approval numbers would drop so rapidly after a real 3+ million vote victory. More likely that his "below 50%" approval rating before the election remains the same after the election. Unless, of course, you are polling the ES$S and Diebold machines. Here's a few excerpts from the Post this morning (The story is based on the latest WA Post/ABC poll):

"Fewer than half of those interviewed -- 45 percent -- said they preferred that the country go in the direction that Bush wanted to lead it....

"Bush said in an interview last week ... that the 2004 election was a moment of accountability for the decisions he has made in Iraq, but the poll found that 58 percent disapprove of his handling of the situation to 40 percent who approve ....

"Of all presidents in the postwar era who won reelection, only Richard M. Nixon had a lower job approval rating at the start of his second term ....

"A majority of Americans express disapproval of Bush on other key measures of presidential performance. A slight majority -- 52 percent -- disapprove of the way Bush is handling the economy, and half or more also are dissatisfied with the way Bush has dealt with the budget deficit (58 percent disapprove), immigration (54 percent) and health care (51 percent).

"Overall, the public expresses more confidence in Democrats in Congress (50 percent) than in the Bush administration (37 percent) to deal with problems in the Social Security system."

Given this recent national poll, I would suggest that all of our spokespeople keep saying that the real sentiments of Americans regarding Bush were more accurately reflected in the exit polls which has been released to us by our Kiwi friends (and which are still buried by Mitofsky and the corporate media) than in the "reported" vote we continue to be asked to believe.

Let's not use their "cooked" figures -- let's use the real (exit poll) ones. Kerry 1.