"Limp election theft report, Dems prove why they're unworthy" - Fitrakis

[tommcintyre]

http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2005/1342
With a limp election theft report, Dems prove why they're unworthy
by Harvey Wasserman and Bob Fitrakis
June 28, 2005

In an astonishingly limp report on the stolen 2004 election, the Democratic Party has once again proven why it is unworthy to lead this country and incapable of mounting significant resistance to the far-right GOP juggernaut.

The Democrats much-vaunted "investigation" entitled “Democracy at Risk: The 2004 Election in Ohio” could well have been conducted by a high school class in elementary polling. It consists almost entirely of post-election phone interviews. It says nothing about the devastating discrepancies between exit polls and the highly improbable and virtually impossible vote total that gave George W. Bush a second term. It makes no case about precinct-by-precinct illegalities including unguarded ballots, election machine tampering, an unexplained bogus Homeland Security alert, the firing of whistle-blowing election board officials, and much more.

In point of fact, as we have outlined in Did George W. Bush Steal America’s 2004 Election? Essential Documents (CICJ Books), any third world election that was as rife with fraud and theft as was Ohio's this past November would have been summarily thrown out by the United Nations or any other body of international observers.

But as has been so typical of the Democrats' performance on so many issues, the party's report appears to have been drafted on the top floor of a high-rise office building staffed with a phone bank. There is no connection at all to the actual Election Day realities on the ground in Ohio, and the researchers appeared unwilling to read the local newspapers and internet reports about what happened in the election they allegedly studied. <bolding mine>
<more>

[WildClarySage]

1. gosh, *that* sounds like an honest straightforward and unbiased

assessment... :sarcasm:

[tommcintyre]

4. Actually, it's a very educated assessment.

If you do a little research on the subject (and you have a genuinely open mind), I'm sure you will come to conclusions very similar to his.

Also,if you check out the posts in this forum (going back the seven months since the election was stolen), you will notice that the most experienced fraud-fighters here have generally come to very similar conclusions also.

[WildClarySage]

5. I doubt I would come to the conclusion that the report demonstrates

why democrats are unfit as leaders, regardless of the content of the report, my comment was directed at the editorial slant of the article in question.

[tommcintyre]

8. I think he is referring to the current leadership of the DNC

Recently I was exposed to two articles that (along with the DNC claim there was "no widespread election fraud", etc.) have strongly changed my position on this.

"DINOs Outshining RINOs"
http://www.davidswanson.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=263
<Note: This is written by "a board member of Progressive Democrats of America". It explains how even moveon.org and a coalition of progressive groups are going up against the Dem leadership on a number of issues.>

Also:

"How the DLC Does It"
http://www.prospect.org/print-friendly/print/V12/7/dreyfuss-r.html
<This is really eye-opening stuff - from a well-respected liberal magazine.>

Just read these articles with an open-mind; and I suggest remembering the leadership is NOT the Democratic party. The millions of people who support the party are, and they have a right to change the leadership if they fail to do their job adequately.

[Califooyah Operative]

15. thanks for that 'how the dlc...' link, very interesting read. nt

[FtWayneBlue]

2. They needed to read Conyers' report - What Went Wrong in Ohio

For a $50 campain contribution, he sends you an autographed copy. Well worth a look, and he is certainly worthy of the contribution for his willingness to stand up for us.

[tommcintyre]

6. I totally concur!

The Conyers' report - What Went Wrong in Ohio, is MUCH better than the new DNC report; and I couldn't think of a better way to spend a campaign contribution.

[autorank]

9. Conyers report rocked. They said he was a resource. I read it

and there were estimates of "hundreds of thousands of votes lost" for various reasons. They were like CSI, on the scene quickly, and they had a tremendous feel for the mess in Ohio.

I'm disappointed in DNC for not doing a thorough job. I read the report. It's a collection of responses, some of which are excellent and a number wanting.

Two things struck me:

1) Why did they go out of their way to say that the multi-level electoral abuses would not have prevented a Kerry victory? How do they know? Did they bother to look at the Ohio State Exit Polls? Did they ask Conyers Committee where they got those hundreds of thousands of votes lost? I doubt it. It seemed like they were going over board to back out of the "electing theft" argument, and quickly. I have no conspiracy theory on this, I think it's just our party being too smart by 1/2 and not having the spine to speak up.

2) They FORGOT FLORIDA 2000 AND RACISM. The commendable emphasis on the race crime of voting rights violations in Ohio is just left hanging there. Why didn't they mention the Florida-NAACP Consent Decree where the state admitted wrong doing in the voter purges, 50,000 at least registered, wrongly removed, and unable to vote. That cost Gore the election; the state did the purge against the explicit advice of the vendor for the software who warned exactly this sort of thing would happen. This is the second Presidential election that was decided on racist tactics. What's the point of leaving Florida out?

and 3) (I lied about "two things");

3) 80% of the votes counted will be by two right wing Republican companies, Diebold and ESS. What in the Sam Hell is that about? Why wasn't that mentioned?

I like what Dean has done so far with the grass roots. I believe he is an honest man. I also believe that internal staff who had this underway before Dean came on board turned out a product that is very lacking in substance and utility.

[Amaryllis]

11. Dem leadership is SEVERLY math impaired. They keep saying

"not enough to change the outcome of the election." Eleven votes per precinct in OH would have done it; they got that on voter suppression and disenfranchisement alone. Six votes per precinct with vote switching in tabulators would have done it; Arnebeck says he has prima facie evidence of 65,000 Kerry votes being switched to Bush. And that isn't even considering FL, NM, NV, etc etc.

[autorank]

14. Everyone should read the above post....mind blowing!

[tommcintyre]

26. I'm afraid it may be something much more sinister than impaired math ;)

I now believe that the DLC is to the DNC, as the neocons/religious right are to GOP - DINOs and RINOs that have taken over the respective parties - sort of like the film, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"*. And the mega-corporate complex is equivalent to the controlling "mother-ship". ;) >

http://www.filmsite.org/inva.html
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956)
snip
"The theme of the cautionary, politicized film was open to varying interpretations, including paranoia toward the spread of a harmful ideology such as socialistic Communism, or the sweeping mass hysteria of McCarthyism in the 1950s <or post-9/11 terrorism hysteria>and blacklisting of Hollywood <or the attempted extinction of true liberals or moderates in the respective parties>, the spread of an unknown malignancy or virulent germ (read fear of annihilation by 'nuclear war')<or the fear of terrorism, running out of oil, having our unsustainable way-of-life threatened, etc. etc. etc.>, or the numbing of our individuality and emotional psyches through conformity and group-think <pay no attention to this please - just turn on your TV, and we will numb you and scare you adequately for our purposes ;) >. Yet its main theme was the alien (read 'Communist') dehumanization and take-over of an entire community by large seed pods (found in basements, automobile trunks, a greenhouse, and on a pool table) that replicated and replaced human beings <Ah... the neocons/religious right and the DINO/DLC>. And it told of the heroic struggle of one helpless but determined man of conscience, a small-town doctor (McCarthy)< the election fraud fighters>, to vainly combat and quell the deadly, indestructible threat <well... I have no intention that our efforts will be in vain - and I DO believe the "threat" of election fraud IS destructible. We just have to persist, and do what needs to be done.>."

<:SIGH: The more things change, the more they stay the same.>

[Nothing Without Hope]

3. Thanks! See also this thread re earlier Fitrakis article on the DNC report

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x380494
Thead title: The DNC 2004 Election Report: An indictment of incompetence - Bob Fitrakis

And this thread by a DUer writing a letter to Dean about the shortcomings of the report:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x380878
Thread title: What the DNC Ohio Election Report failed to address: My letter to H. Dean

[LightningFlash]

7. Top level democrats....

Top level democrats are just as disconnected from reality with Ohio and the bullshit that was pulled there, and new mexico, as Bush and his kooks are disconnected with Iraq. :thumbsdown:

[autorank]

10. Good point...

They blew it. They need help. If Dean ever finds out how he was rolled on this, he'll clean house! Let's help DNC join the reality-based community!

[kster]

12. Limp Dems and Republicans because

at this point they should both be screaming theft, both parties could get out of this Diebold nightmare.

[tommcintyre]

13. You are right

There is a saying that "the road to hell is paved with good intentions". We must judge ALL the politicians (NO exceptions), on both sides of the aisle by their actions - not their rhetoric.

Simply put, Conyers should be the politician's model, and we should accept NO substitutes.

So, for now on, for ANY national politician to get my: 1) financial contribution, 2) volunteer help, 3) AND ESPECIALLY my vote, they must support the meaningful investigation of election fraud.

And, THAT is MY litmus test.

:grr:

[Kolesar]

16. Bullshit

the legal case brought by those challenging the election results made all those points and it failed badly. The case was an embarassment to the Democrats.

[Time for change]

17. So for example

Do you think that a Triad employee tampering with a computer during the recount process, then giving instructions on how to make sure that the 3% sample recount matches with the official tally, so that a full recount of the county doesn't have to be done, is LEGAL? http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/121604Z.shtml

[tommcintyre]

18. I think what you should find embarrassing is how your state was...

blatantly stolen (with the help of DINOs).

Get used to it, this is NOT going to be swept under the rug this time.

EDIT:

Ah... see what I mean? The following link was posted while I was replying to you.

"Ohio E-Voting Petition, please sign."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x381413

Since you live in the state, why don't you go sign it. The sooner we all do what we can to expose this travesty, the sooner we can have free and fair elections. OK?

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

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[MelissaB]

20. I'll drink to that, and welcome to DU Doctor DF!

:hi:

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Peace Patriot]

23. Ditto to MelissaB's welcome! Welcome to DU, Doctor DF!

And I like your post. We need to chuck these machines into Boston Harbor and start over!

[MelissaB]

25. Well, we tried to be friendly.

I don't know what happened, but the new poster has been tombstoned.

[Peace Patriot]

22. BorealAvenger,

a) "the legal case...failed badly" --before whom? and in whose eyes? and, so what? lots of worthy cases fail--for lack of impartial judges, lack of money and resources, corruption in government, lies and obstruction, and a whole of other reasons having nothing to do with the merits.
b) "an embarassment to the Democrats" - it is not possible to embarass Democrats who let Bushite voting machine companies Diebold and ES&S count all our votes with secret, proprietary software.

[Kolesar]

24. The judge told the attorneys they were lucky not to be censured...........

...by the court for bringing up spurious charges. Luckily for Arnebech & company, Ohio law has no such provision for electoral matters.

[tommcintyre]

27. Sadly..."for Arnebech & company" it was a "kangaroo court" n/t