Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Saturday, September 16

[livvy]

Today in History:
Never Give Up the Fight


          

1776 : Battle of Harlem Heights restores American confidence

On this day in 1776, General George Washington arrives at Harlem Heights, on the northern end of Manhattan, and takes command of a group of retreating Continental troops. The day before, 4,000 British soldiers had landed at Kip’s Bay in Manhattan (near present-day 34th Street) and taken control of the island, driving the Continentals north, where they appeared to be in disarray prior to Washington’s arrival.

In the early morning hours of September 16, 1776, General Washington ordered the Continentals to hold their line at Harlem Heights while he sent Captain Thomas Knowlton and a volunteer group of Rangers to scout British movements and possibly lure the British into combat. While Captain Knowlton and the Rangers engaged the British in a frontal assault, Washington sent a second force of Patriots to attack the British from their right flank. During the short but intense fighting that ensued, the Americans were able to force a small British retreat from their northern positions.

Despite the American failure to stop the British invasion of New York City the previous day at Kip’s Bay, the successful Battle of Harlem Heights restored public confidence in the American troops and lifted the spirits of the Continental Army. The Americans and British each lost approximately 70 troops in the fighting. One of the Americans lost was the Ranger leader, Captain Thomas Knowlton.

http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=50899



Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News

All members welcome and encouraged to participate.



Please post Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News on this thread.

If you can:
1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web.

2. Post stories using the new Spring 2006 Edition of "Election Fraud and Reform News Directory" listed here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x407240

3. Re-post stories and announcements you find on DU, providing a link to the original thread with thanks to the Original Poster, too.

4. Start a discussion thread by re-posting a story you see on this thread.



Please "Recommend" for the Greatest Page (it's the link just below).

[livvy]

1. Two Words That Can Change the Course of an Election

OpEdNews.com

September 15, 2006

Two Words That Can Change the Course of an Election

By Mary Kiraly

Two Words That Can Change the Course of an Election

There are two words that can change the course of an election. We should be watching for them. When we hear them, usually beginning the September before an election, we will know that we are about to see a slumbering bureaucracy spring into action. The goal of that bureaucracy? To prevent a vast, non-existent conspiracy from committing "voter fraud". Voter Fraud has never been demonstrated to be a real threat to our elections. Nevertheless, volunteers who work at election polls work in an environment which is infused with the noise created around this charge, while trying to do the right thing.

Mr. Waldman stressed that members of the media should be aware of voter suppression strategies, and should be reporting on them, because these strategies will drive voters, who are eligible to vote, away from the polls. It is important to note that neither the Brennan Center, nor EPIC, places these strategies within any partisan political context.

(1) New Laws that Crack Down on Voter Registration across the U.S. Although less than twenty percent of voter registration is done by non-profits, new laws- such as those recently declared unconstitutional in Florida- attempt to crack down on voting registration activities by non- profits. The League of Women Voters stopped voter registration activity in Florida due to severe penalties, that could be levied under the Florida law. As Michael Waldman emphasized, these laws are not just bad policy: they are illegal and unconstitutional.


(2) Barriers to Voting Rolls. Using databases to keep eligible voters off the rolls. Many states are implementing statewide registration requirements using a comparison of various lists to declare voters ineligible. For instance, an artist whose residence is in a warehouse loft might be declared ineligible to vote because her address appears as a business and not as a residence. Matching errors are affecting voter rolls.

3, 4, 5, and more at link

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_mary_kir_060915_two_words_that_can_c.htm

[livvy]

2. A Word From the Prison: Dr. Ayman Nour's Letter on the 1st Anniversay...

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) explores the Middle East through the region's media. MEMRI bridges the language gap which exists between the West and the Middle East, providing timely translations of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish media, as well as original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East.

Founded in February 1998 to inform the debate over U.S. policy in the Middle East, MEMRI is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit, 501 (c)3 organization. MEMRI's headquarters is located in Washington, DC with branch offices in Berlin, London, Tokyo and Jerusalem. MEMRI research is translated to English, German, Hebrew, Italian, French, Spanish and Japanese.

September 15, 2006 No.1291

A Word From the Prison: Dr. Ayman Nour’s Letter on the First Anniversary of the Egyptian Presidential Election

The following is a letter written by Dr. Ayman Nour, leader of Egypt's Al-Ghad party, on September 7, 2006, to mark the first anniversary of the Egyptian presidential election. The letter appeared in English on the FreeAymanNour website. <1>

Dr Nour, who was runner-up in the election, was arrested in late January 2006 following allegations that he had forged documents relating to the establishment of his party. He was later sentenced to five years in jail.

“I thank those who elected me and those who imprisoned me.

“Yes. Today completes a year of hope and pain. One year has passed after the first presidential election in Egypt's history. No need to go into the details that are in the nation's memory. Some issues are too significant to be treated as a page torn out of a book, a mountain deleted from a map, a moon the blue fire of which can be blown out or a river that an administrative decision can detain and change its course.

>snip

“One year has passed since that day on 7 September 2005 when millions of Egyptians looked for their votes in vain. The doors they knocked on were slammed in their faces because those who refused to allow them to vote using the ID cards restricted this right to 25% of the citizens to whom they gave the right to choose their ruler.

“These people were only armed with the desire for change and reform. Their bare hands were capable of changing criteria, modifying policies, renewing values and changing theories. This was not possible, however, because they were deprived of their right to vote.

http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP129106

[livvy]

3. Challenges to Voter ID Laws Casting Doubt on Fall Ballots

Posted on Wed, Sep. 13, 2006


Challenges to voter ID laws casting doubt on fall ballots

By Peter Wallsten
Los Angeles Times

PHOENIX – Little noticed by U.S. voters, a nationwide melee has broken out pitting liberal and conservative groups in a duel over restrictive new voting laws that could determine who wins close elections in November and beyond.

The dispute, which is being fought in disparate and often half-empty courtrooms in as many as nine states, concerns new state laws and rules backed primarily by Republicans that require people to show photo identification to vote and, in some cases, proof of citizenship and identification when registering to vote.

>snip

The legal battle reflects a deep partisan divide, with Republicans arguing that the new requirements are needed to prevent voting fraud and to boost confidence in election results, and Democrats charging that they disenfranchise senior citizens, minorities, students and others who tend to vote with the party.

Hundreds of thousands of votes are potentially at stake in some of the most hotly contested congressional races this year and the 2008 race for the White House, making the current court battles the latest chapter in a broader war over election policies that has been raging since the 2000 Florida recount.

>more

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/nation/15506859.htm

[livvy]

4. Judge Strikes Down Missouri Voter ID Requirement

Judge Strikes Down Missouri Voter ID Requirement
Law is found to be ‘unconstitutional,’ hampers election freedoms
The NAACP legal team and its partners scored another victory in preserving the right of all Americans to cast an unfettered ballot. Yesterday a judge struck down Missouri’s new voter identification law as an unconstitutional infringement on the right to vote.

Circuit Judge Richard Callahan considered two combined lawsuits claiming the requirement that demands voters show a federal or Missouri-issued photo ID at the polls was an unconstitutional burden on voters. The judge agreed, issuing an injunction halting implementation of the law and directed Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan to provide notice of the judgment to each of the116 election authorities in the state.


“Once again the actions of those who would curtail and deny Americans this precious and sacred right has not stood legitimate legal challenge,” said NAACP General Counsel Dennis C. Hayes. “We will continue to monitor and forcibly act against such attacks on the rights of all Americans.”

Callahan said the requirement is a particularly troublesome to women and the poor because a separate Missouri law requires those obtaining or renewing a driver’s license to show they are lawfully in the country, generally with a birth certificate or passport.

>more


http://www.allamericanpatriots.com/m-news+article+storyid-16163.html
(original source listed as Source: NAACP)

[livvy]

5. Opinion: CourtRejection of Voter ID LawProtects theRights of Disadvantaged

Posted on Sat, Sep. 16, 2006

Requirement to show a photo would create an excessive burden on some Missourians
Court rejection of voter ID law protects rights of disadvantaged

Fortunately, Missouri’s new law requiring a photo ID to vote didn’t stand up in circuit court. The state shouldn’t pursue an appeal.

This misguided law interferes with the rights of qualified voters.

In ruling the photo ID requirement unconstitutional, Cole County Circuit Judge Richard Callahan observed that women and the poor in particular could be prevented from exercising their constitutional right to vote by the law that Gov. Matt Blunt signed in June.

Secretary of State Robin Carnahan opposed the law. She says as many as 200,000 Missourians don’t have a photo driver’s license because they do not drive.

Republican lawmakers say they wanted to prevent fraud. But Missouri already had one of the toughest requirements of voter identification in the nation. This law added the burden of showing an identification with a photograph.

>more

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/opinion/15530639.htm

[livvy]

6. Senator to Appeal Voter ID Ruling

Senator to appeal voter ID ruling
FROM STAFF REPORTS
09/16/2006

The Missouri senator who sponsored the state's voter ID law, which was thrown out by a judge on Thursday, said Friday that he will appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court.

Sen. Delbert Scott, R-Lowry City, said he expects to file the appeal within days. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction in cases that concern the validity of state laws.

Scott can appeal the decision because Cole County Circuit Judge Richard Callahan allowed him to intervene in August to defend the law against various city officials and potential voters who challenged its constitutionality.

Callahan struck down the law on Thursday, agreeing with the challengers' claim that requiring voters to present drivers licenses or nondriver IDs at the polls was an unconstitutional burden.

>more

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/0CC961A9D06CF4E7862571EB00115FCC?OpenDocument

[livvy]

7. Houston Chronicle Reader Blog: It's Not Easy Being a Voter...

Blue Bayou
A reader blog about politics and current events with John Whiteside

September 15, 2006
It's not easy being a voter

Not these days, anyway...

Several voting-related stories have caught my eye lately.

First: a piece from Mother Jones called Just Try Voting Here, in which reporter Sasha Abramsky looks at some of the ways that people - sometimes local governments - around the US have put up barriers to keep people from voting. I'll mention a few highlights, but you really should read the entire list.

There's what Abramsky calls the "new poll tax" in Georgia:

In 2005, Georgia state legislators passed a bill requiring voters to present either a driver's license or a state-issued photo ID that costs between $20 and $35 and is available only from Department of Motor Vehicles offices. Supporters claimed this was necessary to keep people from casting votes in someone else's name, even though Georgia secretary of state Cathy Cox noted that her office had no evidence of this happening. Either way, the measure is likely to have a dramatic effect on who can vote. Two-thirds of the state's counties don't even have a DMV office; Atlanta, the state's largest city, has just one, where waits at the ID counters often run to several hours. In late June, the secretary of state issued a report finding that more than half a million active-status, registered voters in Georgia don't have valid photo IDs. Fully 17.3 percent of African American voters, and one-third of black voters over age 65, wouldn't be able to cast a ballot under the law. When the federal Department of Justice had five experts examine the ID legislation in 2005, four of them objected to it, as the Washington Post discovered. But higher-ups at Justice overruled them and the measure (pushed by conservative think tanks such as the American Center for Voting Rights) went on the books. In October of last year a judge blocked its implementation, and the law -- along with another version that offers free voter IDs -- remains in limbo as appeals continue.

To middle class voters this doesn't sound like a big deal, but if you're poor, $35 is a non-trivial sum. One wonders what the motivation for this was: it's dressed up as an anti-fraud measure, but as is noted above, there's nothing to suggest that such fraud has ever happened.

If we are going to require a government document such as an ID for people to exercise basic rights like voting, we should not charge for those documents.

Another good one: playing games with voter registration forms in Florida:

>more

http://blogs.chron.com/bluebayou/2006/09/its_not_easy_being_a_voter.html

[livvy]

8. MD: State 1st to Use Poll Equipment: Check-in System Would Reboot Itself..

Maryland votes 2006

State first to use poll equipment
Check-in system would reboot itself during the primary, causing problems

By Melissa Harris
Sun reporter

September 16, 2006

Maryland's new electronic voter check-in system, which poll workers across the region reported would abruptly shut down and reboot during Tuesday's primary, had never been used before during an election, the manufacturer acknowledged yesterday.

At one Baltimore precinct, poll worker Al Samples, a 38-year-old computer scientist, said he could not prevent the three small check-in stations made by Diebold Election Systems Inc. - called e-poll books - from suddenly turning off. The machines crashed about 40 times, he said.

The governor's office said yesterday that it might ask state election officials to abandon the new equipment during November's general election or at least have a backup paper list of registered voters on hand.

"It should have been disclosed that we were the guinea pigs," said Joseph M. Getty, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s policy director. "Even if we're assured that the bugs are taken care of, that might not be good enough."

>more

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/elections/bal-te.voting16sep16,0,5924903.story?coll=bal-home-headlines

[livvy]

9. Editorial: Accuracy Counts

Datona Beach News-journalonlin.com

September 16, 2006

Accuracy counts

Open inquiry overdue for voting machines susceptible to undetectable tampering

For those who regularly vote and educate themselves about candidates, Election Night is an exciting time. But as electronic voting machines are installed at polling places across the country, the question that has everyone holding his breath is this: Will the machines that record and tally votes do it accurately -- and if they don't, will anyone know?

Volusia County saw problems in the Sept. 5 primary. Five of the machines that scan paper ballots and convert votes into electronic data failed -- as did 11 memory cards on which the votes are stored. In some precincts, results were reported as complete before all the ballots cast had been accounted for.

But Volusia County at least had paper ballots to fall back on -- though the three-member canvassing board certified the election without reviewing the paper ballots, over the protests of a DeLand election watchdog group. The Florida Fair Elections Commission says it has reports of irregularities in polling places on election day. County officials owe it to voters to investigate these claims.

That duty was underscored this week by a Princeton University report blasting the security of touch-screen voting machines. Voting advocates have long been concerned about touch-screen machines that lack a verifiable paper trail and have failed several external security tests.

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Opinion/Editorials/opnOPN85091606.htm

[livvy]

10. Poll: Iraq, Terror Connection Not Made

Posted: Saturday, 16 September 2006 7:47AM

Poll: Iraq, Terror Connection Not Made

WASHINGTON (CBS/AP) -- President Bush and Republicans want to convince voters the unpopular Iraq war is central in the anti-terror fight. Democrats argue they can win control of Congress if voters view Iraq — and the continued bloodshed there — on its own.

The latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll found Republicans haven't made their case despite a sustained effort to link the conflicts; a majority of the public views the two as distinct.

>snip

Seven weeks before congressional elections, the poll of 1,501 adults conducted Monday through Wednesday showed that the GOP offensive has helped Republicans gain some ground.

Bush's public support has increased — 40 percent of likely voters approve of his job performance — and Republicans have erased an advantage Democrats had last month on the measure of which party would best protect the country. Voters now view Republicans and Democrats as equally capable.

>more

http://www.wbbm780.com/pages/84071.php?contentType=4&contentId=206538

[livvy]

11. Political "Bogeymen" Out To Scare

Posted on Sat, Sep. 16, 2006

Political 'bogeymen' out to scare
NANCY BENAC
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Shadowy corporate figures who cut backroom deals. Stealthy terrorists who drive cabs by day. Immigrants who steal across the border by night.

Politicians are finding no shortage of bogeymen to associate with their opponents this campaign season.

And it turns out that some of the most popular targets of opportunity at this early stage in the elections are simply other politicians - those whose mere mention is enough to raise partisan hairs on the backs of loyal party members.

Sure, candidates are tying their opponents to Big Oil and Islamic fascists. And to special interests and partisan bloggers. But they're also doing their best to link their rivals with the likes of George Bush and Nancy Pelosi. And Tom DeLay and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

>more

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/15531489.htm

[livvy]

12. Christian Democrats' New Web Site Targets Voters, Volunteers

Christian Democrats' new Web site targets voters, volunteers

By Frank James, Chicago Tribune
September 16, 2006

WASHINGTON — A group of Christian Democrats seeking to compete against Republicans for the vote of religious Americans have started a new Web site meant to serve as a forum for like thinkers and a political tool to raise money and volunteers for Democratic candidates who share their values.

The new site, FaithfulDemocrats.com, is partly the brainchild of David Wilhelm, a former Democratic National Committee chairman, who also managed campaigns for Mayor Richard Daley and President Clinton.

Jesse Lava, another co-founder who worked for Wilhelm at the DNC, is the site's executive director.

"The seed was planted after '04 when there was a lot of hand-wringing going on and a lot of people were wondering how on earth Democrats failed to convey a sense of faith and values in that election," Lava told reporters in a recent teleconference.

>more

http://www.venturacountystar.com/vcs/religion_and_ethics/article/0,1375,VCS_151_4997709,00.html

[livvy]

13. OH: Ney Admits Taking Bribes (Repugs called on him to resign)

Ney admits taking bribes
Congressman not saying whether he will resign seat; federal sentencing guidelines call for 27-month term
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Jonathan Riskind and Jack Torry
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

WASHINGTON — Hours after he agreed to plead guilty to federal corruption charges likely to land him in prison, Ohio Republicans yesterday called on Rep. Bob Ney to resign his seat.

In court documents made public yesterday, the congressman from Heath admitted accepting thousands of dollars in gambling chips from a Syrian businessman and free trips, drinks and food from now-disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Ney, who has announced that he is in treatment for alcohol dependency, will plead guilty Oct. 13 in federal court in Washington. Justice Department officials who have conducted the investigation into Ney and Abramoff said the congressman faces a recommended sentence of 27 months in prison.

Ney issued a statement acknowledging "serious mistakes," but did not say whether he will resign the seat he has held in eastern Ohio since 1995. Ney is not seeking re-election; Republicans in the 18 th District on Thursday selected state Sen. Joy Padgett, of Coshocton, to face Democrat Zack Space, the Dover law director, in November.



>more

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/?story=dispatch/2006/09/16/20060916-A1-00.html

[livvy]

14. Effect of Ney's Guilt Could Weigh Heavily

Effect of Ney's guilt could weigh heavily

Scandal is a noose around GOP's neck
By George E. Condon Jr.
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE

September 16, 2006

WASHINGTON – Rep. Bob Ney's admission of guilt comes at a terrible time for Republicans, both in Ohio and nationally.

For the first time in months, GOP strategists had been enjoying a spate of good news and were starting to believe that the upcoming congressional elections may not be the disaster they were all dreading. But now, Ney bursts back into the news with sordid tales of taking thousands of dollars in poker chips from a Syrian businessman while accepting untold free trips, fancy meals and golf junkets from corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Just when they need it most, Democrats – courtesy of Ney – have been given a great opportunity to change the subject from national security back to Republican corruption.

There is no indication that, by itself, corruption is an issue that will swing the national mood, but it blunts what had been some GOP momentum. And Ney's decision not to immediately resign his House seat threatens to make matters worse by dragging out the story.

His decision has privately infuriated other Republicans in Ohio. Some of the anger could be seen in Ohio GOP Chairman Robert Bennett's unusually sharp-worded demand that Ney “should resign immediately and begin paying the price for his arrogance and greed.

>more



http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/20060916-9999-1n16ney.html

[livvy]

19. Who's the Next Target in the Abramoff Probe?

Who's the Next Target in the Abramoff Probe?
Former Ohio Congressman Bob Ney has admitted his role in Washington's influence-peddling scandal, but prosecutors still have other politicians in their sights
By ADAM ZAGORIN/WASHINGTON

Posted Friday, Sep. 15, 2006
After months of defiant protestations of innocence about his role in the Jack Abramoff influence-peddling scandal, Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, has pleaded guilty to making false statements, conspiracy to commit fraud and violating post-employment restrictions for former congressional aides. But the probe into the lobbying scandal is far from wrapped up.

A source close to the investigation told TIME that scores of US prosecutors and FBI agents continue to examine the activities of other sitting members of Congress and prominent individuals who could face prosecution, though not necessarily before the November 7 election. The source confirmed previous public reports that particular scrutiny is being paid to Sen. Conrad Burns, a Montana Republican who faces a tough campaign for reelection.

"A lot of the conduct to which Ney has pleaded guilty is similar to the alleged conduct of Senator Conrad Burns and his staff," points out Melanie Sloan, Executive Director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a non-profit watchdog group. "Abramoff has said that Burns and his staff used Signatures like their cafeteria. And Burns took a number of legislative actions on Abramoff's behalf, even as members of his staff went on trip to the 2001 Super Bowl on private jet and visited Sun Cruise gambling ships, which were partly owned by Abramoff. "Abramoff himself said in an interview earlier this year, "Every appropriation we wanted we got. Our staffs were as close as they could be. They practically used Signatures as their cafeteria. I mean, it's a little difficult for him to run from that record."

But Erik Iverson, a senior advisor to Sen. Burns campaign in Montana told TIME, "There is no federal investigation. Certainly no one has ever told us there is, or contacted us. And there is absolutely no similarity between what's happening to Mr. Ney and Mr. Burns. That is all just politics." As a matter of policy, the Justice Dept. does not comment on possible targets of its investigations.

>more

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1535551,00.html

[livvy]

15. NJ: Ex-Senate President Admits He Got Payoffs

Ex-Senate president admits he got payoffs
Saturday, September 16, 2006

By PETER J. SAMPSON and MITCHEL MADDUX
STAFF WRITERS

John A. Lynch Jr., a former state Senate president and one of New Jersey's most powerful Democratic bosses, admitted Friday that he took thousands of dollars in payoffs from a company seeking state approvals.

Lynch, 67, pleaded guilty in federal court to devising a scheme to defraud the public. He also admitted evading taxes on $150,000 in unreported income from a separate venture in 1999.

The former legislator -- who sponsored James E. McGreevey's rise to the governor's office in 2001 -- is by far the most prominent of dozens of New Jersey public officials convicted in a series of federal corruption probes during the past several years.

State Republican Party chief Tom Wilson was quick to make political hay of the news.

>more

http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2OTkzMDAxJnlyaXJ5N2Y3MTdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5Mg==

[livvy]

16. Update 1-Mexican Left Must Decide ON Post-Election Tactics

UPDATE 1-Mexican left must decide on post-election tactics
Sat Sep 16, 2006 5:46am ET254

(Recasts with leftists at crossroads, changes byline)

By Alistair Bell

MEXICO CITY, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Mexican leftists decrying election fraud will decide on Saturday whether to make their fight with President-elect Felipe Calderon a radical struggle on the streets or to adopt a less confrontational stance.

Supporters of leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will hold an open-air convention in the capital's sprawling Zocalo square to hammer out strategy after losing the July 2 vote by a marginal 234,000 votes.

Organizers predict 1 million people will turn out at the event, which could name Lopez Obrador the leader of a civil resistance campaign or the head of an alternative government.

Delegates will likely take the second path and symbolically declare Lopez Obrador president, a softer option which means fewer street protests against Calderon, who is set to take office on Dec. 1.

>more

http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=bondsNews&storyID=2006-09-16T094617Z_01_N16403465_RTRIDST_0_MEXICO-ELECTION-UPDATE-1-PICTURE.XML

[livvy]

17. Know Thy Voter

CAMPAIGNS
Know Thy Voter

By Marc Ambinder, The Hotline
© National Journal Group Inc.
Friday, Sept. 15, 2006

A sophisticated and previously unrevealed experiment by Democratic interest groups could provide Democratic candidates in as many as nine states with an unanticipated edge in the November elections.

America Votes, a roundtable of the nation's top liberal membership groups, is coordinating a multimillion-dollar program to boost Democratic turnout using the same voter modeling method mastered by Republicans in 2004.

"The goal here is to once again bring 'field' into the column of the progressive community," said Jano Cabrera, a senior adviser to the project.

EMILY's List, which raises money to help elect Democratic women, is in the catbird seat for two states: Michigan and Minnesota, both of which feature competitive gubernatorial and senate races. Other members of America Votes plan to employ the project in Ohio, Colorado, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. And so-called "robust" voter lists will also be provided to program members in Arizona, New Hampshire and New Mexico.

>more

http://news.nationaljournal.com/articles/0915hotline.htm

[livvy]

18. On the Trail - Fear vs Loathing

ON THE TRAIL
Fear vs. Loathing

By Chuck Todd, NationalJournal.com
© National Journal Group Inc.
Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2006

If it wasn't clear last week, it became crystal clear Monday night that the 2006 midterm elections could be boiled down to a phrase made famous by "gonzo" journalist Hunter S. Thompson. The Republicans are using "fear" to motivate their voters and the Democrats are employing a message of "loathing" to fire up their base.

President Bush succinctly reinforced the GOP message in his speech to the nation on Monday when he declared: "The safety of America depends on the outcome of the battle in the streets of Baghdad."

Digest that sentence for a moment.

While the idea that Iraq is central to the war on terror is not a new message out of this White House, Bush has never been more direct.

Or at least he hasn't been that direct since the fall of 2004.

>more


http://nationaljournal.com/todd.htm

[livvy]

20. Germany: Neo-Nazis Join Quiet March To Poll Victory

The Times September 15, 2006

Neo-Nazis join quiet march to poll victory
From Roger Boyes in Anklam

THERE was not a skinhead to be seen in this Baltic town at the heart of Germany’s neoNazi revival. No thugs with steel-tipped paratroop boots, no ranting xenophobes.

Yet the signs are clear: the far Right is on the march in Eastern Germany.

The neo-Nazis, picking up an astonishing level of support on the home turf of Angela Merkel, the Chancellor, look set to win a big chunk of seats in regional elections on Sunday. And to make sure that middleclass voters do not panic ahead of the ballot, they have donned camouflage.

“What did you expect,” asked Michael Andrejewski, the new face of the extreme Right. “That I would beat your brains out with a baseball bat?” Blinking from behind gold-framed glasses, Herr Andrejewski looked as threatening as a maths teacher — unlike the five young men who formed a protective semicircle around their leader. “You’ll be wanting to move along,” said one of them with menacing politeness. One quickly got the point. The slogan on his T-shirt read: “Granddad was right”.

>more of this disgusting news





http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-2358390,00.html

[livvy]

21. Santorum's New TV Ad Infuriates Democrats

Santorum's new TV ad infuriates Democrats
ELECTION 2006
Friday, September 15, 2006
BY BRETT LIEBERMAN
Of Our Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - Pennsylvania's already nasty U.S. Senate election took a decidedly negative turn yesterday after U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum's campaign began airing a television commercial portraying Democrat Robert P. Casey Jr.'s supporters as a bunch of criminals puffing cigars in a prison cell.

Casey's campaign and Democrats immediately condemned the ad as a smear attempt and sign of desperation. Independent analysts said the ad broke ground for nasty attacks in the election, which is expected to involve many more negative tactics.

"Rick Santorum wants to talk about anything other than his voting record," Casey said.

"Meet Bob Casey's campaign team," the ad says as it shows actors portraying men such as state Sen. Vincent Fumo, D-Philadelphia, and donors and fundraisers who have been or are under investigation for possible extortion and potentially illegal campaign contributions.

>more

http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/115828891184350.xml&coll=1&thispage=1

[livvy]

22. Lots of Diebold and other ER links posted by helderheid in GD.....

and I mean LOTS!
Nice list, helderheid!




http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2150448

[Kurovski]

23. K&R for a great line-up!

thanks be to livvy. :thumbsup: