|
1. Vote suppression. A lot of it seemed like a successful push back where one and all can take credit. Yet it was still there and that is way too much too tolerate, including ominous government interference in partisan ways. Nor does it appear at first glance that this alone could have beaten Barack anyway.
2. The usual bag of tricks had plenty of reprisals, but it too appeared greatly diminished thanks to wins in 2006 for state control and general GOP discouragement. No way could those precinct riggings or suppressions have beaten Barack or even changed many states.
3. Touchscreen machines etc. It seems the theory of a low percentage of manipulation- in general- is correct though there were more than enough incidents of the "glitch" factor, breakdowns to junk these horrors and get the invisible third hands out of American voting. No way could these have beaten Barack without a mass uprising and total world disbelief.
4. Local races. And here I can only surmise from our own local race that the main problems continue to be corporate media and FUNDING by corporations. Just maybe there was dirty tricks in the defender's home territory but that could not prevent a win. What we did see was still a stubborn adherence to the GOP and incumbents in upstate NY that by projection makes McCain's high numbers(undeserved certainly) unfortunately believable.
I come to the conclusion that the entire picture justifies Biden's emphasis that public funding of campaigns is the foremost key issue. Next comes the media that is still(as in Chavez's Venezuela) the constant, demonizing, partisan, non-journalistic roadblock to democracy. There is a wide swath of voters still to emerge from the fog and the poison of ignorance and hate that we cut into THIS time. I think it is imperative not to get lost on "the paper trail" single issue ever again. Comprehensive election reform is something that the GOP has ironically formed in these long years of wide fought research and struggles. There is a long and flexible list list for discussion and it should not be lost in a Dem majority busy on other things. In Albany the Dems barely capitalized on this year but are likely too content with the status quo to get reforms that are really needed for the health of state and party. If that presages the national Dem majority it will be a shameful waste.
|