Does anyone know about Conyers' letter to Kerry-Edwards?

[Noisy Democrat]

I just saw a post in GD linking to a blog which has a letter which John Conyers wrote to Senators Kerry and Edwards today, urging them not to withdraw from the Ohio Recount lawsuit. Why would they even consider withdrawing? Does anyone know what's going on?

Here's the link to the letter:

http://www.fairnessbybeckerman.blogspot.com/2005/08/congressman-conyers-urges-kerry-and.html

[Mass]

1. The only hint I heard about that was from David Cobb thru DU

May be Conyers knows things we do not know?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=388217&mesg_id=388217

3.) Word is that that the Kerry/Edwards Campaign is preparing to withdraw from the Cobb v. Blackwell case, effective the end of this month! This would have a devastating effect on ANY chance the case might have of success, as per #2.

Now -- THIS IS URGENT -- Contact the Democratic Party and John Kerry and John Edwards; put pressure on and tell them DO NOT DROP OUT of Cobb v. Blackwell !!!! DON'T LET THEM DO THIS; don't let them cave in AGAIN.

Know, is there more than what seems to be a rumor?

[fedupinBushcountry]

2. It seems like Conyers got a hold of that same info

Just look at this one sentence in his letter.

It is for these reasons that I am deeply concerned to learn of the possibility, however remote, that you may be considering withdrawing from the 2004 election recount case in Ohio.

I really think it is just a rumor.

[LittleClarkie]

10. And if it turns out to have been a rumor

and we get word from Kerry that he's not pulling out, guess what.

Folks will be patting themselves on the back saying that they prevented that coward Kerry from going back on his word.

Maybe Conyers got his info from Cobb too, as opposed to independantly.

[TayTay]

3. I will write to Kerry and ask him to instruct his folks to stay in

I am not up on the specifics of this lawsuit. (I asked for more info, but got a recursive reply to keep reading DU threads that are not really telling me anything. Sigh!)

I honestly and truly believe that the best place to fight election fraud is at the state level. The recent ballot initiative drives in Ohio and the movement in state houses across the nation are the best bet to achieve change. (It's not going to happen on the federal level. The foxes are guarding the hen house on this one and the Rethugs are NOT going to let any laws pass that stop them from getting elected by means fair or foul.)

But if this lawsuit results in getting the locked up machines examined by neutral prosfessionals, then I support it. I will write a letter to Sen. Kerry and ask him to stay in. The right to vote is too precious to take any chances.

The snark of the posters in this thread towards Kerry is irrelevent to me. (There will always be snark.) The nice tone that Rep Conyers used is more my style.

[texpatriot2004]

5. What's the address for Kerry-Edwards? Where do I send the

letter? I would like to write them about staying the course too. Thanks for your help.

[TayTay]

6. Snail mail is:

The Hon. John Kerry. (Cuz, I like writing The Hon. or Honorable.)
Washington D.C.
304 Russell Bldg.
Third Floor
Washington D.C. 20510
[phone] - Phone
[phone] - Fax
Click here to email Senator Kerry

Boston
One Bowdoin Square
Tenth Floor
Boston, MA 02114
[phone] - Phone
[phone] - Fax

This stuff takes a while to clear the filters that make sure no viruses or bugs or stuff is in the mail. (It has to be screened by machines.) The e-mail is at: http://kerry.senate.gov/v3/contact/email.html

I got an e-mail back that indicated they got the letter. It will probably take a while to get a response, I think they are on staggered vacations.

[texpatriot2004]

7. Thanks. I like writing the Hon. too, especially when they are n/t

[LittleClarkie]

8. Have you tried calling as well, Tay

and what is your take on this. Do you think they should stay in? And if they're getting out, why do you think that is?

I really want their side of it.

[TayTay]

11. LC: Beats me!

I can't find any reference to it in current breaking news or in the archive for the last month. I have access to a huge legal database of ongoing and archival legal cases. I can check.

I am going to phone the Senate office tomorrow. Election fraud must be fought and I think (but am not sure by any means) that this lawsuit is trying to get a look inside those machines and tabulators. That is essential.

Why isn't this bigger news? Has Olbermann reported on it? (He covered election fraud religiously last fall.) This seems awfully under-the-weather considering how many groups on the internet are covering election fraud. I don't exactly smell a rat, but something is not right here.

Why would a smart guy like Kerry talk about election fraud and mention it in a recent PR and then pullout of a lawsuit on election fraud? The folks at his website are pretty savvy about the web. They had to know that this would create a firestorm. Why would they do one thing that highlighted the need for election reform and then do this. It makes no sense.

http://kerry.senate.gov/v3/cfm/record.cfm?id=243484

“Real election reform means passing the Count Every Vote Act of 2005, which seeks to end absurdly long lines, the erroneous purging of voters, voter suppression and intimidation, and unequal access to the voting process. The Count Every Vote Act would also incorporate a voter-verified paper trail for use by all voters, including those for whom English is a second language, illiterate voters and voters with disabilities – and mandates national standards in a variety of areas, including voter registration and counting provisional ballots.

“Real electoral reform also means fully funding the Help America Vote Act, funding the activities of the Election Assistance Commission, and helping states invest in better voting machines with paper trails. That means putting partisan politics aside and joining together as proud citizens to eliminate barriers to voting, encourage the greatest level of civic participation possible, and restore the confidence of the American people.

Ahm, that is the laundry list from the Conyers Report. Why post this on Aug 3rd if you were withdrawing from the lawsuit. I can see doing it if you are stupid, but ahm, that is not the case here.

I will phone and then ask around.

Paging KerryGoddess, can you call and ask your contacts about this?

[kerrygoddess]

12. Sorry -- I'm here!

I contacted Kerry's Senate office today. I was told that any inquiries would go through the Kerry PAC (Friends of John Kerry, Inc or Keeping America's Promise).

I have sent all info I have on this to contacts there. There has been no confirmation that this is true. I'm waiting to hear back from my contacts in JK's PAC.

Conyers said as much in his letter that this was rumor. PDA has jumped the gun with their attack!

There is no Kerry/Edwards campaign. Whatever investigation they may be still doing behind the scenes or involvement with fraud caeses would be handled by lawyers on retainer from the Kerry/Edwards GELAC Funds.

Fact is there's no harm in sending letters and emails to remind JK that people still care about this issue. But PDA f'ing blew it in my book. I also contact a good friend who is friends with Tim Carpenter, who signed the PDA letter that Will Pitt is posting about. I gave my friend some choice words to share with Tim Carpenter for PDA's little stretch of Conyers letter.

I felt that Conyers's letter was a follow up to put an end to rumors (that God/dess knows who started) and it was harmless. I posted it on my blog, because I don't want people to forget about this issue in the midst of everything else.

What a mess! Thanks Little Clarkie, MH1, et all for staying on this. When I hear more I will let you all know.

[rox63]

9. I just emailed him as well

Come on JK, don't let us down on this.

[fedupinBushcountry]

4. Very interesting article at Raw Story

Delivering the election – not just in Ohio

snip>
The nation's first parallel election was conceived by Ellen Brodsky, an election official in Coconut Creek, Florida. Held at a single precinct during a May 2005 special election on a gambling initiative, the Florida parallel election drew a 67 percent participation rate and revealed significant discrepancies, leading to revelations of programming issues with touch-screen voting machines.

San Diego's far broader parallel election was the brainchild of Judy Alter, an emeritus professor in the department of world arts and culture at UCLA who participated in the New Mexico recount after the 2004 presidential election. In Santa Fe, Alter detected a shift of third-party candidate votes into the Bush/Cheney column.

"That pattern has now been identified in eight states," Alter told Raw Story in an exclusive interview, adding that numerous other indications of electronic fraud have been found. "This is why I'm leading Study California Ballots, because we have to actually count," Added Alter.

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Citizens_Request_Recount_IN_SAN_DIEGO_MAYO_0818.html

[kerrygoddess]

13. FYI...

I heard off the record something is going to blow open in GA soon, too.

[TayTay]

14. Thanks! That's why this makes no sense

There are big cracks in the Rethug machine that are beginning to break open. The RawStory article about fraud in the San Deigo and Florida elections is big. There is a chance to get a look at what the hell is going on in those races and states right now. I can't see why the pressure whould be taken off, it should, in fact, be ratcheted up.

Plus, Ohio is a State on the verge of a big turno-over right now. The Gov has just pled guilty to misdeamors charges, Coingate is simmering away and there are major problems with players up and down the Rethug Party there. Why would anyone on the Dem side want to let up on these folks? That makes no sense at all.

[paineinthearse]

15. Appeal from PDA

By email.



Dear Friends,

We have learned that the Kerry/Edwards campaign is preparing to withdraw from the Ohio recount case, which is pending in federal court. This move comes as Federal Judge Carr in Toledo prepares to hold a status conference on August 30 on this case, along with two other pending voting rights cases.

When most others stood aside, PDA stood for voting rights and untainted elections in Ohio and in the halls of Congress. We stood to make sure that every vote counts. We have continued to fight together without slowing down.

Yesterday, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. issued a letter to Senators Kerry and Edwards urging that they not withdraw from this case. Here is a link to the letter:

http://fairnessbybeckerman.blogspot.com/2005/08/congressman-conyers-urges-kerry-and.html

The National Voting Rights Institute and its general counsel John Bonifaz, a PDA National Advisory Board Member, represent 2004 presidential candidates David Cobb and Michael Badnarik in their request for a meaningful recount of the 2004 Ohio presidential vote. During the recount last December, NVRI and its clients documented extensive irregularities in the way county boards of election conducted the recount. This included evidence that the Triad corporation had tampered with voting machines prior to the start of the recount, as well as evidence the county election officials had directly violated rules and procedures so as to avoid a full hand count of the ballots.

In late December, Cobb and Badnarik filed amended counterclaims in this case alleging the recount was not conducted in accordance with basic equal protection and due process guarantees under the US Constitution. At stake in this case today is whether the court will grant the plaintiffs declaratory judgment, setting forth the constitutional standard for how recounts should be conducted in future federal elections. This is a critical precedent to set for any future presidential or congressional election.

Please call/write/email Kerry today urging that he not withdraw and that he join Cobb and Badnarik's amended counterclaims on the way the recount was conducted. To contact Kerry/Edwards campaign office, go to:

http://www.johnkerry.com/contact/


In light of the upcoming August 30 hearing before Judge Carr, time is of the essence. If the proper precedent - of creating a constitutional standard as to how recounts should be conducted in regard to due process guarantees - is set in this case, it will help assure that future elections can and will be held without taint or improper interference. Kerry and Edwards must not back away from this all-important struggle. If they do, they will not only be abandoning all those who stood for them in the campaign and all those who fought for a fair counting of the votes, but they will also be abandoning the fight to make sure that elections in this country do not become the murky purview of corporations whose machines and managers cannot be trusted. Please contact them today and tell them to keep standing for the vote.

In peace and solidarity,

Tim Carpenter
http://www.pdamerica.org

P.S. Thank you again for all your work this week with the launch of the People's Petition for an IRAQ PEACE PROCESS. If you have not signed the petition please go to:


http://www.pdamerica.org/petition/iraq-withdraw-petition.php#here

The vigils last night were amazing. Thank you again for all your help and support.

Please continue to support this work by visiting https://www.pdamerica.org/donate.php and making a contribution.

[paineinthearse]

16. John Conyers blogged about this August 17

From the Conyers forum - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=340x136 - it has a link to the DU discussion in GDP.