WE are to blame for elections being stolen. After 2000, when DNC started a

[blm]

Voter Integrity division to counter election fraud and protect Dem votes, why didn't WE target THEM and the person in charge, Donna Brazille, holding THEIR feet to the fire?

After 2000, Gore was BLAMED for the loss, even though the duty to have the votes counted was actually on the Dem party infrastructure that was SUPPOSED to be in place in every county, in every precinct. It wasn't, and stolen votes easily slipped under the radar. Gore won - the party INFRASTRUCTURE was too weak to get him into office.

After 2002, Cleland was blamed for the loss, even though the duty to have everyvote counted belonged to the Dem party and its voter integrity office who was supposed to have worked at countering the voter suppression tactics employed by the GOP that were learned during the Civil Rights hearings after 2000 debacle.

By focusing blame on Cleland and the "didn't fight back" when he was smeared meme we gave COVER to the Dem party so they did not bear the EXAMINATION for their failures. They failed to strengthen the infrastructure even KNOWING how the RNC exploited its weaknesses in so many crucial areas to steal another win. Cleland won in 2002 - the party infrastructure was too weak to get his votes counted.

And how did the Voter Integrity department handle 2004 with all they learned from 2000 and 2002? Kerry receives the focus of all blame, as did Gore as did Cleland. It was the worst vote-stealing in history because they used EVERY TACTIC in their arsenal including rigged machines. Kerry won in 2004 - the party infrastructure was too weak to get 5 million of his votes to count.

How often did we all hold the Dem PARTY'S feet to the fire since 2000? Since 2002? Since 2004?

What the hell was the DNC and its Voter Integrity offices doing for four years and HOW were they countering the RNC's tactics? I never saw a concerted effort from them post 2000 and post 2002. I think we would have heard about it at DU if there was an effort mounted. There wasn't.

Only now, with the efforts of a NEW CHAIR, Howard Dean working state by state, county by county, precinct by precinct, we, AS A PARTY, are finally tending to the basic party infrastructure that was left to collapse since 1997 - the actual part of the elections where the VOTES ARE COUNTED.

Dean can't be everywhere and alot of it is up to us to apply all the pressure necessary on the county level. We can't take our focus off the STRUCTURE that needs to be strong enough to counter the tactics of GOP operatives and strong enough to get the votes counted.

Stay on top of the DNC - stay on top of national news outlets - stay on top of your local Dem party - stay on top of your local newspapers through election day in Nov.

When WE, as a party, are not vigilant and active against GOP tactics, WE share in the blame.

[mod mom]

1. Not to mention their investigation into Ohio was a farce. I don't

understand why they weren't better prepared in '04 and how they were hood-winked into HAVA.

[DURHAM D]

2. It is not enough to watch what our county officials -

we have to run for and hold the offices. Start at the county level and work up. That is what the Repugs did - took them 20 years to get in place. We don't have that much time.

[blm]

3. that's even better...and you're right, it's what THEY did to gain control

of the very infrastructure that Dems were ignoring at the very same time. They had drones willing to work under the radar, out of the spotlight to maintain all the nuts and bolts of the vote counting.

Too many Dems get distracted by the rhetoric and think we should match the GOPs insult by insult, smear by smear, but THAT IS NOT HOW THEY WON. They won by the UNSEEN and UNHEARD tactics targeting weaknesses in tne Dem infrastructure related to the counting of the votes.

[mopinko]

9. run for office, or at least

be an election worker. a poll watcher at the minimum.

[blm]

11. and keep an eagle eye on the Repubs in control of your county.

.

[MH1]

10. Not only that, but become poll workers or poll watchers, and/or

make sure that your precinct, your ward, your district has enough volunteers to do these jobs.

[WarNoMore]

4. Excellent! Great post. K&R n/t

[fedupinBushcountry]

5. You hit the nail on the head

Not only that but who was responsible for such an early convention, knowing damn well the Repubs would cash in on that. There is a lot of blame to be had for the Dem establishment in the DNC, who seem to get off scott free and their spokes people from 2004 and back have a lot of owning up to do.

[blm]

8. That would have been Terry McAuliffe and his closest advisor, Bill Clinton

Yep - that was a great political maneuver from a great political mind - but, who were they trying to benefit?

[babylonsister]

6. Great post, blm! The Dem party has been conspicuously absent

in this fight. Why?

[blm]

7. I think Dean is the first party chair who BELIEVES now that election fraud

even happens on a criminal level, and that it has to be stopped at the point where it is committed - LOCALLY. He may not have been sure of it in 2004, but I feel certain he believes it happened now.

[CarlVK]

26. Agreed. That's why I'm such a supporter of the man

in his current position. Vigilance is going to be everything, this next voting cycle.

[gully]

12. "WE share in the blame."

Yes we do.

Thanks for the post.

[BeFree]

13. Precisely

The party has failed to protect our votes. The whole damn assemblege.

But we are the UNDERGROUND. We have been working to protect our votes.

I don't care what anyone says, the elections were stolen and the fact is no one arguing against that statement can make the case that the elections were fair. But we can make the case that it was stolen.

Dean must be hitting his head on the wall with the enablers of election theft that occupy the offices of the party, because he surely does know, but no one else acknowledges the fact.

If we could just get the party to speak out as one about election theft in all it's various ways, the criminals would run away and people could once again have confidence in the government. If only.

[freedomfries]

14. K & R

good post!

[stepnw1f]

15. Even Independent Bernie Sanders Won't Touch This Issue

are they all this IGNORANT or part of some conspiracy to take voting out of the hands of "We the People" and give those rights up to corporations?! Their silence is sickening!

[blm]

25. No...all blame is supposed to be on Gore, Cleland, or Kerry....didn't

you get the memo? ;)

[populistdriven]

16. I worked for our local supervisor of elections campaign

unfortunately we lost

[Leopolds Ghost]

17. Montgomery Co MD -- thousands could not vote without "voter access cards"

In a Democratic primary, in a county outside DC that is home to much of the Democratic party elite.

And nobody --cares-- about the resultant snafu except for how it "inconvenienced" people too busy to come back later. They are talking about it in terms of "mismanagement".

On the bright side, the candidates I was rooting for locally actually won for a change. Did the apathetic people not come back to the polls when the machines were set up? Or did the chaos prevent them from rigging votes?

[formercia]

18. Hate to say it folks

but the Democratic Party was notorious for vote rigging in the 'old days'. Anyone who lived in Chicago during the tenure of Mayor Daley back in the 60's can tell you all about it. The experts at vote rigging just moved over to the GOP and continued business as usual.

[blm]

21. Definitely not on this grand of a scale. Can't even compare.

Squeaking through a few hundred here and there compared to stealing MILLIONS?

[formercia]

23. You make a good point

I smell RICO in the air.

[Cleita]

19. Also, shouldn't the Florida Supreme Court , which was

left leaning at the time, have challenged the US Supreme Court for stepping out of its jurisdiction into their jurisdiction? It's up to the states to decide how the elections are to be held. This is to keep federal elections from being rigged. The Florida Supreme court ruled for a complete recount and the US Supreme Court stopped it. They really had no jurisdiction. Why didn't the Florida Supreme court challenge them?

Also, your point demonstrates just how corrupt the DNC had become up to then. They were so steeped in cronyism that they couldn't bring themselves to challenge their fellow Democrats.

[blm]

22. That's a GREAT point, Cleita. I never thought of it. Florida Court SHOULD

have been the ones to mount the challenge. Once you hear it said, it makes perfect sense.

[lonestarnot]

27. There was an appeal to SCOTUS, SCOTUS didn't just step out

on their own. SCOTUS rules supreme, that's why they're SCOTUS.

[karynnj]

20. Nice post

One comment missing though because unfortunately it is accepted.

The main group to blame for elections being stolen is the thiefs, aka Republicans. Whether we are speaking of various election dirty tricks or cheating on voting itself, we should always say that it was not clever, or genius to be the ones responsible for doing it. The media's tact acceptance or outright praise for their practicioners needs to be called what it is - aiding in abetting the destruction of our democracy.

[blm]

24. You're right - between the lines is the ONE IRREFUTABLE FACT that the GOP

has been orchestrating the thievery at every level of the election process.