Is the GOP pushing our buttons on election fraud?

[Arkham House]

...if you want some good, solid old-fashioned paranoid thinking--what if the Repubs are *deliberately* trying to push the idea that they're stealing elections wholesale? With the idea being to increase apathy, make people feel that voting doesn't matter, and reduce turnout--which, of course, is the only way the Repubs can get a permanent majority? I am *not* suggesting that they *aren't* stealing elections--this theory really works whether they are or not...but if you believe--as I do--that the Right has a long-term plan for one-party rule and the destruction of what we've always meant when we say "democracy"--what better way to accomplish this than the spreading of paranoia--justified or not--about the legitimacy of our elections? I don't think they worry a bit about "exposure", if they are actually engaged in fraud...or am I being too clever for my own good?

[lonestarnot]

1. Fuck this argument and face the fucking truth of the facts in front

of your face.

[Goldilocks]

2. The GOP IMHO is not trying to encourage reports of

their election cheating. This is because if they get too successful, they might inspire a fed prosecutor to look into matters.

That said, the GOP is indeed encouraging 911 conspiracy theories, because the GOP looks more like the victim of crazy conspiracy nuts than the instigators of 911, and as a result the real truth behind 911 is left in the dust. Aint no federal prosecutor ever going to investigate 911 conspiracy theories--no, aint gonna happen, unless they come up with hardcore facts. Regarding election cheating, there are abundant facts they can use to start an investigation.

[newyawker99]

4. Hi Goldilocks!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Goldilocks]

5. thanks newyawker! I just visited your fair city (new york) for

the first in July. Loved it!

[applegrove]

3. Of course Repuges want apathy. Of course they want low turnout.

They rely on low turnout. Why they are making it so difficult to register in Ohio and Florida..or have you heard of that? Of course they will and have done most anything to get it (more apathy). Of course they play games and do anything to win elections. Of course feeling diebold machines for sure were messsed with en mass is a wedge between left and moderates under the big democratic tent. Of course. Some Moderates are people who for some unknown reason have more trust than you do in Bush, Rove, et all. So they will not see him as capable as some things.

This isn't a conspiracy theory. We know they want all these things. Explained under the reluctant responder theory that came out from a scientist a few months after the election. And that exit polls are no longer done by major news outlets. Because they got burned by the 2004 ones..in all districts..even districts with no diebold.

How the GOP will wedge whenever and whereever they can isn't any sort of conspiraty theory. It is speculation about what they will do next ...given their obvious track record.

They have been running off with the pegs of our big Democratic tent for the last 20 years. Of course they want strife and competing theories that people are personally vested in come election time.

They are mean. That is what they do.

Language matters. Call speculation "speculation". Don't self -label reasonable speculation as a "conspiracy theory".

[blm]

6. RFK is hardly dupeable and if the GOP was pushing the info, the media

would be giving it FAR more attention.

Just last moonth RW talkers were pounding on Kerry for pointing at machines' vulnerability to tampering.