Fraud, fraud, fraud... yeah, whatever

[LTRS]

Maybe there was; maybe there wasn't. And we won't ever know and will never be able to prove it as long as there is no paper trail on electronic voting. But it was spineless dems who voted for HAVA without it.

Let's face it, rethugs are crooks. We can't count on them to do the right thing. So why in the hell don't we all hold dem reps and senators feet to the fire on this (and many issues; like the Iraq war vote)?

I spent thousands on this election, and many, many hours of my time. More than I even want to think of tonight. But I never wrote a check without asking, what about the voting machines. NO ONE was interested.

Next time they ask for money say, here are my demands. Either stick up for us and yourselves, or don't expect my support. That's my advice and its self advice I intend to follow from this day forward.

Stop blaming the opposition. They AREN'T on your side and don't really give a damn what you think. Hold some feet to the fire. It's the ONLY way to change things.

[physioex]

1. Youre not the only one...

Who has invested time and money in this. Yes I am greatly disappointed, but this is far from over.....

[LittleClarkie]

Fine, how about yours

Who's feet are you holding to the fire? You're not holding the crooks' feet to the fire? No, you're going to eat your own.

I see. Want some ketsup with that?

We're. not. done. yet. Get back on the bus.

[LTRS]

4. No, not ever getting "on the bus again"

Not writing any more checks to spineless dems either. Sorry - they will just have to try their luck at recruiting some newbies.

Dems that will not stick up for themselves and us make it perfectly clear to the less-than-diehards that they can't be counted on to stick up for the country as a whole.

Why the hell would Dems ever vote for electronic voting machines without insisting on a paper trail????? And sadly, that is just one example.

As a gay person, parent, and partner, I am equally sick of them telling me that they support equality, yet hemming and hawing when on the issue when it comes to the public at large. At least have the balls to tell me you are going to play judas when it comes to public statements. THAT I could respect. But they pander, and while the die hards might not want to see it, the public in general does.

[Zuni]

2. I have already started drafting letters

[OneBlueSky]

3. you're right, of course . . .

the analogy between the Democratic Congress and the American electorate is inescapable . . . both continually vote against their own best intersts because . . . well, I have no idea why . . .

this is the saddest day of my political life . . . and may just turn me off on politics for good . . . being a passive observer watching the destruction of my country is not pleasant, but it's a hell of a lot less stressful and time-consuming than fighting it . . . particularly when you know there's no chance in hell of winning . . .

I've said for many months that they control everything . . . the government, the courts, the media, the agenda . . . and today that control has been strengthened . . . the damage that will be done to this country in the next four years should Bush win will be incalculable . . . think I'd rather work in my garden than continue to beat my head against the wall . . .

[Oak2004]

5. You won't have that garden to hide in if we don't stop fascism

This isn't a garden-variety election loss. This is fascism-- the real thing, not the conservativism that lefties used to call fascism.

If you truly think it is hopeless (I don't: history offers no example of such hopelessness, and I don't think tonight is anything novel), you may as well go down fighting. Because if it is hopeless, you will be going down.

[LTRS]

7. Hell, I have been boldly proclaiming it as fascism

... since they stole it in 2000. Try getting the inside the beltway mentality type people who run as our candidates to believe that. They won't - I assure you. While you are cussing and fighting tooth and nail against the bastards, they are having dinner with the "loyal opposition" in DC. Sorry, but that's the way it works.

[shelley806]

6. The info was there a long time ago; I ignored it. "How could they?"

They did in 2000, they've proven themselves to be liars, cheaters, war profiteers, and if they are not re-elected, their in deep trouble, so of course they will lie, cheat.Published on Thursday, August 28, 2003 by the Cleveland Plain Dealer

Voting Machine Controversy

by Julie Carr Smyth


COLUMBUS - The head of a company vying to sell voting machines in Ohio told Republicans in a recent fund-raising letter that he is "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."
The Aug. 14 letter from Walden O'Dell, chief executive of Diebold Inc. - who has become active in the re-election effort of President Bush - prompted Democrats this week to question the propriety of allowing O'Dell's company to calculate votes in the 2004 presidential election.
O'Dell attended a strategy pow-wow with wealthy Bush benefactors - known as Rangers and Pioneers - at the president's Crawford, Texas, ranch earlier this month. The next week, he penned invitations to a $1,000-a-plate fund-raiser to benefit the Ohio Republican Party's federal campaign fund - partially benefiting Bush - at his mansion in the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington.
The letter went out the day before Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, also a Republican, was set to qualify Diebold as one of three firms eligible to sell upgraded electronic voting machines to Ohio counties in time for the 2004 election.
Blackwell's announcement is still in limbo because of a court challenge over the fairness of the selection process by a disqualified bidder, Sequoia Voting Systems.
In his invitation letter, O'Dell asked guests to consider donating or raising up to $10,000 each for the federal account that the state GOP will use to help Bush and other federal candidates - money that legislative Democratic leaders charged could come back to benefit Blackwell.
They urged Blackwell to remove Diebold from the field of voting-machine companies eligible to sell to Ohio counties.
This is the second such request in as many months. State Sen. Jeff Jacobson, a Dayton-area Republican, asked Blackwell in July to disqualify Diebold after security concerns arose over its equipment.
"Ordinary Ohioans may infer that Blackwell's office is looking past Diebold's security issues because its CEO is seeking $10,000 donations for Blackwell's party - donations that could be made with statewide elected officials right there in the same room," said Senate Democratic Leader Greg DiDonato.
Diebold spokeswoman Michelle Griggy said O'Dell - who was unavailable to comment personally - has held fund-raisers in his home for many causes, including the Columbus Zoo, Op era Columbus, Catholic Social Services and Ohio State University.
Ohio GOP spokesman Jason Mauk said the party approached O'Dell about hosting the event at his home, the historic Cotswold Manor, and not the other way around. Mauk said that under federal campaign finance rules, the party cannot use any money from its federal account for state- level candidates.
"To think that Diebold is somehow tainted because they have a couple folks on their board who support the president is just unfair," Mauk said.
Griggy said in an e-mail statement that Diebold could not comment on the political contributions of individual company employees.
Blackwell said Diebold is not the only company with political connections - noting that lobbyists for voting-machine makers read like a who's who of Columbus' powerful and politically connected.
"Let me put it to you this way: If there was one person uniquely involved in the political process, that might be troubling," he said. "But there's no one that hasn't used every legitimate avenue and bit of leverage that they could legally use to get their product looked at. Believe me, if there is a political lever to be pulled, all of them have pulled it."
Blackwell said he stands by the process used for selecting voting machine vendors as fair, thorough and impartial.
As of yesterday, however, that determination lay with Ohio Court of Claims Judge Fred Shoemaker.
He heard closing arguments yesterday over whether Sequoia was unfairly eliminated by Blackwell midway through the final phase of negotiations.
Shoemaker extended a temporary restraining order in the case for 14 days, but said he hopes to issue his opinion sooner than that.
© 2003 The Plain Dealer

[TheWebHead]

8. well the issue is

if Bush wins by about 4 million in the popular vote, if there are state by state problems with electronic voting that effects a few hundred thousand votes, it takes some of the bite out of the argument. That's the major obstacle we're facing is the popular vote right now regarding any challenges.

[rooboy]

9. I can't argue with you...no room anymore for Vichy Democrats. n/t

[SoCalDemocrat]

10. I intend to prove fraud

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=1292142#1296986

Join the resistance.

This was fraud.