Democrats and Electoral Integrity

[BurtWorm]

Which statement closest reflects your feelings about this?

[BurtWorm]

1. kick

[Blayde Starrfyre]

2. Nice try

This is just another "Dean got hosed" conspiracy thread, isn't it?

[BurtWorm]

3. Nice try, yourself.

I want to see if the mood about counting the vote has changed at DU since the primaries began.

[Dhalgren]

4. I don't think that much can be done

at this stage to "make" the elections more trustworthy than they are. If one set of Dems start saying that another set of Dems stole the primary election in one or another state, it is going to make Dems look untrustworthy. Besides, the Dem electorate has begun to speak and it does not want any real change. The Dem party doesn't want to end the Empire, it just wants a Dem Emperor. So, in the long run, it won't matter - oh, we'll get the lying, cheating meglomaniacal poser out of the WH and that will be a good, but the bosses in charge will still be there, just a new, milder front man. The time to make changes in the voting and tabulation methods used in the primaries and GE in during the "off" season.

[Eloriel]

5. No one has suggested it was Kerry

These voting machine companies are owned by REPUBLICANS -- hardcore types. Types that see nothing wrong with saying in a fundraising letter even tho they're the CEO of the major voting machine company, one which has been under intense scrutiny for a year now, that "I will do everything in my power to deliver Ohio's electoral votes to George W. Bush."

Some people here are convinced that Kerry is the most electable and the most bullet-proof against Bush. They're deluding themselves, or are simply unaware of some of the truly nasty things out there in Kerry's background.

I don't think for a minute that the GOP actually wanted to run against Dean. They may have early on, but the grassroots movement that sprang up around him was a severe threat to them, as it is to the Dem Establishment (which has, unfortunately, been curiously sanguine about and only belatedly and at that very mildly interested in the whole voting machine issue).

I don't know what's going on in NH, NM and AZ. All I know is that there already are anomalies, which raise questions. And the only proper and appropriate way to address those questions are by demanding recounts, preferrably by hand.

[rucky]

7. This Doesn't Have to Weaken the BBV case

all we need to know is that there are irregularities with the machines. Trying to establish a motive at this point only weakens the case.

between you & me, maybe THAT'S what they're trying to do.

But BBV-ers can use NH to strengthen the case, broadening it to a non-partisan issue. Inaccurate elections are just as damaging as fixed ones.

[BurtWorm]

8. Broadening the issue...

that's the idea. The idea is not only to actually do something about the rot and lack of trust in the electoral system, but to have the Democratic Party lead in this cause. This would be good for both the party and the nation.

[BurtWorm]

6. Here's my proposal

Terry McAuliffe appoints an electoral integrity commission to ensure that all the primaries are clean. He doesn't have to talk about any of the controversies raging now, but his goal should be to assure all Democrats that their nominee is as legitimate as legitimate can be.

And just to reiterate for the thousandth time, approximately, the controversy is over how accurate the electronic machine count was. In NH there's an opportunity to verify that the electronic tally would match a hand count (based purely on statistical probability, such that the margin of error did not exceed the margin of victory), because NH requires a paper trail. Why not take advantage of NH's wisdom and test the hypothesis that the electronic tally can accurately reflect the actual vote?

[BurtWorm]

9. kick

[Feanorcurufinwe]

10. Other: take off your tinfoil hat and start campaigning!

lol

[BurtWorm]

11. Do I hear echoes of "Get over it"?

lol, yourself! ;)

[Feanorcurufinwe]

12. Are you saying you haven't gotten over it?

Are you still nursing your wounds? I'm not. I'm working hard on today's fight.


And...

[BurtWorm]

13. What happened in 2000 is totally unacceptable to me.

It should never happen again that vote counts are suppressed. That's not something to get over. That's something to make you watchful.

Or to make me watchful, if you really are over it. :eyes:

PS: I wonder if your position is that it doesn't matter how you win as long as you win. I wonder if that's Kerry's position, too. I know for a fact that's the Bushist position.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

14. A lot of things that happened in this world are unacceptable to me.

But I have to accept them anyway, and work my hardest to make sure those things don't happen again.


That doesn't mean, however, that every time things don't go my way, I look for a conspiracy theory to explain it. Occam's razor applies here.

[BurtWorm]

15. And ignoring a chance to push for electoral integrity because your guy's

doing fine with it or without it is making sure those things don't happen again?

[mitchum]

16. The end justifies the means

Nikki was a smart one