Beyond "conspiracy theories," election irregularities get scant media atte

[rodeodance]

A few days later-but a summary of what has been covered.



http://mediamatters.org/items/200411120011


Beyond "conspiracy theories," election irregularities get scant media attention
On November 9, the Los Angeles Times reported a voting irregularity during the November 2 presidential election in Youngstown, Ohio, where equipment initially recorded a negative 25 million votes for one precinct. In the 24 hours following the story's appearance, only one television news show -- MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann -- mentioned the incident.......

In her November 12 column in The Washington Post, titled "Worst Voter Error Is Apathy Toward Irregularities," columnist Donna Britt outlined how newsworthy reports of voting irregularities have been largely ignored by the media:.....

[Carolab]

1. There's still time before the results are certified

Except in Florida

[highnooner]

2. No one really wants to hear it

Meanwhile, the Repub's are taking it as a mandate and the Democrats are letting them do it by laying down and waiting for the war and/or the economy to go further south.

[itzamirakul]

3. Democratic leadership makes me so mad...

why are they just laying back and taking this shot in the gut? What is the purpose of sending out messages of a "need for healing?" Why not attack the wound at it's source and cut the cancer out now? I swear that I do not understand them and I am looking at moving green or libertarian or something else because it is apparent that the Dems don't care about anything except trying to be centrist.

[LosinIt]

4. what is this 'leadership' that you speak of???

I haven't seen any of that in the party in a very long time.

[itzamirakul]

6. Exactly my point!

No one is stepping up to at least give the semblance that the party is still even operative. After that little mealy-mouthed feeler email that McAuliffe sent out - after I returned it with a strong message that he clear out his office and leave, I haven't heard one word from ANYONE else that we might assume to be in a leadership position.

I think the centrist wing is trying to wear down the left wing of the Party so they can return with their Republican-lite policies but I think this is going to kick them in the butt in the long run.

Dean is the only person who is speaking out, but I notice that he is careful not to assume the posture of a self-appointed leader.

WE have to do something! WE have to annoint a new leader for ourselves.

[Oak2004]

14. We are becoming the leadership

We're the ones who have been taking the lead. The "leadership" is now irrelevant, especially since their idea of "leadership" is to follow the Republicans around like a bunch of wimpering little puppydogs.

No insult intended to puppydogs.

[KayLaw]

5. Yes

We're being " Gored " by the media.

[tll]

7. I don't know why this didn't occur to me before - HELP

I get the Al's Morning Meeting newsletter from the Poynter Institute; a compilation of story ideas for journalists with links and resources. He solicits ideas and, unless somebody else did this already, I'm going to drop him an email but need to know the best of the best and the latest info.

So, quick, which links and threads should I refer to? There's so much info and discussion, my head's spinning.

Is there a latest readymade press release-esque thing floating around for us to send or does this need done?

[savetheuniverse]

9. you are so right... welcome to the world of media spin....

I think if someone could compile the most important ones (in fact it might be good to have two separate threads -- one to address more moderate minded folk and the other for flaming fucking hippy radicals running out of smokes) and keep kicking them, but not so they interfere with the really hardcore heavy duty fisher etc stuff....

You guys are great, whoever you are and thanks so much for creating this place --- however dizzying and disorienting it may seem at the moment ---

I;m gonna need a goddamned chaos theorist to come in here and clean up my machine pretty soon.

Holy flying fucking flames ratman!

[savetheuniverse]

10. Strategy alert!

we need someone doin a blow by blow of msmbs news. we must keep tabs on what they are doing they are so fucking scared --

google cabinet members resign, powell included are they running from 3/11 or pdg 9/11 report

actually, i could do this and use the blogsquat strategy right here (but only if there is someone in the vicinity who can bring me some fucking cigaretttes. am w/'o wheels and furthermore seriously afraid to go out of the house, like at least there's a door between me and the murderers right now) -- if I can get some cigs, operation smoke em out can get underway immediately.

Jim's gonna kill me when he comes home to find me squattin in the gd living rm!

if there is someone who can get me some smokes pls eml or call home nr--i've gone thru all shreds of tobacco am now workin on the cigars!

[Eloriel]

11. Oh, goodness, you have to see this --

should keep you (and Al) busy for a while:

VOTE FRAUD Links - a DU Compendium
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=201&topic_id=1984#

VOTE FRAUD Links Compendium - Thread #2
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=201x3223

[tll]

13. Thanks!

I'll say (and I think my dial-up is a wee bit freaked out).

I finally got an email fired off. Back in school, in PR classes, they did tell us to keep it short and sweet when pitching but, dammit, this so important (and a tantalizingly two-pronged story). Hope I didn't screw up ('cause it's been ages since school and I bombed those classes) but this is what I wrote:

"You have to break a few eggs to create an omelet and/or elect the next president?

Concerned that legitimate reports of irregularities and problems with electronic voting machines are getting lost in the online buzz, members of the DemocraticUnderground.com community are being asked to put their individual skills to work sorting fact from fiction.

Al, it's not being a sore loser as some suggest and it's not a bunch of a crackpots looking for phantom bullets. It's an ever-growing community of professionals, students, retirees and active citizens... all donating time, expertise and plain passion to comb through data, crunch numbers, monitor and compile media reports, write letters and so forth.

This alone would be an impressive story if it weren't for the larger issue. Even if the outcome is the same, do we overlook problems with the process?

The info changes rapidly but here's a sample of what DU-ers are putting together:

[savetheuniverse]

8. NYT Lttr up, morning rant, some ?s, ideas, request for hlp

Good Morning, America! This is Chicago...

And this is Dr. Dorothy Dumbdrum reporting for duty in the service of the Democratic Mandate of the United States of America.

Hot off the press! Our conniving little internet conspiracy collabator, Rob Kall, over at OpEdNews has come to the speedy aid of the Times and posted this letter on their behalf!

Early opinion polls are calling it "wonderful stunning" --- thank you for all your cards and letters and rest assured, I have only just begun to stun!

http://www.opednews.com/friedberg_111504_media_whitewash.htm

A report posted earlier by our friend Rob on the same site may be of interest to readers out there in lalaland and beyond.

http://www.opednews.com/friedberg_111104_america.htm

And with that, having completely outted myself (if i have been disappeared tomorrow please look!), but anyone who is wondering who the hell this chick is may now view Dr. D. live in the flesh from url listed in the bio-line; allow me to introduce myself (finally)--Hi. My name is Doctor Dorothy Dumbdrum from the University of Chicago. I'd be happy to come in and fuck up your universe if you just give me five minutes of your time! (Indigenous DU-lers, please forgive me for busting in here like this and blogsquatting all over the place. I apologize profusely, but I had nowhere else to go, and the stun-gun doctor in me says as long as I just keep writing, there is hope. I'm writing for my life, you see, as are we all).

Important RED alert: I'm registering a major bleep on the voter apathy scale--the Post was Right! -- Some of the 60 pages of letters I wrote (and sent via email, cc a few friends) to the president at the white house between October 14 and Nov 3 might be able to help with that--little could I have known that I was already then preparing for this campaign. If there is anyone out there who can post them for me somewhere soon (I am hoping they will soon lose their urgent political relevance, though I remain convinced that they will be of some enduring literary and/or historical value now and in the future, be it ever so humble), pls shoot an eml to my last name at site domain--emails to my hubbies manager addy listed on the site are potentially hazardous to the stability of our morally correct domestic bliss . I wonder if McSweeney's might be the venue for this, with an anonymous posting of these letters signed by "a concerned citizen." Is McSweeney's a participating media outlet? I think these letters deserve a quiet place somewhere where they can rest relatively unscathed by the F and Recount scandal. I like to think they can help people get their hearts and heads back where they belong. Their hands and feet will follow. The have the potential for raising the outrage quotient (OQ) in the low OQ sectors.

The diversionary tactics currently ongoing in Fallujah are highly disconcerting and I fear they may lead us into worldwide holy roaring infernal purgatory if we do not pay careful attention (would Rove really go that far? I think so, and see here an imminent threat that this might really be their strategy of last resort; finally: an exit strategy we ALL can die with!) If we can release the hostaged hearts, hands and souls of our people, we have a shot at winning this war. We can can succeed without the msmbs news, but not without John Q. P. Early opinion polls indicate that these letters may have the potential to reach this sector of our beloved reading audience (am I studying Rovian strategy? little bit. November issue of Atlantic has a report that is of interest to strategically-minded Others ). Interesting reading in light of current events, at any rate.

A brief note on what is happening in the parallel universe that is the twitchy-cloak-and-dagger haunt of Hollywood: Our fine freepered friend Chi(m)p Reid is reporting that congress returns to session today for business as usual, discussing such "mundane matters as real estate tax" even as the country faces (or fails to face) the grim reality of the 3/11 election scandal. Discerning viewers will nevertheless have noted clear signs of post-electile dysfunction (PED) in Reid, combined with symptoms of pre-traumatic-pending-calamity stress syndrome (PTPCSS) and media attention deficit disorder (MADD).

This series of open letters to the President, which begins with the last letter written on Nov. 3, 2004, has the potential to alleviate voter apathy among certain populations that might not be responding well to the current campaign. Letters are titled :God Bless America! Letters from the Heartland" and are dedicated to the efforts of Navajo Codetalker Chester Nez and the many millions of others whose bravery in the line of fire on the foreign and domestic front has gone unnoticed for so many years.

Bursting with Bushishm's galor (thank you so kindly Mr. Crispin Miller for your marvellous work! Salute! ) and utterly dis-electical, these letters address important domestic issues, always with an eye for their impact on the heartland and our soldiers abroad. Hence, they may have some potential for reaching mom and pop and others who have fallen prey to apathy, indifference and the like.

I thank you for listening and invite you to tune in again soon.

Have a blessed day and never forget: GOD HAS BLESSED US ALL.

Dr. D.
Stun-Doctor and Media Strategist


______

Wow! I just discovered the edit function here! Yeehah! And with that we have a powerful new strategy.... blogsquattin'....I'm going out there, man, catch me if you can!) Zapppa! Gottagitoutahere, NOW.

Peace out.

[EndElectoral]

12. If the Dem Party goes any more right, I will have to vote Green