Cliffhanger in a Sea of Blue - Lets support Charlie Brown (D) in CA's 4th Cong. District

[autorank]

Keep an eye on this race. It's very close and the Democrat, Charlie Brown, is fighting for every vote. The story will unfold over the next 10 days. It look like Brown will lose the count but ask for a recount. If he does, we're in for a real eye opener. 80% of the ballots were counted on Premier/Diebold optical scanners. Go Charlie!

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0811/S00425.htm

Cliff Hanger in a Sea of Blue:
Charlie Brown (D) Refuses to Give up in California’s 4th Congressional District

California's 4th Congressional District, Republican since 1992, combines
vast regions, sparsely populated, and growing suburbs and exurbs.
Michael Collins
"Scoop" Independent News

The "blue tsunami" started in San Diego County at the southern tip of the state and flowed up the Pacific coastal counties through Mendocino. The only county with a major population that remained loyal to the Republicans was Orange County, the former center of right wing politics in the Golden State, and that was by a mere 2.6% McCain margin.

Yet, the 4th Congressional District is still counting votes with a too-close-to-call election. John T. Doolittle (R) retired this year after holding the seat since 1992. Democrat Charlie Brown took a second run for the seat, having lost to Doolittle in 2006 by just 3 points. In 2008, Brown received nationwide support from high profile veterans and veteran's groups and was well funded from a variety of sources.

(snip)

On election night McClintock had less than a 1,000 vote lead with thousands of uncounted ballots. Rather than surrender, Brown issued the following statement on Nov. 5:

We understand that there are still more than 40,000 ballots remaining to be processed, and we will not know the outcome of this election until all of those votes are counted.

"Our priority today is to support a fair and accurate count of every ballot."

(snip)

We are burdened with a voting system that divorces the citizen from the election process.
Arguing that somehow the use of optical scan machines represents the use of real paper ballots is simply wrong. To get at the ballots, you need to go through what candidate Charlie Brown is going through and hope that your state allows citizen requested recounts (not all do) and that you can raise the money to pay for it. Why not just count the paper ballots form the start?

Every time a single line of computer code comes between ctizen ballots and the final election result, it's another instance of democracy denied. Michael Collins

Link: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0811/S00425.htm

Support Charlie Brown's Election Protection Efforts

Excel spreadsheet of election data on the 4th district
Chart of vote count by county with turnout and count status
Chart of voting systems and votes counted

Also at
American Politics Journal
OpEdNews.Com
SmirkingChimp
e Pluribus Mediai
The Agonist
DNC Blog

AND Thanks BussFlash.Com

[YOY]

1. I just don't know if I can support that guy...I heard he's a blockhead.

n.t.

[ihavenobias]

2. I'm not sure I can't beat that one.

:)

[autorank]

3. He's not a blockhead. Why even say that if you don't know.

Amazing.

[FirstLight]

6. I think it was a joke, Peanuts reference...

Charlie Brown is in MY county! they reported that he had lost, but I had no idea they were still counting and that there were Diebold machines involved...


I may have to ask my county supervisor what the deal is and what she knows... she actually goes to my church, and we're pretty close.

I'll let you know if I hear anything

[YOY]

7. Totally a joke on the part of his name. I am sure he's the real deal (a good Dem) though.

Lighten up!

[autorank]

11. I've managed to get through life without ever reading that comic.

[Me.]

4. Can We Get 5 Here?

This deserves notice

[gardenista]

5. I'll give you 5 and raise you a kick

Go Charlie!

We're pulling for you!

[dubeskin]

8. Here's my take on it:

I campaigned for him and canvassed several times for him. There was a high energy in the office and just in general throughout the district, and I got several people to go from "Support McClintock" to "Undecided." There is a very good chance he could pull this off still.

However, here's the thing. I didn't know too much when I began to support him. He used to be a Republican, and now he calls himself a "fiscal conservative" (his words, not mine). He's very moderate, in fact, because he generally is to the left on most social issues, however, he's somewhat to the right on economic issues. I think it will be an interesting interaction in Congress when the generally liberal Dems have to work with the newer, a little more centrist or somewhat conservative Dems.

But I'd still love to see it turn out for him, and I've got a good feeling about it.

[gardenista]

10. He sounds just right for his district

And I agree that it will be interesting to see how things go in Congress with the new crop of Dems.

Thanks for working so hard to bring a Dem to the 4th!

[autorank]

12. Thanks for that background

That's a tough district given the gerrymandering.

I'd prefer they'd all emulate Dennis Kucinich but nobody's listening to me;)

Do you think he'll go for a recount? I assumed that since he's continuing to raise money.

[glitch]

14. Yeah me too (emulating Kucinich) but I can take what I can get. K & R nt

[dubeskin]

15. Would you ask for a recount?

Yes, I bet he will.

[autorank]

17. I'd not only ask for a recount, I'd campaign on counting the paper first

and dispensing with the machines altogether. With a recount, Brown will get what ever candidate
deserves, a paper ballot election with supervised hand counting. People say it would take too long
and there aren't enough workers. Look at the 2.7 miillion votes in California that are still not
counted. That's not OK. You just treat poll working like jury duty and get enough people, make sure
they get paid by their employer. You can cheat with any system, but properly run, hand counting
gives everybody the assurance that the people who serve were actually the ones that we elected.

I hope you're right and I wish him well. Quite a big deal to turn that district around.

[Me.]

9. A Boot To The

You know what

[BeFree]

13. The crux of the matter is...

Not only is he a Dem like us - a shining blue ray of hope in a sea of hot reds - he isn't going along with the conventional - go along to get along and go ahead and concede already - crowd that doesn't want to cause waves among the election officials.

He is standing up for what is right - counting all the votes. Count not just the easy piles, but the ones too that are absentee, overseas and provisional. Each one of those votes represent a person's voice and in accordance with the strictures of democracy and the one person one vote idea, he is standing up for the importance of each and every vote.

We need more politicians like him. All of our politicians should follow his example. To do otherwise, like so many have, is to negate individual voices.

Count the votes. Count them correctly, and count every one. Go Charlie!

[Greyskye]

16. I've had a couple Charlie Brown support threads up

Mine have died a fairly quick death - great to see some DU visibility!

Charlie is a great progressive candidate who does more than just talk a good game. He's donated a portion of all of the donations he gets to Veteran's groups - over $94,000 so far.

He could still use financial support for the continuing legal/vote count battle. Anything you can give to this campaign really helps right now: http://www.charliebrownforcongress.org/

Thanks for the great OP, autorank!

[autorank]

18. My pleasure Greyskye. He does deserve our support.

We'll keep it going. PM me if you hear about moves for a recount. I've asked to be on the list
for the campaign but I'd prefer some backup since they're a bit busy.

I'm also glad that there are such excellent DU folks in that district like you, Glitch, and Dubeskin
to get the word out.

[knowbody0]

19. keep this kicking

[diane in sf]

20. Sent a little $ right now, thanks for the reminder

[autorank]

21. Great!!! This would be a huge win and instructional too!

Can you imagine Modoc County with a Democratic Representative;)

[Greyskye]

22. kick for visibility

:kick:

[Greyskye]

24. .

[Greyskye]

25. .

:kick:

[helderheid]

23. Good Luck, Charlie Brown!

:P

[Greyskye]

26. Charlie Brown concedes race. :(

I just received this email:

As you know, on November 4th a record number of votes were cast nationwide, and in the race to become the 4th District's next Representative in Congress...and the 4th District race was way too close to call.

In the weeks since, our staff, volunteers, and legal team have worked overtime to ensure that every voice was heard in a fair, accurate, and transparent manner---from the canvassing of provisional and vote by mail ballots, to 1% machine recounts and 10% hand recounts by 9 different County Registrars district-wide.

Thanks to the extraordinary work of our local elections officials, I am pleased to report that the high standards of fairness, accuracy, and transparency have been met. And with the counts and recounts across district four complete, and more than 370,000 votes tallied, the outcome of this election is no longer in question. Unfortunately, we've come up less than one half of one percent---just under 1,800 votes---short of victory.

So a short time ago, I called Senator Tom McClintock to congratulate him on a hard fought victory, and to wish him well in Congress.

To you, I can only offer my deepest gratitude-for your generosity of time and resources, and your unwavering energy and encouragement. Together, we have transformed the 4 th District, and lifted this campaign higher and farther than anyone thought possible.

I am proud of the campaign we ran.

We offered substantive solutions on the economy, on energy and on national security. We focused on results and made a tangible difference in the lives of neighbors in need---contributing more than $90,000 to organizations serving local veterans and their families through our historic "Promises Kept Challenge." And in a district that had voted only along party lines for decades, we built a coalition of change agents that transcended partisanship--earning us the overwhelming support of Democrats, Decline to States, and tens of thousands of Republicans.

For three and a half years, we never stopped working to change the community and country we love for the better.

And we did.

From the Presidency of the United States, to the Placer County Board of Supervisors and all points in between, a new generation of leaders will be guiding our community and our nation in a new direction come January.

It has been one of the most humbling and profoundly rewarding experiences of my life to stand with you, and to stand for the higher standard of leadership we need to get this country back on track.

I leave this campaign filled not with regret, but with gratitude, hope, and optimism. And as I reflect on this effort and consider what lies ahead, I return to the concept of patriotism -an unbending love of country that has inspired generations of public service in our family, and most certainly, the campaigns for change we have waged together here in District 4.

Thomas Jefferson wrote "Patriotism is not short frenzied bursts of emotion, but the long and steady dedication of a lifetime."

I know that as individuals, a community, and a nation, our future will not be determined by the outcome of one or two elections. It will be measured in our long and steady dedication to the values we have championed, the solutions we've offered, the approach we've taken, and the dialogue we've initiated together.

And with your continued dedication, I know our best days lie ahead.

With Sincere Gratitude,



Charlie Brown, Lt. Col. USAF Ret.