?Has the U.S. ever postponed an election? Two world wars and no

[spanone]

postponement.

[fdr_hst_fan]

1. Can't say I've ever heard of it...

[liberalhistorian]

2. Two World Wars, a Great Depression,

and a major Civil War that literally tore the country apart for almost five years, and we NEVER EVER EVER postponed an election, NEVER! Nor would the people have tolerated it if we did. There is NO REASON to cancel the election except for the republican's fear of losing and their fascist way of coping with that fear, coupled with their complete and total disdain and contempt for the will of the people.

What really frightens me is just how ignorant people seem to be of what a manipulative trick this really is and that we have never, in far graver circumstances, cancelled an election; a lot of people seem to have no problem with this and are like lambs being driven to the slaughter. And that is what I find simply unbelievable. It is just so incredibly obvious as to what a manipulation this really is. And would the fucking repukes put up with this for ONE SECOND if it were the other way around and the Dems were the ones in power proposing this possiblity? I don't fucking think so!!!!

[Bluzmann57]

3. No

Civil war, two world wars, and never a postponement. If it happens, all I can say is goodbye America. Another Civil war will almost certainlty break out and this one will be the end.

[Q3JR4]

4. If a civil war breaks out,

it may be the end of America as we know it. But I think some form of this nation would exist afterwords.

[Tina H]

5. No but we have, in wartime:

passed the Alien & Sedition Acts, suspended habeas corpus and interred US citizens of Japanese descent.

We also passed some pretty severe legislation during WWI.

So, no, no postponement that I know of, but we have done some crazy and bad things in time of war.

[spanone]

6. I think this is as ignorant as bush* saying "bring it on".

He is actually telling the terrorist that THEY CAN disrupt the election. These are sad days for America as you all well know.

[Tina H]

8. No I am not

I am just saying that Constitutional rights have a history of being ignored in wartime. I don't like it, but its historical fact. I don't think these past breaches justify a postponement absent some extraordinary event (eg, a nuclear explosion in the SF Bay, say).

However, this history makes me worry that people will accept a postponement more readily than they should based on our behavior during past wars.

Final Note: I don't consider terrorism to be the same thing as war, but I think a lot of people do. What the masses think will have a much bigger influence on whether we suspend constitutional rights (eg, the right to vote in this particular case) than my personal objections.

[FredScuttle]

7. Also, we're not "at war"

Technically speaking, since Congress has not yet issued a declaration of war.

[Tina H]

9. Agreed

I explained my position and the relevance of "war" a bit more fully in reply #8, above.

[FredScuttle]

11. Point taken

I agree with you that the confusion between *'s response to terrorism and "war" is rampant among the populace and most won't appreciate the fact that we are not at war, as defined by the Constitution.

The odious Patriot Act has already been passed...I fear that, a half-century from now, our kids and grandkids will bemoan the hysteria and fear in 2001 that gave rise to such an affront to the values this country holds dear.

[fob]

10. They have to postpone/cancel it this time because the cheneyed up

the premise! Here's what I mean. They insist that the attack in Spain CAUSED the election to turn. They insist that a vote here for anyone other than shrub* is a vote for the terra'ists. So, what they have set up is a condition whereby for terra'ists to disrupt the election they would have to attack a heavily concentrated REPUGNICAN voting bloc! That way, Kerry would be given a leg up votewise. So now the dumbasses have cheneyed up their own plans of another lihop/mihop plan that takes place in a heavily Democratic voting bloc. How are they gonna explain that? That would mean the terra'ists WANT shrub* to win and that a vote for shrub* really WAS a vote for terror!

Dumbasses. Now they gotta punt and change to the, ah nevermind, why give 'em any ideas.