Enough of this "we came close" shit

[CatWoman]

close is NO win.

close is NO cigar.

I'm glad that Hackett did as well as he did. They keep taunting and teasing us, much like Lucy does to Charlie Brown with the football.

Democrats WILL NEVER WIN elections until Diebold/electronic voting is dismantled.

:rant:

[Deja Q]

1. Unless 51% of Ohio's populace willfully prefers the status quo.

:scared:

Still, I've read many articles and don't deny the possibility of technological chicanery.

[Walt Starr]

7. 51% of the Ohio second Congressional District do

which is incredible comapred to 70% or so who did just nine months ago!

[elehhhhna]

2. Only an idiot calls a loss an almost - won.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

5. There is such a thing as a "good loss"

Having come from that area, I can tell you that the conventional wisdom is that you have to lose at least once before you can get elected. The first time you run, it's to get your name out there and establish a base of support. The second time is when you can start thinking in terms of winning outright. This was a good loss and promises better things for the future.

Be patient, grasshopper.

[manic expression]

13. Victories are not always good

If you don't believe me, ask Pyrrhus.

In the same way, losses are not always bad.

[Walt Starr]

3. Diebold had nothing to do with what happened last night

:eyes:

Come on, diebold was not used at all in any precinct last night.

[Bluebear]

8. On the other hand the "humidity" affected the optical scanners

Someone needs to invent a voting machine with the reliability of an ATM not to have all these election night difficulties!

[Walt Starr]

10. I buy that argument

Ever work with one? Get the paper just slightly moist and it'll never go through the feeder.

Add to that the fact that Cleremont county is so red Bush issometimes considered too liberal for 'em and everything is explained.

[blm]

29. But electronic vote machines and tabulators are a problem whether they're

Diebold or any other model.

It's never been just about Diebold.

[CatWoman]

30. note that I included the "all electronic voting" qualifier

[blm]

31. I did - that's why I posted to Walt.

I was being nice by not saying - "WTF Walt, CatWoman CLEARLY stated....."

heheh

[CatWoman]

38. hehehehehe

see that I responded to you and not him.

Walt likes to fight too much :D

[blm]

41. Yeah....but I really like him.

And besides, a few folks think I like to fight too much, too... if you can imagine that.

And here I am, sweet as can be. Go figure.

[Walt Starr]

34. so tell me what the problem is with optical scanning devices?

There is a paper trail.

That was the only form of electronic balloting used last night.

[blm]

36. Easy - the Republicans in control of them.

Look at the Taft-Noe scandal - the state GOP is wall to wall thugs and criminals, with the election officials being chief among them.

[Walt Starr]

37. Wrong.Polling places have two members of each party participating

Elections continue to produce better results.

In this case, you ahd two Republicans and two Democrats watching the polls in each precinct.

What more can you ask for? Want a recount? Count the optical ballots!

[Walt Starr]

43. But with optical scan, YOU HAVE A PAPER TRAIL!

Which is the biggest arguemnt any rational person has.

so long as there is a paper trail, a recount can be performed.

[pacalo]

4. Absolutely!

I was so enfuriated last night after Hackett's "loss".

Why does it take soooo long for election results to be finalized after the polls close in Ohio. That's not my experience in my state at all.

One more thing:

According to SurveyUSA, http://www.surveyusa.com/Bush50StateApproval0605.htm, Ohioans' disapproval of * is at 57%. Ohioans who approve of the chicanery going on fall into the 40% category.

And now we're supposed to believe that Hackett, the first combat veteran from the Iraq war who could have served the People in Congress, was rejected? I don't think so!

[TNOE]

6. Anyone else want to tell this fucker what you think?

http://www.rightnation.us/forums/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=7&cmd=showentry&eid=726

[CatWoman]

11. hahahaha

TNOE - was this you??

Undoubtedly one of the stupidest diatribes I've ever read - even more pathetic than Rush Pigboy's comments yesterday that Paul Hackett is "TRYING TO HIDE BEHIND A MILITARY UNIFORM" - this from a man who evaded his service due to an anal cyst but yet has the gaul to defame a man who went and served! Of course, this is the same Rush Limbaugh who previously thought that all drug users should be sent up the river - until he was caught and then the story changed that we need to "have sympathy" for something that was beyond his control. Typical GOP bull. Why people would even listen to a person whose brain has no doubt been diminished by the abuse of Oxycotin is beyond me.

The GOP is full of fools and apologists, liars and hypocrits and the discourse has gone beyond hateful to just plain pathetic. 14 Marines were killed today - and you brain dead apologist are demonizing a marine.

The list of Republican family values hypocrits is ever growing. Eventually, the semi-intelligent ones will come to their senses, but I'm afraid once the mouthpieces for the rest of them are gone (Hannity, Limbaugh, Coulter) they won't know what in the hell to think.

"I say to O'Reilly, Hannity, Lambaugh and all others like them haranguing for battle to put up or shut up! You guys had your cance to dress ina gree suit & pick up a rifle for your country & you passed on it. You chose to serve yourselves. Today you talk tough while reaping the wealth that his nation can give & you never sacrificed a thing for this countyr, just for yourselves. In my opinion, you are no different thatn the amn onthe Titanic who put on a dress & climbed aboard a lifeboat!" Charles Henderson, Retired Marine Corps Warrant Officer


Republican anti-abortion activist Howard Scott Heldreth is a convicted child rapist in Florida.


Republican County Commissioner David Swartz pleaded guilty to molesting two girls under the age of 11 and was sentenced to 8 years in prison.


Republican judge Mark Pazuhanich pleaded no contest to fondling a 10-year old girl and was sentenced to 10 years probation. Of course it's no contest! How could he even get a fair fight against those activist judges!


Republican anti-abortion activist Nicholas Morency pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on his computer and offering a bounty to anybody who murders an abortion doctor. - That's the culture of life we all know and love!


Republican legislator Edison Misla Aldarondo sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping his 9 yr old daughter.


Republican Mayor Philip Giordano serving a 37-year sentence for sexually abusing 8- and 10-year old girls.


Republican campaign consultant Tom Shortridge sentenced to 3 years probation for taking nude photographs of a 15-year old girl. I'm sure he had a good explanation.


Republican racist pedophile and esteemed US Senator Strom Thurmond fathered a chiled with a 15-year old black girl.


Republican pastor Mike Hintz, whom George W. Bush commended during the 2004 presidential campaign, surrendered to police after admitting to sexual relations with a juvenile. Praise George!


Republican legislator Peter Dibble pleaded no contest to having inappropriate relations with a 13-year-old girl.


Republican activist Lawrence E. King, Jr. organized child sex parties at the White House during the 1980s.


Republican lobbyist Craig J. Spence organized child sex parties at the White House during the 1980s.


Republican Congressman Donald "Buz" Lukens found guilty of sex with a female minor and sentenced to one month in jail.


Republican fundraiser Richard A. Delgaudio found guilty of child porn charges and paying two teenage girls to pose for sexual photos.


Republican activist Mark A. Grethen convicted on 6counts of child sex crimes.


Republican activist Randal David Ankeney pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault on a child. Look, he didn't actually do anything. He only TRIED! You can't fault a republican for trying!


Republican Congressman Dan Crane had sex with a female minor working as a congressional page.


Republican activist and Christian Coalition leader Beverly Russell admitted to an incestuous relationship with his step daughter. Prai$e the lord!


Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger allegedly had sex with a 16 year old girl when he was 28. I love this country!


Republican congressman and anti-gay activist Robert Bauman was charged with having sex with a 16-year-old boy he picked up at a gay bar. Now I'm sure he can give us a good explanation for this.


Republican Committee Chairman Jeffrey Patti was arrested for distributing a video clip of a 5-year-old girl being raped. Obviously a liberal conspiracy!


Republican activist Marty Glickman (a.k.a. "Republican Marty"), was taken into custody by Florida police on four counts of unlawful sexual activity with an underage girl and one count of delivering the drug LSD. He was obviously trying to help this woman! Do you liberals no shame!


Republican legislative aide Howard L. Brooks was charged with molesting a 12-year old boy and possession of child pornography. Look! It was his own son. Geez you liberals are SICK!


Republican Senate candidate John Hathaway accused of having sex with his 12-year old baby sitter and withdrew his candidacy after the allegations were reported in the media. He was trying to explain to her what NOT to do when in a difficult situation!


Republican preacher Stephen White, who demanded a return to traditional values, was sentenced to jail after offering $20 to a 14-year-old boy for permission to perform oral sex on him.


Republican talk show host Jon Matthews pleaded guilty to exposing his genitals to an 11 year old girl. She could have turned away.


Republican anti-gay activist Earl "Butch" Kimmerling was sentenced to 40 years in prison for molesting an 8-year old girl after he attempted to stop a gay couple from adopting her. Liberal jury of course.


Republican Party leader Paul Ingram pleaded guilty to six counts of raping his daughters and served 14 years in federal prison. Now how could anyone rape their daughter 6 times! Can you say Liberal psycologist!


Republican election board official Kevin Coan was sentenced to two years probation for soliciting sex over the internet from a 14-year old girl. Obviously set up by a liberal computer hacker. These hackers no NO SHAME!


Republican politician Andrew Buhr was charged with two counts of first degree sodomy with a 13-year old boy. What's sodomy?


Republican politician Keith Westmoreland was arrested on seven felony counts of lewd and lascivious exhibition to girls under the age of 16 (i.e. exposing himself to children). You see, actually he happened to be changing out of his bathing suit when these kids walked by.


Republican anti-abortion activist John Allen Burt was charged with sexual misconduct involving a 15-year old girl.


Republican County Councilman Keola Childs pleaded guilty to molesting a male child. He pleaded guilty only to keep his family out of the liberal media's spotlight.


Republican activist John Butler was charged with criminal sexual assault on a teenage girl. She was eighTEEN. That's still a teenager!


Republican candidate Richard Gardner admitted to molesting his two daughters. He only had their interests in mind. Why don't you liberals see that!


Republican Councilman and former Marine Jack W. Gardner was convicted of molesting a 13-year old girl. No comment.


Republican County Commissioner Merrill Robert Barter pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual contact and assault on a teenage boy. That boy was a liberal trying to corrupt his mind. He did the right thing.


Republican City Councilman Fred C. Smeltzer, Jr. pleaded no contest to raping a 15 year-old girl and served 6-months in prison. He did the honorable thing and did his time.


Republican activist Parker J. Bena pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography on his home computer and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and fined $18,000. Lies. Lies! All liberal lies!


Republican parole board officer and former Colorado state representative, Larry Jack Schwarz, was fired after child pornography was found in his possession. Obviously set up by that liberal media!


Republican strategist and Citadel Military College graduate Robin Vanderwall was convicted in Virginia on five counts of soliciting sex from boys and girls over the internet. Who said republicans were sexist!


Republican city councilman Mark Harris, who is described as a "good military man" and "church goer," was convicted of repeatedly having sex with an 11-year-old girl and sentenced to 12 years in prison. If you do the crime, you do the time + 1.


Republican businessman Jon Grunseth withdrew his candidacy for Minnesota governor after allegations surfaced that he went swimming in the nude with four underage girls, including his daughter. He just wanted to keep an eye out for those girls...and his daughter. He even had pictures to prove it!


Republican director of the "Young Republican Federation" Nicholas Elizondo molested his 6-year old daughter and was sentenced to six years in prison. He LOVED that girl.


Republican benefactor of conservative Christian groups, Richard A. Dasen Sr., was charged with rape for allegedly paying a 15-year old girl for sex. Dasen, 62, who is married with grown children and several grandchildren, has allegedly told police that over the past decade he paid more than $1 million to have sex with a large number of young women. Philanthrapy at it's finest!

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/7/14/93826/8594

[TNOE]

Yep

:) In my ire I see I misspelled, but I seriously doubt any of them can spell anyway. Just had to get that off my chest!!!

[loudsue]

25. Wow! I've never seen the list laid out this way, even though I've read

about all of these convictions separately, in the news.

It's enough to make you go :wtf:


:kick::kick::kick:

[Generic Other]

44. I hope this came straight from a national list of sex offenders!

Wow. That's pretty disgusting.

[Sparkly]

21. Wow, they sure sound desperate!!

Nothing threatens them more than somebody like Hackett. He screws up their neat little paradigms, stereotypes, strawmen and tough-guy acts, so they really have to stretch to the ABSURD to try to dismiss or discredit him.

[mtnester]

9. Ms Cat...close is absolutely FINE and COUNTS

in shitball and hand grenade fights, and believe me, that is what we are in

:P


Edits - cannot SPELL to save my ass today :)

[Lannes]

12. Diebold is publicly traded on the NYSE

Im probably going to get flamed for this but please hear me out.What if Dems,especially rich ones like George Soros were to buy large blocks of stock in diebold?

Enough of a stake that we could vote out some directors off the board, or at least raise such a stink at shareholder meetings which as shareholders we would be entitled to attend that they would have to make a paper trail a feature in all their machines.It would bypass the laws that are meant to shield them from having to do that.

Even if we cant buy large blocks of stock.Just buying one gives you the right to attend their meetings and protest,talk directly to the board and call them out.That alone I think is worth the price of admission.

I know some of you dont want to give them a dime out of principle but as they say money talks.......

[mattclearing]

19. This has been discussed before in the 2004 forum.

I happen to think it's a great idea. Most people with the money to do something about it are skeptical about whether there is a problem, I think.

I've never heard of Soros saying word one about the election since it happened. You'd think he'd be quietly buying up Diebold stock right now if he were suspicious. I know I would be.

[Lannes]

23. Thats a good question

George has been awfully quiet lately.He was really savaged by Faux and Rush among others.Maybe he is laying low for a while.Bet he is still giving money to pro-democracy groups.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

14. NO shit, I am with you CatW.... second place in a dictatorship

is in prison.

[The Magistrate]

15. Still, Ma'am

There is something of signifigance to a Democratic candidate receiving so unusually high a vote in a rock-ribbed Republican district. Mr. Hackett's line in this campaign seems to me a promising one for Democratic Party candidates to follow next fall; it clearly made inroads among people who do not normally vote for our candidates, which means he succeeded in swaying a great proportion of the center to the Democratic banner. This is what we need to do take the Congress next fall.

[mtnester]

16. Much more succinct than my shitball fight comment

your honor

[Selatius]

22. The question is will the Democratic Party listen?

You've got so many politicians on the take with special interests that you can't be too sure they want change.

[The Magistrate]

26. That Is A Question, Sir

But politicians wish above all to hold office and exercise power, and so may well adopt a line that promises to achieve the goal....

[Selatius]

27. This is very true

But sadly, it's far easier to cater to a few individuals with 1,000,000 dollars, especially if they own news outlets or have friends that do, than it is to cater to 1,000,000 individuals with one dollar who own nothing.

[The Magistrate]

32. But The Question Remains, Sir

What will gain the majority, and so augment each individual politico's power in office? A road that offers this will find travelers upon it.

[longship]

17. What the loss shows is important though.

It shows that Dr. Dean's strategy is valid. Dems can take on Repugs in any district in the land, no matter how RW it is. The Repugs will have to devote themselves to a countrywide strategy to defend against this. Best of all it shows that we can win the House and Senate and the WH this way. The Hackett/Schmidt election shows a vulnerable Republican Party.

So how is this not all good news? I am sorry that Hackett lost. But the Repugs are far, far, far more worried about this than the Dems.

"It's the sound of inevitability."

[OneBlueSky]

18. it's not who votes that counts . . . it's who counts the votes . . .

and, based on past experience, any vote totals counted by Republicans (or Republican corporations) are suspect on their face . . .

Hackett may indeed have lost . . . or he may not have . . . the problem is we'll never know for sure . . . just as we'll never know for sure about every race in 2006 and 2008 in which the votes are counted by Republicans . . .

[dogday]

20. In a county seat that voted 64% for Bush

last election, Hackett did well. Not just because there was a noticeable shift to the left. He also demonstrated that bringing it to the public with vengeance works. People are tired of this crap and are changing their opinions. The only thing that bothered me was that only 20% of the county voted. I would of liked to of seen the Democrats out in full force. Was there any evidence of this?

[Lars39]

24. Amen, CatWoman.

And I'm beginning to get severely torqued at long-time DUers who don't see the wrongness of it.

[quaoar]

28. Losing sucks, yes, but...

If I was running the GOP in Ohio this morning I'd be scared shitless of the statewide implications of this election.

Lots and lots of Republicans in southern Ohio on Tuesday voted for a Democrat -- a Democrat critical of Bush and the war.

Plus, every single school tax increase referendum on the ballot Tuesday passed, even proposals that had been defeated multiple times previously.

[nadinbrzezinski]

33. To quote Staliin

It does not matter who votes, but who counts the votes

Increasingly we have crossed into the twilight zone, and more and more I don't believe the results in an election

[WI_DEM]

35. the big picture is a democrat getting 48% in the most GOP district

in Ohio is a ominous sign for the GOP in '06. It means that the GOP cannot even depend on their "safe" districts and will have a hard time holding "swing" districts. It means that the Democrats have a good shot at winning back the house in '06.

[meganmonkey]

39. If you include ES & S and Sequoia when you talk about the machines

it covers 80% of the US counties, and keeps the detractors at bay a little. ;)

I'm right there with you, CatWoman.

:kick:

[I hate liars]

40. In today's political climate, all that counts is winning...

Coming close makes no difference in the way Republicans govern - they care not one iota about the 48% who voted for the opposition.

And that's exactly how they'll play the Ohio election results publicly - like Bush's squeakers in 2000 and 2004, the Repugs will claim a clear victory and the associated political "capital" to do whatever the hell they want to do.

Hackett's good showing may encourage Democratic strategists, but that's as far as the impact goes, until the voting system is overhauled and/or Republicans wake up and realize that alienating half of the country is not in their own best interests.

[neuvocat]

42. Consider the South.

Although Democrats were very successful in politics during the JFK/LBJ era, Richard Nixon could see the voting trends of the South and was able to see the trends that came out as a result of the passage of civil rights legislation.

Had Nixon given up on considering how crucial that data was despite having lost, then the republicans wouldn't have been able to rely on the South as a stronghold.

It is important to discuss why the election was so close. This isn't a football game where the other team won because of a field goal.