DNC launching top-to-bottom review of the votes in Ohio

[AnIndependentTexan]

http://olympics.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=7008777

The election in Ohio was marked by long lines in some polling places and controversy over directives by Blackwell, a Republican, on how provisional ballots should be treated.

Meanwhile the Democratic National Committee said it was launching a top-to-bottom review of the vote in Ohio, not to challenge the outcome but to correct possible problems for future elections.

The investigation will produce a report in several months showing "what happened and why," looking at such issues as undermanned polling places, people waiting in line for hours to vote and questions about provisional ballots, party chairman Terry McAuliffe told a briefing in Washington.

"We want an exact analysis of what went on in the voting on Ohio" regardless of what it costs to produce it, he added.

He said Kerry "feel very comfortable" about his decision not to challenge the outcome in Ohio.

"We know we are not going to overturn the election," McAuliffe said.

[jsascj]

1. Ever notice how, whenever the DNC does or says anything

about a recount "Not to overturn the election" is thrown in there?

I'm praying that the reason for this is to keep the SC out of it...not because they really believe it.

[jamboi]

19. That is their mantra. n/t

[Carolab]

2. Yes we know

I just wrote to McAuliffe telling him how appalling it is that the DNC national party and Kerry didn't demand a recount. So now they are "allowing the Ohio Democratic Party" to be their "authority" in "observing" the recounts.

BFD McAuliffe. I also told McAuliffe that he SUCKS and I'm glad to see him go because maybe someone who can accomplish something like Dean can now take his place, or (wish upon a star) maybe a DNC chair can take his place who won't stand in Dean's way as a nominee for 2008.

[floridadem30]

11. I had a similar response to his letter

[mbee]

3. This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard! We know

that if the Dems had committed election fraud on the pugs they would damn well want to overturn the election. Why not, you mean to say we should allow those who commit election fraud to serve a term they did not win? This is over the top!

[aquart]

4. What utter pointless crap.

He's refusing to look at the machines. Rot in hell, McAuliffe.

[shance]

5. Somebody tell me then, WHAT IS THE POINT?

This is the weakest, most pathetic posturing around.

Can you, for a MINUTE, imagine the Republicans saying they "feel very comfortable about their decision not to challenge the outcome" and "we are not going to overturn this election"

I have two theoretical conclusions.

1. Kerry threw the election to Bush whether it was his connection to Skull & Bones or whatever.

2. Kerry has no spine and no sense of true conviction. And whats even more insulting is he has mountains of support backing him, begging him to fight. This is unlike Gore who fought it out BY HIMSELF while Lieberman and others were essentially trying to dismantle his ascension. At the least they sure werent helping.

What else can one conclude? Kerry regardless of his intentions knowingly ran for present and as a result, he has thrown Democracy out the window by stepping down from his rightful place and I can't see any actions BY HIM that would contradict this conclusion.

[googly]

15. Kerry fought with everything he had....this man in his mid-60's

and who recently underwent prostate cancer treatments did a yeoman
job of campaigning. Whether he lost because of lack of votes or due to voter fraud, is yet to be determmined. But for heaven's sake don't call him a quitter.

[colonel odis]

6. the dnc must be hoping to convert republican voters or pick up

more of those wonderful "undecideds."

cause by p*ssying out like that, they're ensuring that this liberal will be sitting home in 2006.

[Straight Shooter]

7. You don't know sh*t, McAwful

You're going to have a riot on your hands from your own base if you don't learn to roll with the flow instead of being one of our greatest obstacles.

Up your diddly-padoodie.

(Thelma and Louise, scene of Harvey Keitel whacking Brad Pitt with his cowboy hat: "I have no feelings for you, boy!)

[Peace Patriot]

8. Terry McAuliffe

Let's stick to Terry McAuliffe for the moment. This is the person who was in charge--the chief representative of the Democratic leadership--who allowed this utterly fraudulent, rightwing Republican-controlled ELECTION SYSTEM to be put in place!

How COULD he have allowed this to happen, without screaming bloody murder about it?!

Rightwing Republicans owning the entire voting system. People who were Bush "Pioneers." People who admitted in writing their intention to "deliver" the '04 vote to Bush. Keeping their electronic vote tabulation machine source code a proprietary secret. Insisting on no paper trail.

I mean, you look at it and you think: "Hu-u-u-u-u-u-uhhhhh?!?!"

It looks like Democratic Party suicide!

What is worse, they didn't warn the voters. They didn't make it a campaign issue. They let Tom Delay get away with blockading the paper trail provision. And on and on. It's just astonishing.

It is the most catastrophic failure of political leadership that I have ever seen.

And Terry McAuliffe owes us and all Kerry voters an apology for this!

As for the vote suppression--especially the disgusting, unconsionable suppression of black voters in OH and FLA--I will say that the Democrats were there--with monitors, lawyers, support. That they couldn't stop it is not their fault, it was so pervasive. They could have screamed louder about it, though. And come January, when this matter gets to Congress and we have that "F9/11" scene once again, the Democratic Senators had better BE THERE FOR THE BLACK VOTERS, or it's all over for them, in my book anyway.

Which brings me to Kerry. I refuse to judge him yet. It's not over yet. And he's in a very dicey and dangerous position. But I have a dream...

When those black House members approach the Senate once again, this January, with their petition NOT to certify the Ohio (and possibly also the FLA) vote, and need only ONE Senator to sign it--and remembering that in 2000, they could not get a single Senatorial signature--that THIS TIME it will be different, that the first Senator to arise and sign it will be John Kerry, that the second Senator to arise and sign it will be John Edwards, and then ALL Democratic Senators will follow, and maybe even a few Republicans.

That's my dream. I think Martin Luther King would smile down from Heaven. And the whole nation would burst into tears.

So much grief, so much sorrow, over the decades. So much pettiness and meanness. So many lies. So many lynchings and rapes and beatings. So much death. And so much more now--tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths in Iraq. So many MORE lies. So much MORE meanness, greed, thievery, and hypocrisy.

THIS nightmare will be over--if Kerry steps forward on that day and signs that petition. And it won't matter at all whether he can convince this fraudulently elected Congress to put him in the White House. Because it will be over, over, OVER, and everyone who matters--especially the majority who voted for Kerry--will realize it. The nightmare is over!

I keep remembering that poor, elderly black women I saw standing in a ten hour line in the freezing rain, aiming to throw Bush out of office and put a decent, intelligent man in his place. I want to see her vindicated. That's my dream. She knows it isn't about whether you win or lose. It's about who you are. It's about soul. Courage. Love. REAL American values.

[corbett]

10. Democratic Disinformation

The stronger Terry protests, the more I'm convinced that he's trying to hold the Rove attack machine at bay. Kerry IS planning to challenge Ohio! That's all there is to it. His campaign promise to see that every vote counts and that every vote is counted CANNOT be kept without a challenge. The spin is flying, which is why the Conyers hearing is all the more important.

[Hokie]

13. Anyone willing to take bets on Kerry challenging?

Has kerry or any Democrat in a leadership position shown any williness to seriously challenge the election? I will be most amazed if he does.

[googly]

18. Kerry will challenge it when he is convinced there is enough proof...

a good prosecutor never initiates a prosecution without first gathering evidence. As soon as Kerry see's enough evidence of a fraud conspiracy, he will make his move.

[ElementaryPenguin]

17. Bingo, C!

Clearer to me all the time that Kerry is actually rope-a-doping the fool Chimperor!

:toast:

[BlueCaliDem]

12. Wow. Peace Patriot...Your Post Moved me. Thank You So Much For It. N/T

[RaulVB]

9. McCauliffe is still breathing?

That's "news" to me.

[Quakerfriend]

14. Yes, thank you Peace Patriot

Thanks for lifting me up & I do believe that Kerry is not done yet..........we shall see.

[ibegurpard]

16. If they're not going to concentrate on unauditable vote tabulation

then I'm not interested in their posturing.

[phlesh]

20. Kerry is being very wise here...

I wish others could see the wisdom that is being exercised here. Kerry is taking the peaceful approach and to me this gives him the high road on the issue...

I believe that some seriously shady stuff occurred in this election as much as the rest of you and yes I am VERY angry about all of this.

But please put your emotions aside for a moment and recognize the political wisdom in this approach. The Republicans have done a tremendous job of establishing a corrupt power base over the last 4 years... they have also done a tremendous job of compromising the democratic process. Kerry sees this and realizes that he must play the game by their rules and thus beat them within the confines of their own game.

By taking the approach that they aren't going to change the results, they avoid the now non-liberal media backlash that would result if they took a hardline stance and started pointing fingers.

Seriously, which of the following are realistically more likely to happen?

A. Overturning the election
B. Proving a scandal and using the legal process to convict those responsible, thus giving the Democratic party the moral leverage we need in the next election

I would say B is the most realistic possibility... judging from history.

Now don't get me wrong, I still entertain fantasies that something major could happen over the next month between the recount and investigations... but we must be prepared to accept Bush's victory for now. We must also be prepared to work for his impeachment if the dirty details manage to come out under the confines of the process.

The one thing the republicans have on us democrats is they are unified under their ideas... as shitty, overzealous and full of bigotry as their platform is, they still have a lot of unity and that is something that we need to work on. Lets support the efforts that have all ready started and do our best to avoid giving them ANY reason to paint us up as "cry-babies" who make up conspiracy theories. That can be a big weapon against us and we need to nip that one in the bud as soon as possible.