Green's Cobb Responds to CounterPunch Hit Piece

[jamboi]

I just got this from the Cobb Campaign Manager Lynne Serpe

From: "Lynne Serpe"
To: JamBoi
Subject: RE: Will Cobb respond to CounterPunch article re: Cobb misusing donation money?
Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2004 00:31:33 -0500

Hi (JamBoi)

I believe the attached was sent in yesterday on my behalf.
Thank you for your concern. It is very difficult to know how to respond; and we are of course quite busy with the recount set to begin in about 32 hours...

Sincerely,

LYNNE SERPE

Campaign Manager
Cobb/LaMarche Ohio Recount
www.votecobb.org

TEXT OF PDF RETYPED IN BY ME SINCE I DON'T HAVE ANOTHER WAY TO COPY/PASTE IT. SO IF I MISTYPE SOMETHING PLEASE FORGIVE. :-)
-----------------------------------------------------

December 10, 2004

Joshua Frank
CounterPunch
PO Box 228
Petrolia, CA 95558

RE: <http://votecobb.org/recount/financial/|Your December 9 Column in CounterPunch>

Dear Mr. Frank,

Your unfounded accusations are surprising. We have a Financial Report page on our website, with a clear link on the home page, <http://votecobb.org/recount/financial/|"How money raise so far is being spent."> I suggest you bother to read it.

We hope you will have the courage to retract you allegations once you
check the FEC report we filed on December 2nd and the year end report we will file with the the FEC in January.

$113,600 of the monies we raised initially went right out the door to pay the filing costs, and the rest is being to pay reasonable salaries to staff who are working 18 hours per day, 7 day a week as well as paying for volunteer recruitment placement and training.

Aside from training and supervising thousands volunteers in Ohio, we are preparing for a New Mexico recount and incurring the usual communications, traveling, printing, rental and lodging costs and lodging costs associated a with a campaign of this size.

Ohio's 88 counties will start their recount on different days, at different times, and there are several different types of voting machines used. We are working hard to ensure that every vote is counted because the integrity of our voting system is at stake and are working efficiently to keep that cost below a nickel per vote.

Readers of your publication might be better served by a report on the widespread voter intimidation, suppression and blatant racial discrimination of the Ohio presidential election to get at the heart of why the Cobb campaign is demanding a recount there.

Sincerely,


Lynne Serpe
Campaign Manager

[Vote4Kerry]

1. Thanks Jamboi..who posted that article slamming Cobb?

Was it the same guy trying to discredit Madsen? If so, people need to be careful reading his stuff because he rushes out to print his opinion without first trying to verify the facts.

[jamboi]

3. Yes, that was Fintan Dunne (login BreakforNews). I've been trying 2 dialog

with him about some obvious mistakes in his article. In his otherwise fairly decent online radio program he actually consistently mispronounced Madsen "Masden". I'm hoping he is just sincerely mistaken and have decided to extend a benifit of the doubt attitude towards him. Hoping for the best.

[jamboi]

5. Vote4Kerry, another Green response re: Cobb's vote totals changing

Yes, we are aware of this, thank you very much for forwarding the
information!

LYNNE SERPE

Campaign Manager
Cobb/LaMarche Ohio Recount
www.votecobb.org

-----Original Message-----
From: JamBoi
Sent: Saturday, December 11, 2004 2:16 AM
To: Blair Bobier, Esq.; Lynne Serpe
Subject: Cobb's vote totals were altered in Ohio

A friend passed this to me. Is Cobb aware of this?

> I am not sure if you saw this or not, but somebody posted
>the official election results from Ohio on their website on
>election night. In two counties, Cobb was said to have gotten
>over 40,000 votes. A few days later, those votes mysteriously
>"disappeared." I know you are a fan of the Green Party. Do
>you think Cobb knows about this? We need to get this info
>over to him! Here is the info:
>
>http://www.oliverwillis.com/node/view/1152
>
>http://election.sos.state.oh.us/results/RaceDetail.aspx?race=PP

[Vote4Kerry]

8. Great! I was hoping they saw that!

I hope that the Greens can get an explanation for those discrepancies!

[BreakForNews]

13. warning

Sigh....

Yes, I posted the link to the Counterpunch article.
To alert DU'ers of a new attack on the movement.
Duh.

My subject line even said: "Hit on Counterpunch"

Shoot messengers who post bad news...
Therefore Kerry will win!
Brilliant.

CoIntelpro
http://www.madcowprod.com/mc6612004.html

My big fun(lol) interview with Daniel Hopsicker (mp3)
http://www.kathymcmahon.utvinternet.com/mrn/audio/InsideTrackNews041007.mp3

[jamboi]

15. Yes, after the thread developed your positive intentions were clear.

I misunderstood what you were saying when I first read that posting. And hopefully Fintan you read my whole note above that repeats that I'm hoping to continue the dialog. Please, I'd really, really appreciate a response.

[Niche]

2. Here's some more Green News just in/ Recount...

The Cobb-LaMarche Campaign
Working to Make Every Vote Count!
----------------------------------



Hello Recount Supporters!

How are all you doing? Things are just zooming along here in Ohio. We had trainings all over the state today and - wow - people are so committed to ensuring that every vote is counted. It is amazing.

**************
I wanted to clarify my update from yesterday -- the last ten words of a sentence were cut off. It was supposed to read:

We have dozens of trainings taking place this weekend, and we expect supporters from Oregon, California, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Kentucky, West Virginia to start flooding in to protest the Electors meeting on December 13th.

I apologize for the confusion.

************************

We are now up to eight counties starting on Monday (and only six different start times, how nice):

Clinton County at 7:00 am
Lake County at 9:00 am
Medina County at 9:00 am
Ottowa Count at 9:30 am
Wood County at 9:30 am
Jefferson County at 10:00 am
Holmes County at 1:00 pm
Fayette County at 3:00 pm

THE RECOUNT PROCESS
I strongly urge those interested to check out the Ohio Revised Code, Provisions for Recounts, Section 3515:

http://serform2.sos.state.oh.us/sos/elections/statewide/provisions_recounts.htm

Most folks seem to have a question about whether or not their will be a hand recount. Here's what the code says:

-->The board must randomly select whole precincts whose total equals at least 3% of the total vote and must manually count

-->If the tabulator count does not match the hand count, and after rechecking the manual count the results are still not equal, all ballots must be hand counted. If the results of the tabulator count and the hand counted ballots are equal, the remainder of the ballots may be processed through the tabulator. (that's regarding optical scan and punchcards)

So...the duration of the recount in each county all depends on whether ANY discrepancy is found.

I'll send another update tomorrow; it's almost 10:00 pm and I still have hours of work ahead of me.

There will be a rally at the State Capital on Sunday, 12 - 2pm. Come on by if you are in Columbus! It's not being organized by Cobb/LaMarche but I'll be there to talk about the recount.

Otherwise, maybe we'll see you on Monday! David Cobb will be here as well (and he's going to help witness the recount of the DRE machines in Franklin County on Tuesday).

Check out http://www.votecobb.org for more details about upcoming events and activities.

Your support is greatly appreciated. We are honored to stand up for you, the people, in this effort.


THANK YOU
Lynne Serpe
Ohio Recount Manager
Cobb/LaMarche
Vote Green for Peace, Democracy, Ecology and Justice
www.votecobb.org

[mikeylove]

4. that's an excellent response.

I'm glad that our non-major-party candidates are so accessible for responses. Sometimes it feels as if the world of politics and government is untouchable to us normal folk. Not with these guys, though.

[jamboi]

6. Yeah, Arnebeck too has been very responsive, unlike MoveOn, & all Dem

groups. I think maybe Democracy for America (Dean) is sorta starting to stir at least.

[mikeylove]

7. Oh, we'll get their attention alright.

Eventually, they'll have no choice but to acknowledge the grassroots efforts. Personally, I feel as if I'm part of something huge that we'll all remember for the rest of our lives.

I feel honored to be here amongst so many of my fellow dedicated patriots.

[jamboi]

9. I hope we get some really huge turnouts tommorrow! n/t

[jamboi]

10. kick

[jamboi]

19. kick

[JI7]

11. CounterPunch has always been anti Kerry

[ihelpu2see]

12. again, impressed with the Green Party. I solid response

But again, I was at a party last night with some friends that I know voted for Kerry and on that I was pleasantly surprised voted for Kerry and out of the 4 only one knew of the ReCount. It will be an impossible to fan any flames of concern unless more people are aware.

My guess is if there is real proof Monday in the court hearing and more road blocks put up by Blackwell, then there will be more outrage.... I can only hope

[jamboi]

16. We all need to talk it up in non-partisan but conerned ways to fan flames.

Hopefully the MSM will pick up. There are some positive signs. We'll see.

[Oak2004]

18. Yes! THAT, and not "apathy", is the real issue

And as more people know about the problems, more people will become active.

We have to spread the word ourselves. The good old fashioned copy machine and staple gun method worked for movements that ended America's aparthied, that organized America's workers, and that stopped a senseless war, among many other issues the mainstream initially ignored. The same, entirely legitimate and dignified methods will work again, because not only will they inform their readers, they will pressure the larger media to cover the story.

[zimba]

14. Counter Punch can be such a wag

Though they often have good articles and cover stuff when no one else does, like the Chavez coup investigation in Venezuela, they dont seem to have any system of review before posting. Being a Green I was very pissed about Frank's article because it was such a blatant pos. Sent him an email but what good does that do? Oh well, good with the bad I guess.

[WilliamPitt]

17. Item #32,981 in my 'CounterPunch is crap' file