Conyers online chat update/report

[emlev]

Either they began witn one of my questions or are only showing me the answers to my own question. Either way, here's what I'm getting:


emlev
What is being done to investigate and call to justice those individuals and organizations who interfered with the 2004 elections? In what form is your investigation into the 2004 presidential election proceeding, Representative Conyers, and will it extend to the massive problems beyond the state of Ohio?

Rep. Conyers: First, I want to thank every one for participating. In terms of the wrongdoing, we have asked GAO to investigate, the DOJ, and state law enforcement officials in Ohio. We have not gotten any satisfactory responses as of yet, but we will continue to pursue the matter. Your help and tips have been helpful, and we are trying to get the media to cover these stories as well.

We have also demanded hearings from the Judiciary Committee in the House. So far, they have been stalling. We have also begun to investigate irregularities in all 50 states and we will compile them all, just as we did with Ohio. I want to thank everyone who gave information for my Ohio report and I would like anyone with any information about irregularities in Ohio or any other State to contact me with that information.

{edited because I originally posted it before he'd finished answering]

[emlev]

1. Question #2-How can we help you?

Kevin
I want to thank you for doing this. My question is how can we help you?

Rep. Conyers: We would like to stay advised of any electoral or constitutional problems, as well as problems that affect working families. Knowing things that concern you helps me do my job. Also, sorry for the delay in getting started. Believe it or not, we had -- in addition to technical difficulties --a fire alarm.

[kevinmc]

6. I didn't think I would see this here

That was my question

[emlev]

10. I liked your question, Kevin! n/t

[kevinmc]

17. Thanks emlev

[babsbunny]

2. WOW!

I'm in Columbus, Ohio and thank you for your question. We have to keep the faith!!!

[emlev]

3. Q#3: Slaughter on Gannon/Guckert

Litz
Rep. Slaughter, back in February you demanded an investigation into the Gannon/Guckert affair. Since then we have learned that Gannon/Guckert had uncommon access to the White House, entering and leaving without even the FBI knowing about it. I find this appalling. Can you tell us what if anything has come of your request for an investigation? Wwill we ever learn the truth about how an male prostitute had access to the White House and got to ask the president loaded questions to derail the press room? Thank you and thank you for your service to our country.

Rep. Slaughter: Thank you for your questions today. I also want to thank you so much for all coming here today to participate in this important discussion. Now... your question. As of this date we have not had a response from the President. It is unprecedented that they would not respond to two ranking members of the house. The Department of Homeland Security has responded to our original Freedom of Information Act request but their response led to even more questions. I know we will both continue on this path until the important questions are answered. I am also concerned that members of the press continue to let Mr. Guckert off the hook... their questions are not clearly answered and rather than press on they simply accept these half truths as fact.

[emlev]

4. Q#4: re: GOP political rallies at churches

chuckle
Why are the republicans having political rallies at churches. Example: church in Louisville Ky.

Rep. Slaughter: We've received several questions on this issue and I hope that the IRS will take this appalling situation very seriously. A place of worship should never be in the business of partisan politics... they have jeopardized their tax exempt status.

(Edit for typo in subject line)

[emlev]

5. Q#5: Will DeLay step down soon?

JimC
Will DeLay step down soon?

Rep. Slaughter: Mr. DeLay is only a part of the problem here in Washington. We have an obligation to clean up the entire Congress and I will continue my fight (with your help) to make certain that integrity

[emlev]

7. Q: How to prevent dirty tricks in '06?

ekreidler
Republicans are clearly tampering with our electoral process, if not through voting machines then through partisan election officials, intimidation, and public discrediting of exit polls -- the means used by international monitors to detect fraud. What are we doing as a party to be ready for these dirty tricks in 2006?

Rep. Conyers: We are aware that they are using every kind of trick and scheme that they can to create an unfair environment for people to make choices in the United States, and so we have organizations and individuals in every state helping us monitor these unfair electoral tactics. Everybody's eyes are ears are important because we intend to fight them at every level where this improper activity. We are in a fight, not just to win, but to make sure democracy really works. I want to assure you that I am doing everything I can to make sure my party in never kept sleeping on this again. We are going to fight any attempts to roll the clock back by our political opponents. We realize that the more people that join in with us, the sooner we will succeed. On a logistical note about this chat, I will be here later today to make up for the lost time.

[emlev]

8. Q: What are dems doing to get message to media?

dave
The democrats have been heavily criticized on many fronts and it seems that it sticks due to collective ignorance on the issues. Part of the success has been the many conservative outlets the Republican party has in the media. In your view what are the top three things that the DNC is doing to get the message out to the media and making them see the light?

Rep. Slaughter: I have to tell you, I just love the blogs. I really think that harnessing the power of new media has to be a central part of any successful strategy. So here we are. Thanks so much for your question Dave.

[emlev]

9. Q: undermining of Congressional power re: war

Eric Brunner-Williams
Do you agree with, or disagree with, the following statement? "Ultimately, it is Congress, and not the Pentagon, that decides what the Military is, and how and where it is used. There is no clause in the War Powers Act that allows the Executive Branch to commit the United States to ad hoc asymmetric adventures and ignore symmetric challenges, or to assume that the Wars of 1990 and 2002/3 in West Asia against militaries functioning at or below the 1950s level of operational art and material preparedness, repeated, is the Challenge of the Future." If you agree with the statement, can you accept the subordination of Congress to the Executive, under the fiction of apolitical objectivity, in the BRAC process? Thanks in advance for taking, or simply vetting, the question. See http://wampum.wabanaki.net for BRAC related blogging. Eric Brunner-Williams

Rep. Conyers: Thank you for your question. As you know art 1, sec 8 gives Congress the exclusive power to make war. Frequently, however, we find this being ignored or modified in such a way that the Congress is no longer in charge, as I think they should be. Just recently, it was revealed in a secret British memo that the British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the President were planning the Iraq war in 2002, even before authorization was sought from Congress. 88 Members of Congress have joined with me in asking the President to explain these meetings.

[emlev]

11. Q: Jeb not held accountable for voter purges

Rhino
After learning that the elections in Florida, may have been biased, by removing a number of "future felons" was there no action taken against Jeb Bush?

Rep. Conyers: We tried to file an electoral challenge in 2000 against the Florida result. However, it failed in the United States Senate. Since then, there have been several documentaries that have detailed incredible abuses of the electoral process in Florida's 2000 election. there can be little doubt that election and the 2004 Ohio election constitute more voting ireegularities than anywhere else. In my view, the Dept of Justice should have been investigating the abuses in both states, in both elections. Not to do so is to let down millions of Americans who are expecting everybody's vote to count.

[emlev]

12. Q: Social security

Julie
How are you going to protect americans who rely on Social Security from the those who wish to eliminate it? I can barely survive on what I make let alone helping my grandmother who only gets SS. When are we going to get serious about helping those less fortunate? Why is everyone compassionate except for the Bush Administration?

Rep. Slaughter: Thank you Julie... We are going to hold the line on Social Security, it was a Democratic program in the first place and I hate that this Administration forces you to worry about your grandmother. Democrats in both house (along with a few Republicans) are united on this issue.

[emlev]

13. Q: Is there any hope of "Real ID" not passing?

Nels
On the RealID, is there any hope of it not passing?

Rep. Conyers: I strenuously oppose the Real ID act, and voted against it. It will be voted on in the Senate tonight. I strongly urge you to let your Senators know that you oppose this measure immediately, which is blatantly anti-immigrant, anti-privacy and does little to protect our national security. By the way, we never even had a hearing or markup on the bill in the Judiciary Committee, or anywhere else in the House, or anywhere in the Senate, which is yet another abuse of power by the Republicans.

[emlev]

14. Q: Right wing takeover of PBS

Elaine Leach
Dear Representative Slaughter, Thank you for being a founding member of the new "Future of the American Media" Caucus. I have been a financial contributor and viewer of Public Television Broadcasting (PBS) for a long time. There is a problem with it now as it seems to be developing a definite lean toward the conservative/right wing of the Republican party. Do you agree that it is becoming less and less PUBLIC but more politically biased in its programs--for example the "Journal Editorial Report" and "Tucker Carlson: Unfiltered"? If so, what can be done about it?

Rep. Slaughter: This is a critical issue... what is happening with PBS is unacceptable. I read in the New York Times that the new president of the Corporation of Public Broadcasting told his local managers that they'd better get with the Republican mandate. That is absolutely outrageous. I wish more of my colleagues would get serious and support the Fairness & Accountability in Broadcasting Act, which I have introduced. We need to return the public airwaves to the public interest and watching what is happening at PBS is only further example of how bad things have gotten.

[emlev]

15. Q: Next steps re: Blair memo investigation

Jeanne
What will be the next step concerning the request to Pres. Bush for a response to the British memo?Whether he confirms or denies the truth of the memo, will there be an investigation into it?

Rep. Conyers: This is a very serious matter. We need to know if the President and the Prime Minister planned the Iraq war before authority for the war was ever sought by Congress. Regardless of what happens, I will continue to investigate this to get answers, even if I have to go to London to verify the authenticity of the document. This abuse of power is the most serious we have dealt with during this Administration.

[emlev]

16. A: Verifiable paper trail (ARGH! PAPER "TRAIL"!)

eve
what progress are we making on a verifiable paper trail for electronic voting? are all members of congress supporting this? if not why? thanks.

Rep. Conyers: HR 533, which I introduced, includes a paper trail, as do several other proposals about election reform. Many conservatives are not enthusiastic at all about leaving a clear paper trail in voting activity.

[emlev]

18. Q: Most pressing problem in U.S. today?

maxie
What in your opinion is the most pressing issue facing the country today?

Rep. Slaughter: This is a great question Maxie. I think it is by far the Republican Party's abuse of power in Washington. Because of this abuse we find ourselves with a tremendous deficit and mounting debt... our largest in history. We have put ourselves in hock to foreign countries that can pull the plug on us at any time. The problems don't stop there. Every issue you can think of... the War in Iraq, rising Health Care Costs, Education, the Environment, controlling science, the Courts... the list goes on and on. They are all exacerbated by the radical Republican stranglehold on Democracy in Congress.

[emlev]

19. How can House assist Senators re: filibuster?

rfee
Do you have any tools at your disposal to assist the Democratic Senators concerning the fillibuster. Either procedural or just create mischief like the Republicans did when they were in the minority

Rep. Slaughter: I support my colleagues in the Senate... the House can't do much in this area but I will tell you this, I will continue to bring light to these types of issues in Congress as a whole. The filibuster is just the tip of a very large iceberg. Every day in Congress we see the Republican Party their abusing power to thwart the voice and will of the people. I will not be silenced until these abuses come to an end. I encourage you to contact your Senator and let them know that you support the filibuster as an important legislative tool. Furthermore, call your Representative and ask that they become vocal on this issue.

[emlev]

20. Q: about the political religious war in U.S.

Litz
Recently a Baptist church in N.C. ousted all of its Democratic members. Could you comment on the escalating political-religious war in America and what is the obligation of government agencies like the IRS to take action?

Rep. Conyers: Those who are raising this war between government and religion see it going to a shocking new level that members of a church would be excluded by a leader who does not deny that he did what has been reported. To me, this is a shocking turn of events, which only shows that we must protect and support everyone's right to worship as they choose, and -- as citizens-- to support who they want to govern in the U.S. To do anything less weakens our form of government, and so I will be investigating and will be turning it over the the IRS because this well may be a violation of the tax exempt status that the church enjoys. It has been reported that many in the church were unhappy with this decision by their pastor.

[emlev]

21. Q: CAFTA

LaVon Ouellette
CAN YOU DO SOMETHING TO STOP CAFTA? I HOPE YOU CAN AS NAFTA IS ALREADY HURTING OUR COUNTRY. THANKS

Rep. Slaughter: I didn't vote for NAFTA and I won't be supporting CAFTA.

[emlev]

22. Q: FOIA re: Gannon/Guckert (mentions dailykos)

kfred
Rep. Slaughter, Have you submitted additional FOIA requests for manual records from the Secret Service re: Gannon/Guckert. Are you aware of the CSPAN documentation of his attending press conferences without any sign in/out per Secret Service records as published by ePluribusMedia?

Rep. Slaughter: As you may know, I spend a portion of my day on dailykos. I saw epluribusmedia's report and advised my staff to look into the matter. We are preparing more questions for use in a second FOIA request. I'm sure John and I will keep you posted as more on this issue develops.

[emlev]

23. More on Bush/Blair memo

ro
the media has given little to no coverage regarding the british secret documents showing proof of an early overthrow of saddam hussein.... why is this? and have you heard from the white house in response to your letter demanding an explanation?

Rep. Conyers: We were pleased when 88 other Members joined us in this letter, which means that there is a lot of concern in the Congress about this matter. The media is derelict in its duty because this is an important and serious matter. The runaway bride received 600 mentions in the papers and television stations in the last 10 tens and the Bush-Blair memo has been only mentioned 40 times. I actually wrote about the question you asked last night on my blog at www.johnconyers.com

[emlev]

24. Q: election reform

Don
Since the 2000 elections, the public has been demanding election reform. We need equal access to voting machines and a transparent and verifiable voting process. Each voter should be able to verify that their vote was counted as cast, and the techology to do so is readily available. Yet it seems that all our efforts to improve the election process have been railroaded in the Senate and House, raising serious questions about the state of our Democracy. What can be done to get positive Election Reform legislation passed?

Rep. Conyers: We need more people that believe that this is so important that it should be a test of whether a person should really be serving in the Congress. If the elections are not fair, and we can make them much fairer, then we may not be electing who the people want to serve.

[mzmolly]

25. Thanks!

:yourock:

[emlev]

27. You're welcome!

I was wondering if anyone was reading this. More people will read it later, I know.

[Griffy]

45. we are reading.. thank you for posting this!! and THANKS to..

Rep Conyer and Slaughter... you help to instill true pattiotism in real Americans to speak truth to power ... we are behind you all the way!

.. can I volunteer at your offices in DC??

[emlev]

49. Interesting that you seem to be assuming they're on DU

Do you know something I don't?

[emlev]

26. Q: Soc. Sec. privatization

blueinaz
My question is in regards to Social Security privitization. Bush plans to lower the amount of money contributed to the fund by employees, he is also lowering the amount of the matching funds from employers. This is a huge windfall for Companies. Is this another corporate welfare scheme from the GOP? And has the Democratic Party done anything to address this issue?

Rep. Slaughter: This is THE corporate welfare scheme of the century! This would be the largest transfer of funds from the public to the Wall Street in our history. Are we really surprised? As I said before, I'll continue to fight this proposal and I hope you will too.

[emlev]

28. Q: How can people demand answers re Bush/Blair memo?

davide2323
The White House has told the press that they refused to comment on the recently released Secret UK Memo. What can concerned citizens and activists do to help amplify the demand for answers from the Administration about the "Secret UK memo"?

Rep. Conyers: You must contact your Member of Congress and demand that they join us in requesting answers from the President. We may need to resort to non-violent demonstration methods to let the President know he cannot sweep this under the rug. Thank you for your question.

[emlev]

29. Q: Religious right takeover--what's being done?

Leonard
The religious right seems to be succeeding in a theocratic/dominionist takeover of the government and American life in general. What is being done to stop this great danger?

Rep. Conyers: Like you, we are trying to make everyone aware of the danger of this activity that is going on in America like it has never gone on before.

[emlev]

30. Q: White house response re: Gannon/Guckert?

Ian
I know you have both sent various official letters to members of the Bush administration in your capacities as Ranking Members of committees on Election Reform/Shenanigans and the Gannon/Guckert affair. What kind of responses have you recieved? Or have you been pretty much stonewalled like the rest of us?

Rep. Conyers: On the Gannon affair, Congresswoman Slaughter and I, after receiving a substandard response from the executive branch, filed a FOIA request. That FOIA revealed that Gannon was in the White House many, many times when there was not even a press event going on. We know that the Bush Administration wants to stonewall us so that they can have an unaccountable government. We must take direct action to keep them from doing that.

[emlev]

31. Q: What to do about right wing radio talk shows?

JoeC
What can be done about radio talk shows that continually bend things around and blame the Democrats for all that ails our ountry? People such as Jay Severin here in Boston and criminals like J. Gordon Liddy and others have talk shows that are used to perpetuate the great Republican lies and slander and calling Democrats obstructionists and whatever else. It is increasingly becoming a hate society and the GOP is at the forefront of this onslaught. What can be done to change things?

Rep. Slaughter: Well, I did talk about it briefly a bit earlier but I want to encourage anyone who feels that the media needs more balance, accuracy and accountability to visit www.fairnessdoctrine.com, where you can learn more about the Fairness Accountability in Broadcasting Act and sign our petition. Also, in the next week or so my campaign will be re-launching our website at www.votelouise.com where we plan to keep all of our friends on the Internet updated on the progress of our work on this issue. I work on these issues each and every day and I need YOUR help… contact your friends and family let them know how important this issue is. Only by bringing more people into our cause can we make real progress.

[Alizaryn]

32. The format for the chat is really hard to follow.

Thanks for the postings, it is easier to follow here!

[mod mom]

33. I agree. They should post live on DU! thanks Em! nt

[emlev]

35. I agree.

First it was all Conyers's answers followed by all of Slaughter's, but then new stuff started popping up in the middle. My eyes are buggy. Glad y'all appreciated what I did.

Now, to educate Conyers about the uselessness of "paper trails."

Did you find this chat useful?

[emlev]

34. Closing comment (it's over now)

DCCC
The DCCC would like to give our fullest gratitude to Reps. Conyers and Slaughter, as well as all those who participated in this discussion. It was a joy for us and we hope to do it again!

Rep. Conyers: We received so many questions that we are unable to answer all of them at this time. I will work with the DCCC to see if there is a way to respond individually to the ones we could not get to. Thank you so much to everyone who participated. The questions were really fantastic. This is our first attempt at a web chat, but it will not be the last.

[Kip Humphrey]

38. Thanks for letting us all "listen in"! Great job, Emily!

[BigBearJohn]

36. Thank you for posting all this. It is so easy to read. MUCH love

[bear425]

37. Thanks so much for posting the questions and comments here

I loved that he asked us to contact our congresspersons to sign his letter and that we may have to resort to non-violent demonstration to demand this administration answer to the memo. I'm ready.

[emlev]

39. You're welcome. And the next step after being ready is...

ORGANIZE!

We are the ones we've been waiting for.

There's no one better than you to do it. And you don't have to do it alone.

[Nothing Without Hope]

40. This is a great post - very clear format so we can see what was said

on the different topics. Such a difference from the many softball "questions" heard on talk shows and on TV. And of course, the Reps Rock!
:yourock:

Thank you!

[Peace Patriot]

41. Profound thanks for this post, emlev, which I have avidly read! It is so

...incredibly refreshing to be in (almost) direct contact with elected officials who care about the same things that I care about, and that the majority of Americans care about. I wasn't able to directly participate. Your account was amazingly fast and informative.

These elected officials carry a great burden--the burden of trying to represent the clear majority in the country, while having only minority power, and having even that power storm-troopered away from them. Protection of the minority is THE key component of democracy, as our Founders knew. Bush Republican contempt for that essential principle is extremely revealing about who they really are and what they are up to.

If I have the chance, I would like to probe Conyers' and Slaughter's minds a bit more on election fraud/ election reform and the Democratic Party.

After this horrible event in California, with Dem leaders doing Schwarzenegger's dirty work in getting rid of our anti-Diebold Sec of State, and given the catastrophic failure of the Dem Party leadership to object to Bush's buddies counting all our votes in secret, I am extremely concerned about what has taken place in the Dem Party before, during and after the 2004 election.

They time and again promised that every vote would be counted, and solicited our money for that purpose, and utterly, completely, totally failed to see that that was done--both before the election by not crying foul on this election SYSTEM, during the election by not warning voters and by MISLEADING voters about it, and after the election, by conceding before the vote count was even finished and going silent thereafter.

Frankly, I am right on the verge of giving up my 40 year loyal membership in this party. I do NOT believe that the 2004 election was counted correctly. I think the evidence is overwhelming that Kerry won. And I do NOT think that the Democratic leadership gives a damn about this, or about the fixing the problem. And I want to know why--and what we can do about it.

Let me repeat: Stopping Wally O'Dell and friends from counting all our votes in secret is a NO-BRAINER. How can the Dem leaders have permitted this to happen? Where were they BEFORE the election when this crap was put in place? And when the INEVITABLE happened, that the Bush Cartel, having SET UP A FRAUDULENT ELECTION SYSTEM, then USED it to steal the election, why did the Dems just crawl away? Why did they permit the real result of the exit polls to be suppressed by the TV networks? Why didn't they fight like the Devil in Ohio, where massive Voting Rights Act violations occurred, and where the fraud was blatantly obvious and legally actionable (and included strong evidence of electronic fraud)?

Now we have a party that, with the exception of people like Conyers, Slaughter, Boxer and a few others, is ACTING LIKE A MINORITY, when, in fact, they clearly represent the majority--in all opinion polls, on every issue, by great big numbers?

So, anyway, I guess I want Conyers and Slaughter--and other Democrats, for that matter--to address my agony, and that of many other people. Given this fraudulent election SYSTEM, what does it matter what we are for or against, or how we vote? WHAT DOES IT MATTER? And how can the other Dem leaders ignore this agonized plea, "what does it matter?", from a committed political activist and lifelong Democratic voter?

Why are they not STOPPING ALL BUSINESS and GOING ON STRIKE to get this election system repaired NOW? Why aren't they RAISING HOLY HELL about it? That's what I want to know.

And beyond that, why aren't they helping US, at the state/local level--the only place that the Bush Cartel does not have real election reform completely blockaded--to purge the state election systems of corruption, both Democratic and Republican?

I want to know what's going on in this party, because I've had it with the Democrats on this issue. And if I'm at the breaking point, so are others. And I would very much like to PREVENT a break and a splintering of the coalition that elected John Kerry. I know what happened in Germany in 1933-34, and I don't want that to happen here.

[emlev]

42. Conyersblog might be a good place to start.

http://www.conyersblog.us

Thanks for your passion and commitment!

[KaliTracy]

43. emlev, thanks so much for posting this - I was down because I knew

I wouldn't be able to log in at the time they had it -- thank you so much for taking the time to post the questions and answers here. MUCH appreciated! :)

[DemReadingDU]

44. Thank you for posting

appreciate that you keep us informed!

[Griffy]

46. WHY is this not in general politics? its not just election info!

this is also historic in the way citizens communicate with goverment... Imagine once a week chats with your reps... ask them straight question and even send pics and evidence to back your words up!

[emlev]

48. Because this is where I live and it didn't occur to me.

Will you post a link to it there?

[Griffy]

50. u need me too?.. wheres the original link? its good if more read

especially the subtle part REp Slaughter says we "might need non-violent protests" to get our point across... that struck me..!

[emlev]

52. What do you mean by "the original link?" n/t

[Griffy]

53. were did you get this from.. the source...

whats the site.. did you cut and paste?

[emlev]

55. Oh, now I get it...here it is

http://www.democraticaction.org/blog_chat

[Amaryllis]

47. Thanks, Em. Most appreciated since I couldn't check it out at the time.

[Melissa G]

51. Thanks Emlev! n/t

[feelthebreeze]

54. Thank you, thank you...

[emlev]

56. Conyers asks for feedback re: chat on his blog

http://www.conyersblog.us/

I already posted there (among other things) about the problem people had getting on (and told him I posted the chat here), and about the difficulty in following the format on the site they used.