Reply #104: Where the people lead [View All]

[snot]

This may be an instance in which it's really best for we, the people to spearhead the issue from the grassroots level.

No matter how great the evidence of fraud may be, we should expect in return not just attack and spin, but a huge battle. Those who demand investigation will not just be called a muckrakers, sore losers, paranoiacs, etc., but will be bombarded with everything the other side can muster. Their credibility will be undermined; their careers may be destroyed. If Kerry had demanded a recount or the like, there would have been a firestorm. Because if election fraud on the most ambitious scale ever imagined (at least in the US) has, in fact, been committed, those who engineered or condoned it have even more to lose than we do.

I don’t think Bush will be quickly ousted under almost any scenario; it’s going to take a bit of time to assemble and analyze the evidence and certainly more time to get through the legal battles.

We don't know exactly where the investigation will lead. E.g., most people might become convinced that serious fraud occurred, but the exact extent may remain uncertain, with doubt as to whether Bush would have lost without it. At minimum, our efforts can lead to reform; at maximum, they can lead to felony convictions and an overturn of the election. (I don't believe a concession premised on fraud would be considered binding.)

But if there is a really huge, continuing outcry by enough people, the investigation will be commenced, and at some point, Kerry or others can step into the lead, without looking like mere muckrakers.

For now, I think it's really important that we keep up our energy and determination, keep raising a hue and cry, and keep pushing the ball along.