By MARC McDONALD
Lately, I've noticed that a favorite theme running through the right-wing blogosphere is that "liberals are sore losers in elections." The right-wing blogs note that Mexico's leftist presidential candidate Andres Obrador is strongly challenging voting results in the recent election.
As usual, the right-wingers don't have a clue. Indeed, most liberals I know have never disputed the results of the 2004 U.S. election, despite the fact that exit polls showed that Kerry triumphed by over 3 million votes.
Frankly, the 2004 election results were a non-issue among liberals, as well as the mainstream media. The 2000 election, of course, was an issue. But what do you expect from an election mired in controversy that somehow resulted in the candidate who lost by 549,000 votes being awarded "victory"?
A few observers did point out that the 2004 election was also riddled with problems, from over a million "spoiled" ballots to unprecedented numbers of voters being challenged at the polls. But the outcome of the 2004 election was never really disputed by the American Left----or, by the mainstream media, for that matter.
I'm sure this will come as a surprise to your typical Bush-worshipping Republican who gets all his news and views from Fox News. Many of them who I've talked to are convinced that the "liberal" mainstream media has been disputing the 2004 election results. I wish they were right about this. But in fact, outside of a couple of lonely commentators reporting from outside the U.S. mainstream, the 2004 election has never been disputed. The vast majority of Americans remain blissfully unaware that there were any problems at all with the vote.
Which brings us to the upcoming November election. Reporters like Greg Palast have convincingly detailed how the GOP stole the 2000 and 2004 elections and how they're already plotting to steal the upcoming election. Unfortunately, Palast doesn't work for the American media----he reports for Britain's BBC---and his program does not appear on U.S. television.
This leads to a critical problem. The GOP has already successfully stolen two elections and gotten away with it. What do you think would prevent them from stealing the upcoming November election? The fear of being caught? Unlikely. The fear that the mainstream media will do its job and investigate problems with the vote? Even more unlikely.
The fact is, it's obvious and apparent that the fix is in already for the November election. And outside of Palast and a few other brave investigative authors, we can almost be certain that the American people will be kept in the dark about all this.
Democrats these days are brimming with optimism, as they gleefully watch Bush's poll numbers sink further into the toilet. To most Democrats, victory in November seems like a foregone conclusion.
This indeed would have been the case in America once upon a time. But that was before George W. Bush took power. The fact is, we are in a new era in this country--an era in which we cannot trust our nation's election results. And until the mainstream media takes a look at this deepening crisis, America's democracy will continue to be in danger.
Bad Sign or Dad Joke?
3 hours ago
12 comments:
The MSM won't devote any space to any problems that crop up in the November elections. If they did, then they wouldn't have enough room to run stories on Britney Spears' latest hairstyle or Paris Hilton's latest fashion accessories. The same media that for over a year examined Clinton's sex life in excruciatingly clinical detail can't be bothered to report on the Death of American Democracy.
Here's a thought:
contact that American Bar Association to investigate and litigate THIS issue too! After all, could there BE a greater threat to America's democracy than the removal of its people's right to elect leaders?
http://aliberaldose.blogspot.com/2006/07/will-american-bar-association-step-up.html
This calls for massive, national, sustained civil disobedience. The candidates who have elections stolen from them should lead the way.
Kevin Schmidt, Sterling VA
Yes, I agree. This is the age of the immaculate election. As usual the Republicans will win by a nose on unauditable e-machines that need secret software to do nothing more complex than count by ones.
Yes, I agree. This is the age of the immaculate election. As usual the Republicans will win by a nose on unauditable e-machines that need secret software to do nothing more complex than count by ones.
Yeah, it's bad.
Really really bad.
Sadly, most Dems steadfastly keep their heads in the sand. According to Brad Blog the DCCC told Busby specifically not to talk about any voting machine problems. Which makes you wonder: whose side are they on? They're either total idiots or they're in on the fix.
Of course there's Clint Curtis down in Florida, one of the few people to speak out on this issue. He's running for US Congress against the vote-rigging king Tom Feeney, who personally asked programmer Curtis to write election-stealing software for him.
There's not much hope left for America, but if there's any at all it may come from Curtis, so check out his website at www.clintcurtis.com and come aboard his congressional campaign.
Hey, it was three elections, not two the thieves stole.
Our mass media is owned and operated by fascist billionaires, and they aren’t ignoring election fraud, they are backing it. When will Americans get that through their brainwashed skulls?
When are we, the people, going to get it? There has been a coup in the U.S.A. It will be complete this November and Democracy will be dead and buried, if there is one more stoeln election
.
Chris Curtis, nor any other Democrat, can save us. It is up to the people.
Massive CD, Epidemic Red, White and Blue Flu for a week after the election. Sudden accident proneness, resulting in absence from work. Sudden outbreaks of transient mania, causing people to spray paint everything in sight, with the truth about election rigging. (think Freeway blogger on steroids).
Head for your state capitals an shut them down, tie up traffic anyway you can.
Make plans now! Don't wait and have nothing to do on election night but sit and watch the numbers flip mysteriously for Rethugs, when exit polls show the Democrat leading by 6 or more percentage points, but have that sinking, sick feeling again.
Hell no the media isn't going to get off their over-paid, over-fed butts to cover anything, so take the protest to them.
No work, no consuming for 7 days. Shut this country down.
Bush's position is untenable no matter whether they steal the election or not; whether the MSM acknowledge it or not. We're going to have a tipping point soon and another doctored up election glossed over by the media will turn this country on its ass.
Mysteriously, the poll numbers gap between Lamont and Lieberman is tightening, with Lieberman gaining ground.
Santorum is suddenly gaining support, but there is no explanation, just that he is picking up in the polls.
Who knows why the Dems have refused to challenge these results. Gore really disappointed me but his battle would have been harder then Kerry's who had tons of evidence of exit polls not matching counts on electronic machines that lacked paper trails and the failure to deliver enough machines to democratic areas, etc. etc.
What is up with that?
If they are in on the fix, which it sure seems, what do they gain? Just a promise not to publish the naughty pictures? Is Rove pulling a J. Edgar Hoover over on all these folks, especially with all that nifty wiretapping and what not going on.
Nightmares
In case you haven’t noticed, America is ruled by plutocrats (billionaires and multi-millionaires) who are insane with greed, and they care nothing for their country or the American people. They own or control the president, congress, judges, Military Industrial Complex, F.B.I, C.I. A., I.R.S., your local police force, corporate media, banks, insurance companies, power companies, oil companies; in fact they own or control damn near everything.
Now here’s the shocker, even though they live like gods, that isn’t enough to satisfy their greed and lust for power! They want to own everything, and that includes you. They see democracy as a hindrance to accumulating more wealth and their goal of perpetual world dominance.
But no matter how rich and powerful they become, there’s always the nagging fear that someone will take it away from them. Peasant revolts have recurred throughout history, and that makes them insecure. They have nightmares, and hence their obsession for ever more wealth and power.
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