My interpretation of the California race....

Great news would have been if the Democrat had won. Bad news would have been if the Democrat had lost by 15-20%. Good news is somewhere in between.

What makes "good news" with a loss? Obviously the Repubs are not jumping from the ship in droves. But some are jumping or withholding their votes from the Repubs. How many? It appears it may be somewhere between 5 to 10%. Five percent is a huge drop in turnout if it is translated nationwide. And that is what the Republicans need to fear and what Democrats should hope for.

Democrats need to get their message out between now and November. Do the American people want more of the same? They need to tie all the Republicans to George W Bush and make it a national election. If they permit the Republicans to run independently in their districts without any responsibility for their votes in Washington, then the Republicans will do much better in November, in my opinion.

that's a LARGE step in the right direction and a bad sign for repubs.

On many key issues. Perhaps her campaign needs to rethink the message and the manner in which it is being put out there.

She forced the Repubs to spend BIG money to win the seat and call in all the heavy-weights to do so (robo-calls from McCain, Cheney and Shrub himself)

The Republican Party (and in truth NO POLITICAL PARTY) can sustain that kind of effort on a nation-wide basis...

Now they need to get the biggest possible return on their investment by trumpeting this victory as a sign that the pundits are wrong, wrong, wrong about the party being in trouble in November....that's why they invested so much in this race...

btw: Kentuck...nice post.

e

They believe the Republican Propaganda that if they portray any Liberal thoughts or principles the voting public will be turned off so they remain silent or wish wash around.. I voted against it before I voted for it type stuff. They need to unite around a common thread and hammer it home but I will not hold my breath. It is hard to holler corruption when you are in the thick of it..I would suggest to hit the Republicans on their supposed strengths. Defense and Economy. :shrug: I bet we hear very little about those issues though. Did you know the US is now spending beyond their means by over one hundred thousand dollars a second. How many times have you heard a Democrat say that?

problems. People turned away and told to come back later, jammed printers. But of course those glitches don't mean anything. There are always problems. No one cheated and rigged the vote. :sarcasm: Go back to trying to analyze the will of the people from the mysteries black box voting machines, good luck with that.

Just like Hackett's loss was good news? :wtf: This is just another vote for every stupid/dictatorial move that Smirk makes. This is NOTHING. SOmeone else posted that "it forced the GOP to spend alot of money". So fucking what? You think they're going to run out at some point?

Yeesh. Our definition of a "win" needs some adjustment.

And look what he has done with that!

This loss just shows that Reublicans don't give shit about corruption as long as it is their corruption and they control the congress. I don't know what will happen in November but I can tell you this I will not be surprised if stupid Americans continue to vote on such important issues as Gay Marriage and flag burning! This election result just proves how stupid and self centered the right winged nutters are in this country!

Until then I will expect Americans especially those in the red zone to continue to vote agaisnt the intersts of america by allowing the corruption to continue unabbated in Washington under republican control! WE NEED A VIABLE THIRD PARTY AND FAST!

OVERVIEW: AMERICAN REVOLUTION II

What we now have --in addition to outright illegal suppression of Democratic votes by Bushite election officials and other operatives--is several big electronic voting corporations with very close ties to the Republican Party and rightwing causes--Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia-- 'counting' all our votes with 'TRADE SECRET,' PROPRIETARY programming code--code so secret that not even our secretaries of state are permitted to review it--with virtually no audit/recount controls. This is the result of the infamous "Help America Vote Act" of 2002, a $4 billion electronic voting boondoggle engineered by the biggest crooks in Congress, Tom Delay and Bob Ney (and abetted by Bilderberg 'Democrat' Christopher Dodd).

Our elections are now NON-TRANSPARENT and UNVERIFIABLE, and under the control of partisan corporations. The $4 billion--and also millions in lavish lobbying--were used to corrupt election officials from one end of our country to the other. And those they have not been able to corrupt, they have driven from office (Kevin Shelly in California), or sought to intimidate (Ion Sancho in Florida, and others). This pervasive corruption, and bullying by the Bushite Feds, has resulted in the widespread purchase, by states and counties, of extremely insecure, unreliable and hackable--and very expensive--election theft machinery, including both voting machines and central tabulators. Most votes--even paper ballot votes (such as absentee ballots)--end up as electrons that can be manipulated by "trade secret" programming code, controlled by private Republican corporations. Given the culture of secrecy that has been fostered among election officials, and the financial corruption (big money contracts, lavish lobbying, etc.) that is now pervasive in our election system, no vote is safe and secure. It is a fundamental of democracy that votes be counted in public view. In current conditions, we must presume an inaccurate count that favors those in power.

Restoring TRANSPARENT elections is a MUST DO, PRIORITY ONE, MATTER, if we want our country back. Without the right to vote, we can do little or nothing to restore lawful government. We can protest. We can be appalled. But if the will of the majority--which has always been for peace and justice, and good government, consistently over the last six years, in ALL the issue polls--cannot be enforced, then we might as well be shouting to the wind.

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SOME RESOURCES FOR AMERICAN REVOLUTION II:

Practical suggestions for the immediate future:

1. ABSENTEE BALLOT VOTING. Promote absentee ballot voting. It's not the ultimate solution, by any means, but it at least provides a tangible paper record for challenging suspicious election results, and for recounts and investigations. (Absentee ballots were a great help to investigators in 2004.) Absentee ballot voting is also a form of protest against the machines. 50% of Californians are now requesting Absentee Ballots. If enough people do it, the machines will be obsolete; then we can work on getting rid of the central tabulators.

2. MONITOR THE ELECTIONS. Join with others to closely monitor the coming elections and gather and document evidence. See www.UScountvotes.org, and other resources, below. UScountvotes.org needs donations!

3. DEMAND INDEPENDENT EXIT POLLS. Demand that the Democratic Party fund INDEPENDENT EXIT POLLS. Exit polls are used worldwide to verify elections and check for fraud. The war profiteering corporate news monopoly exit polls cannot be trusted (they are doctored to match the results from the voting machines' secret programming code; rather than being used to verify elections, they are used to confirm NON-TRANSPARENT "official results"). The Democratic Party owes us, big time, for their lack of vigilance--and in some cases corruption--on electronic voting. This is one critically needed thing that they can do to help.

4. THINK LONG TERM. Saving our democracy promises to be a long hard struggle. We obviously can't get rid of these machines before the '06 elections, so focus on doing our best with the Diebold/ES&S handicap (a 5% to 10% "thumb on the scales" for Bushites and warmongers), and getting rid of these machines afterward, for '08 and beyond.

5. TELL PEOPLE THE TRUTH. They NEED to know it. Engage them in the fight. Bumper sticker: "Help Us Beat the Machines--VOTE!" There is nothing more demoralizing and disempowering than constantly losing and not knowing WHY. There is evidence that the machines CAN be beaten by massive turnout. Get people involved! Help them to SEE what's happening! THEY will solve the problem, ultimately--if they can only IDENTIFY what it is!

6. PRESSURE LOCAL/STATE ELECTION OFFICIALS. Right now, the best place to fight this fight is at the state/local level, where ordinary people still have some influence. Bush's Congress is NOT going to give us back our right to vote--they are the ones who took it away (with the collusion of some corrupt Dems). Don't look to the Feds--look to your local county registrar, your state election boards, your secretaries of state. Demand TRANSPARENT elections. Also educate and mobilize your local Democratic Party and other political party groups.

The first priority in this historic fight for American democracy is restoring our right to vote--the mechanism by which we exercise our sovereignty as a people. Without it, we have no power. We MUST change this.

Never give up on our right to vote! NEVER!

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR AMERICAN REVOLUTION II:

Hopeful signs - latest news:

California voters sue the state over Diebold:
www.VoterAction.org is suing the state of California and 18 Calif county registrars on behalf of 25 California voter/plaintiffs, on the illegal Diebold "certification" by Schwarzenegger appointee Bruce McPherson.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2180496
Seven of these counties have promised the judge they would use PAPER BALLOTS, and were dismissed from this lawsuit (4/27/06).
http://kcbs.com/pages/29285.php
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2249205

Maryland rejects Diebold:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x418263

Florida - anti-trust accusations against Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia, re: heroic Florida election official Ion Sancho:
(FLA AG subpoenas the companies)
http://www.computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/legalissues/story/0,10801,110192,00.html
http://www.tbo.com/news/politics/MGBKSY8W8LE.html
(info & discussion)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2183630

Utah county clerk fights back!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x419226

(Tide turning?) New York Times: "New Fears of Security Risks in Electronic Voting Systems" (5/12/06)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2278829

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INFORMATION AND ACTIVIST RESOURCES for American Revolution II:

www.votersunite.org (MythBreakers - easy primer on electronic voting--one of the myths is that HAVA requires electronic voting; it does not.)
www.UScountvotes.org (statistical monitoring of '06 and '08 elections--they need donations)

(Activist sites with links to state activist groups or info)

www.votersunited.org (good general info, and state links)
www.verifiedvoting.org (great activist site)
www.solarbus.org/election/index.shtml (fab compendium of all election info)
www.votetrustusa.org (news of the movement from around the country--caveat: $$$ connections to Choicepoint)

www.freepress.org (devoted to election reform)
www.bradblog.com (also great, and devoted to election reform)
www.TruthIsAll.net (analysis of the 2004 election)* :patriot: :applause: :patriot:
www.votepa.us (well-organized local group of citizen activists in Pennsylvania, where important legal issues are at stake, including state's rights over election systems)
Provisions of the PA lawsuit:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x423739

The Voter Confidence Resolution
http://tinyurl.com/rlnr2 (“We Do Not Consent”)
http://guvwurld.blogspot.com (GuvWurld blog main page)
http://tinyurl.com/amryg (Voter Confidence Resolution

www.debrabowen.com (Calif Senator running for Sec of State to reform election system)
www.johnbonifaz.com (running for Massachusetts Sec of State on strong election reform and antiwar platform)

*Some tributes to TruthIsAll, who is very ill:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x417007
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x417231
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x675477

Congressional bills:

Russ Holt's HR 550 requires a real paper ballot, bans secret software in "voting machines", and has more than 170 co-sponsors, but the audit required is too weak, it promotes electronic voting and centralized power, and the secret software might be permitted to continue in the central tabulators (the bill is not clear). At lot of discussion at DU of the loopholes/pitfalls in HR 550 (many DUers support the bill):
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x422926
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x421136
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=422967&mesg_id=422967
To sign the HR 550 petition: http://www.rushholt.com/petition.html

(Note: Senate Bill-SB 330 and House-HR704 simply require a "voter verified paper audit trail" (VVPAT), which may be best for the moment.)


Also of interest:

Michael Collins (Autorank)'s searing election reform article for New Zealand's Scoop.com
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x971363

Bob Koehler (-- four recent election reform initiatives in Ohio, predicted to win by 60/40 votes, flipped over, on election day, into 60/40 LOSSES!--the biggest flipover we've seen yet; the election theft machines and their masters are now dictating election policy! Title: "Poll Shock" 11/24/05)
http://commonwonders.com/archives/col321.htm

Bob Koehler's latest: "Trust us: Take this box and stuff it" (3/16/06)
http://commonwonders.com/archives/col337.htm
More Koehler:
www.tmsfeatures.com/tmsfeatures/subcategory.jsp?file=20051124ctnbk-a.txt&catid=1824&code=ctnbk

Amaryllis (Diebold, ES&S, Sequoia lavish lobbying of election officials - Beverly Hilton, Aug. '05)
www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x380340

HOWARD DEAN remarks on electronic voting machines 04/06
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x994507

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Throw Diebold, ES&S and ALL election theft machines into 'Boston Harbor' NOW!

:think: :patriot: :woohoo: :patriot: :think:

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"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it." --Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence

that is, the war profiteering corporate news monopoly narrative....

I was following events in Peru, and what struck me about our corporate news monopoly reporting was its slant on the story designed to discourage Leftists and ignore what really happened. Ollanta Humala, a 100% indigenous Indian, came out of nowhere, representing the poor, the indigenous and the true Left, and, with no money or favorable news coverage, won 30% of the vote, thus winning a runoff with the corrupt Leftist candidate (and former prez) Alan Garcia, and bumping the rightwing candidate from the race. Humala surprised everybody. Garcia, a "free tradist," got the backing of international financiers and the US/Bush. Humala, with the open support of Hugo Chavez (Venezuela) and Evo Morales (Bolivia's first indigenous president), then went on to win 45% of the runoff vote to Garcia's 55%. The corps press--and Bushites--have tried to interpret Garcia's win as bad for Chavez and the Left. But look at what happened between the prelim and the runoff--a 15% INCREASE in support for Humala, an unknown and pure Leftist (no corporate or rich people support) candidate. He also pulled the political dialogue way to the Left (bumped off the rightwinger, early.) Further, Garcia's policies will likely ruin Peru's economy, as those of similar politicians did in Argentina, and Humala and the true Left will be back, unfortunately with an even bigger mess to clean up. The trend all over South America is way Left--for self-determination and anti-Bush. It appears to me that Humala's 15% INCREASE in support is partly due to Chavez's endorsement (Chavez is hugely popular in the region among the vast poor and indigenous populations that straddle Venezuela, Bolivia and Peru). The headlines should not have been: "Humala (backed by Chavez) lost," but rather, "Humala, coming out of nowhere, almost won."

Is there a rough parallel here for Busby? Are we dealing with the corporate news monopolies' false and discouraging narratives?

Let Bilbray sit in DC for five months stumbling, and bumbling along while the voters get more and more pissed off.

I'm almost to the point of wishing it were mandatory that American citizens vote. I know a lot of people who say "I don't vote so no one can blame me for the outcome" which is just about the worst excuse I've ever heard. If we could get people to vote more Dems would win.