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I Wonder If Al Franken Still Is Dismissive of Election Fraud Now
I'm trying very hard to keep from gloating inwardly about Al Franken's plight, since, from Election Day, 2004, he has always pointedly denied the evidence of fraud by the Republicans.
I was on his show on Air America just days after that election; and every time I noted yet another piece of evidence that it was stolen, he would reflexively dismiss it with some asinine banality or misconception. At one point, I mentioned a bizarre anomaly in Florida (one of many), where the number of votes for Bush exceeded the number of voters in that entire county.
"Oh, no," Franken said: "We looked into that," he said. "We talked to someone down there --a Democrat!" I asked him for some more specifics. Just then his producer texted him, and he read from his computer: "Oh, yeah, here it is. We talked to... the webmaster for the Secretary of State. And he said there was nothing to it."
That Secretary of State was Glenda Hood, whom Jeb Bush had appointed to replace Katherine Harris.
When the Conyers Report was published the next year, with an introduction by Gore Vidal, the author was on "Real Time with Bill Maher" to talk about it--and Franken was on, too. As ever, he denied that there'd been any fraud committed in Ohio. "I think they won dirty," he said solemnly, denying all those crimes and improprieties precisely documented in the Conyers study (which he evidently hadn't read). He talked on and on in that vein, and thereby managed to upstage Vidal, whose vital point was lost in all the blather.
On Wednesday, Randi Rhodes said, on her show, that Air America had discouraged her from talking much about the GOP's election fraud, and suggested that Al Franken had a hand in it.
This all matters greatly now--and not just because of yesterday's report that the e-voting machines in Minnesota have turned out to be defective (or "defective"). Maybe Franken will now face the facts about election fraud more realistically.
What matters most about his long refusal to discuss the problem is that it appears to have been urged upon him by the Democratic Party, or those in it who were counseling him as he prepared to run for office. When asked by regular people, as he often was (on his book tour), exactly why he always pooh-poohed the whole subject, he would say, "The people I listen to have told me there's nothing to it," or words to that effect.
This raises the larger question as to how, or if, the Democrats will now endeavor to reform our voting system. The chances are that they won't do an honest job unless we force them to it.
MCM
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It's only fraud if you lose.
I think the numbers in the Minnesota recount will show Franken winning by a wide margin, and Coleman as the guy that tried to steal the election with Diebold Optical Scan machines.
Fox News will try to spin it that the recount was rigged. But anyone with half a brain will figure it out.
Just my prediction...
For anyone who still thinks the problems with electronic voting machines are merely conspiracy theories by a bunch of bloggers, here is coverage of this important issue by actual news sources:
http://articles.latimes.com/2007/aug/05/local/me-bowen5
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/30/debra_bowen_usenix_keynote/
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Government-IT/Voters-Take-to-Polls-With-Uncertified-Voting-Machines/
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/153313/reporters_notebook_excitement_fear_on_the_evote_trail.html
http://www.local12.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=4b94ae47-b1f3-41a7-8612-34f208f02d29
http://www.dodgeglobe.com/news/x1197776040/Voting-machine-malfunction-causes-problems-in-Spearville
http://wvgazette.com/News/200811020398
http://www.mercurynews.com/politics/ci_10911038
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/153187/ed_felten_on_evoting_what_can_go_wrong.html
I believe the best solutions are the simplest--paper ballots. For the disabled, there are ballot marking devices. "Ballot marking devices do not record or count votes electronically, they only mark a paper ballot for the voter. In essence, they are a 'computerized marking pen'."
http://www.nyvv.org/paperballotBallotMarkers.shtml
Personally, I don't understand why, in many states, our country has opted to privatize THE government function on which all other government functions depend--determining who our elected leaders will be. This, in my view, should be the most public, open and transparent process of all.
- Tom
It would not surprise me at all that it was the leaders of the Democratic Party squelching the conversation/investigation of voter fraud. I have wondered aloud on more than one occasion as to why Kerry gave up on fighting for the Ohio vote when it was clear to everyone but him that there was a problem with the 2004 vote in that state. And, furthermore, why has the Democratic Leadership ignored completely any effort at reform since they gained control of Congress in 2006 knowing the importance of the 2008 election? I wish that this country weren't facing so many huge problems so that we could deal effectively with truly reforming our election process. It just doesn't make sense that we are so incapable of handling this process in a timely, efficient and reliable fashion when so many other countries seem to be able to do so easily.
The biggest winner this Tuesday was vigilance.
Minnesota has paper backups. As for the preemptive posturing on the part of both candidates, everyone just needs to loosen their belts a bit.
Speaking as a poll worker and a paranoid left-wing nut, paid election (rank and file) workers are overwhelmingly in love with the Democratic process - regardless of personal politics - all year 'round.
Poll workers get @ $100 to show up well before dawn, work for at least 14 hours, and do extremely detailed complicated stuff at the very end of the day.
If a human being under these circumstances doesn't carry the one, it's not a conspiracy.
Our Founding Fathers stressed that the foundation of our Democracy was our own vigilance. IMHO, that was the original point of the 2nd amendment - not to mention all those other pesky amendments.
While I appreciate Mr. Miller highlighting this issue (albeit in a kind of snarky, junior high school tone), Mr. Franken will never, even if he's elected, replace the responsibilities of the individuals who voted for him - or against him for that matter. As my Father often said, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me".
Election fraud has been with us for a long time, it's just that the penalties are minor compared to the crime.
Start making the penalties reallllly harsh and watch what happens.
Do you get the irony of Democrats complaining about voter fraud?
No, please elaborate. If you are referring to ACORN please specify which cartoon charactor actually showed up to vote. ACORN was a straw man set up by the McCain campaign for people too stupid to realize the difference between some less than scrupulous employees defrauding ACORN itself by registering fictitious names which ACORN was required by law to submit and Homer Simpson actually showing up and voting(voter fraud). I find it funny that John McCain didn't decry the Republican targeting of people who were in the process of having thier homes foreclosed on them so that they could attempt to have them purged from the eligible voter roles. How low can the Republcan party go?
What irony? Dems have been the victims of election fraud for the last 8 years unlike anytime in the past. Ohio and Florida are prime examples of what happens when you let that sort of thing run amuck and are terrified of holding the GOP responsible. A LOT of people should have gone to prison in both elections.
8 years of election fraud?!? Where the hell have you been?
In 1972, Richard Nixon greatly feared Edmund Muskie running against him, so the fine folks at CREP worked with the hacks in New Hampshire put up the story about Mrs Muskie that ran in the Manchester Union Leader, and when Muskie got tears in his eyes talking about that scummy paper slamming his wife, his campaign was toast. Instead, we got George McGovern on the ticket, and the country got four more years of the Nixon crew, some of whom are still in the White House to this day.
They controlled 1972 (also remember Watergate? Same guys there too)
They threw 1980 (Bush senior was in Paris with the Iranians- he is a traitor)
They threw 2000
They threw 2004
They eased off Obama this year, like they eased off Carter in 1976 to throw us off the trail, but lower elections have been thrown this year like they have every damned election cycle going back into the 1990's.
Just remember- exit polls work and are accurate in EVERY country on the plant except ours. Ask yourself why that is, and don't accept lies for an answer. Greg Palast is on the trail, and we need to listen to him.
What fraud in Florida? Palm Beach County, Miami Dade County, and Brevard Counties were the three largest counties in Florida where Al Gore demanded a recount (funny how he wanted to only recount Democrat controled counties). All three counties were run by Democrat County Commissioners AND a Democrat Supervisor of elections. Those DEMOCRATS were in charge of counting the votes in those counties NOT Republicans. If there was fraud in those counties it was not by Republicans.
Mark -- I saw you talking about election fraud with Amy Goodman. You were chilling, but awesome. Have you gone on record somewhere concerning this last election? That is, where you think voter fraud may have existed? For instance, another fine piece here at HP suggests Alaska stinks... and I agree.
What about Minnesota? Do you believe Bachmann and gang may have played some games? Any other hotspots?
Thanks for fighting this brave fight, Mark. No one wants to believe this stuff until they're stuck with it.
Yeah, how 'bout that, Mark!
I was listening to that same broadcast that day, Mark, and I was deeply chagrined to hear Al just spit all the 'election fraud' talk away! I'd just had my vote Stolen down here in North Carolina and was 'clinically despondent' over the entire issue. Then, to hear Al laugh it off was just too much.
I do hope, for our country, that Al Franken can prevail in the recount. He is a very smart man, basically, and Congress could really use him. I'm sure he's learned his lesson with this race.
Brick
The reason why Kerry - and the likes of Franken - were and are not interested in fixing the system (no pun intended) is because is serves them well; just like the Electoral College.
Sure, you may say, "But it cost them the election!" Then why don't they care?
Until the faithful Dem voters realize how hoodwinked they are, we will never have anything but monopoly politics.
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