CBS News Catches Republicans in Dirty Trick

CBS Weekend News broadcast a solid view of desperate Republicans who know that they cannot win the 2008 presidential election unless they resort to dirty tricks. As I have written here since August, Republican operatives, many with ties to Rudolph Giuliani, have been attempting to place on the June 2008 California primary ballot an initiative that would change the way electoral college votes are allocated from the traditional "winner take all," to a proportional system that allocates electoral college votes by congressional district.

We all dislike the Electoral College, but this is just a simple dirty trick. If it were equitable, the Republicans would have joined with Democrats to sponsor such initiatives and legislative changes in all of the big states across the country. Even Governor Schwarzenegger, still officially a Republican, says "changing the rules in the middle of the game" is a "loser's mentality." And that's just what we see. If you can't beat 'em at the polls, change the rules, change the way you count votes, do anything but face reality.

The CBS story speaks for itself. It came about because dedicated online activists including a graduate student at UC Santa Barbara who is a diarist at Daily Kos, caught signature gatherers for the dirty trick initiative lying to students to get them to sign the petitions. They used children's cancer care as bait for to switch people to signing the dirty trick initiative. The Courage Campaign (disclosure: I am founder and chair) received a call from the intrepid blogger and activist. Our staffer, Erik Love, captured the whole sordid mess on video. You can see Erik's story here at Daily Kos.

This is one example of the mainstream media reporting the news, not reporting commentary masquerading as news. Have a look. And if you feel so inclined, check us out at the Courage Campaign to lend a hand.

Comments

[Bondaroid]

CBS has as much credibility as the Clinton News Network(CNN) who planted 8 Democrats as questioners. Seems like the Democrats are playing the loser mentality, which I don't blame them, its hard to change your spots.

[bvb720]

C (BS) couldn't catch a cold if someone sneezed on it.

Get off your Democratic bandwagon and tell the truth.

[sarnold49]

This story isn't really about the plan to split the electoral college it's the dirty bait and switch way they are trying to do it, and using children's cancer yet. We have all got to start standing up and speaking out about wrongs from any politician and any media source that doesn't do the right thing, if we don't we will lose the America know or in my case used to know because I don't even recognize this America anymore it's not the one I grew up in, but I know it CAN get worse. Americans no matter their party should have been furious over any of their representatives being locked out of legislative meetings and government shutdowns which is most often caused by the GOP refusing to compromise on anything but the worst government shutdown in history was because Newt Gingrich thought he had been ignored by Clinton on a flight back from the funeral of Yitzhak Rabin, now that is ridiculous and the American people need to "JUST SAY NO"!!!

[gernger]

If the republicans can get the initiative on the ballot, they still have to have it pass in the general election. That seems unlikely because the Democrats control Califorinia state wide. The Democrats usually win California in the Presidential elections,thats why the Republicans want the change. It's kinda like a catch-22.

[jswan]

Am I the only one who remembers a very similar initiative put fourth in Colorado in 2004? In that case, since Colorado is a RED state, the right wing and Republicans were fighting very hard against this initiative, outspending supporters 10-to-1.

For Republicans to take "the high road" this time only shows their complete disraguard for any kind of truth or inegrity on this issue.

The article about that vote is very interesting to put in contrast with what we are hearing now from Republicans. Go here:
http://media.www.californiaaggie.com/media/storage/paper981/news/2004/11/04/FrontPage/Colorado.Electoral.College.Reform.Fails-1318677.shtml

to see a report. Goggle has many more.

[jswan]

I thought it quite ironic that we now hear Republicans supporting this electoral college change in California. It seems to me that when this came up in a red state last election cycle (Colorado) the right wing was dead set against it and fought it with millions of dollars worth of campaigning.

I think these folks are just too obvious. They depend on ignorance and fear to stay in power. If they win, we deserve what we get.

[cavartk9]

Seems like it's the loser dems who are whining about this. Because if Californication were a conservative state that wasn't run by the leftist hollywood loons. They would be clamoring to do exactly the same thing. Sour Grapes.

[wrabbitt]

Isn't this along the same lines as making bribes from lobbyists legal? And, bailing out of social security for their own plan then raping social security funds? Getting elected on the premise that they will end the war?Where ever did the honesty in public service go? They are so well protected from prosecution that they do these thing right out in the open!We need to remove all Senators, congresspeople that have been reelected once and install term limits. and most of all accountability of which there in none. Change the rules back to protect the people from the crooked, entrenched, antiquated old farts that think smoke and mirrors still works...

[Tannim]

Sorry, the only thing suspect here is timing. The rest of this is a smear job accompanied by mostly ignorance in the comments, all of it loaded with guilt by association. That's actually rather pathetic.

What the initiatve actually does is change the winner-take-all mentality of the state electoral votes to a district-b­y-district tally with the remaining 2 delegates going to the overall state popular vote winner. It's the same as Maine and Nebraska. This means that fascist areas like Orange County are not ignored in favor of socialist ones like San Francisco, and vice versa. So now more people's votes actually count. It's actually more representative of the people in the state, so how is that a bad thing? Unless the real complaint here is putting CA back into play in electoral politics instead of being an assumed blue state and DP ATM like it has been in the past?

As far as constitutional issues go, the amendment directs the state legislature how to do the electoral delegation, so it passes constitutional muster quite clearly.

[Truthortradition]

I always knew Republican oil barons were "conservative", I just didn't know they were so corrupt. In my opinion, over the last seven years, they have managed to give even Jesus a bad name.
Seems Republicans are devoid of all principles. To them, the ends always justifies the means.
They are hypocrites and thieves. They are greedy and uncaring. They make me sick to my stomach.
Yet, somehow, they have managed over the decades to make the word "liberal" into a four letter word. Thanks to people like Rush Limbaugh, if you are liberal, you are a drug addict, a sex addict, a communist, or a terrorist. The truth does not matter. Perception is everything and they know it. I think it's time liberals start fighting fire with fire.
I guess that's why I was so tickled to see the new ad out by Move-on.org yesterday that illustrates the fact that, not so long ago, a bunch of crazy liberal minded women stood in front of the White House, protesting a war-time president, begging for the right to vote. Of course, at the time, those crazy liberals were put in jail by conservatives who didn't believe in truth beyond tradition.
Yea, call me liberal anyday as I know I too would have gone to jail with those crazy women. Guess I just like civil rights and progress. Guess I just don't want to go back in the kitchen. And no, I don't want to be ruled by the bible either, just like women are ruled in the Middle East where no constitution protects them from being beaten in public. Republican conservatives scare me to death. Go Democrats. Go Liberals.

[davy]

NO, dirty tricks? Not Our Republican Party

[littleblackcat]

The republican party should be disbanded, declared illegal, and everything they have put into place for the last 35 years brought before the people for a vote. One thing I am very much in favor of that the Australians do, is make voting MANDATORY. Any touchscreen machine that does NOT print out a paper receipt for the voter and provide a paper tape for poll workers to verify those results, should be destroyed. Rank-and-file republicans, the people on the street who used to believe in what the repu's claimed, have been questioning what the party stands for, if anything other than wholesale greed and rewards for the very few. Capitalism breeds corruption, and we are living with the results of it. Major changes need to be made, questions like "Why aren't the anti-trust laws being upheld anymore?" need to be asked and answers gotten. Not that bushit&cronies uphold ANY laws.

[luziannagirl]

Jacobs writes "If you can't beat'em at the polls, change the rules, change the way you count votes,do anything but face reality."

Or, change reality.

If all else fails, and despite your dirty tricks you still lose the election, just declare yourself the winner anyway.

It's a proven strategy.

[frappe]

It's a sad state of affairs when this is what we've come to expect from Republican operatives -- dirty tricks...and if they don't work, more dirty tricks. Just take a look at Resident Bush, caught in a HUGE lie about the threat from Iran.

When it comes to Republicans, it's often safer and more correct to assume the worst. This attempt to steal yet another election is just more of the same from the GOP (Greedy Old Party).

[Technician]

Democrats must be blind! Admittedly, changing rules in the middle of the game is a dirty trick. However the Democrats want to reinstitute the "Fairness Doctrine" concerning which there is nothing fair. It's an obvious attempt to hamstring Conservative Talk Radio because Liberals can't compete on a level playing field. Interesting how the Liberals don't want the "Fairness Doctrine to apply to PBS! Talk about a dirty trick.