As the Petraeus/Crocker show starts tomorrow, think about this: a Republican White House victory in 2008. That'd mean four more years in Iraq and who knows what in Iran. It'd mean four more years of torture in prisons, of wire tapping our phones and computers, of making the environment worse, not working to reverse the damage. Four more years sounds far- fetched, doesn't it? The "surge" has failed. America's low standing in the world is matched by that of Bush's standing in the US. The Republican presidential candidates are in disarray. The American people "get it." The Republicans can't win again in 2008, right?
The California Republican Party this morning seemed to agree that in a fair election, the Republicans lose. Noting that they could only attract John McCain to their confab (no other candidates bothered to show), seeing their own Governor Schwarzenegger chide them for being too far to the right, the delegates were clearly down in the mouth. The prospects indeed look dim. No one pays attention to them and they don't like anyone who's running.
So without a vision for a better world, what did they do? They passed a resolution endorsing the dirty tricks initiative that will simply steal the 2008 presidential election for whomever the Republicans finally dredge up. (I've been writing about this for a while because it will decide the outcome of the 2008 election.) With official Republican Party support, the backers of this outrageous initiative can almost assure that it'll be on the June 2008 ballot. That'll give the right wing party crazies led by their pro-war Chairman Ron Nehring something to cheer about: they can raise money and engage their shrinking base to come out and rig the election. Let's keep it simple: if this passes, we have to win Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida or some other tough combination of states in order to win the White House.
And even with that shrinking base, it could pass because we have three elections here in California next year. The June election will generate the lowest turn-out and therefore, with their obfuscation tactics on full display, they'll drive their own base to vote yes and hope their lies will confuse the others. At the least, we'll have to spend lots of money fighting it, a sort of classic spoiled child victory for the right wing either way.
Governor Schwarzenegger gave the delegates a talking to on Friday night, explaining that they had left the voters behind, that they had to address issues such as the environment and healthcare if they hoped to win another election. This was on the heels of his having called the Electoral College dirty tricks initiative part of a "loser's mentality" for those who seek to change the rules in the middle of the game. But the governor refused to go all the way: he would not say outright that he opposes the power grab, even though he calls himself post-partisan. I guess you can be post-partisan if you don't have real positions on tough issues.
Courage Campaign is running a netroots/grassroots effort to galvanize our base to kill this thing. If you think General Petraues and the Bush Administration endanger the nation, think about four more years of Fred Thompson or Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani. Think about four more years in Iraq. Think about invading Iran. We have to stand up now and say no. Not in California. Not in America.
It is interesting how politicians would try to manipulate California to get it closer to one person one vote(electoral votes, as it may be), but oppose it on a national level. On a national level, the same strategy would shift the power to the populated states, who are largely Democrats. Not withstanding the polls, however, I'm not sure the Presidential outcome is so assured (except in California). Yes, President Bush's administration seems to be doing its best at losing the confidence of the American public, but where is the confidence in the Democratic leadership. The biggest fear of the American people is the fear of a leadership vacuum, nationally and on the world stage. On the one hand, get out of Iraq seems too simplistic, and global warming too distant. On the other hand, political corruption and manipulation of the public is reaching new levels of unacceptability. Seems like we everything to fear, including fear itself. I believe Bill Clinton has articulated the idea that the winner will be the candidate who projects the most positive message. Some of us are still listening to the vacuum of ideas in the current rhetoric. In the meanwhile, yes, kill the California Republican Party's "Assault on Reason".
1. A well paying job.
2. Unemployment benefit that does not run out after 6 months.
3. Universal health care.
4. Decent social security pension in old age.
5. Get out of Iraq.
6. Less spending on the military.
Gay marriage and global warming are just red herrings to hype the ignorant.
Pathetic bunch of scum.
Bin Laden must be sitting back just puffing on a cigar and thinking to himself that all is proceeding as planned. Because it is by his lights.
We shall see what we shall see but be prepared to send your grade school kids to Iraq/Iran because at this pace that's where they'll be going.
This article is incomplete. It simply says "here are dirty tricks, be afraid of them, and hope something good happens." It doesn't talk about any groups working against this or what a non-Californian can do to ensure that his/her vote matters in 2008.
The Republicans are desperate and will do anything to maintain their corrosive grip on power. The MSM will give little play to this initiative, or treat it as a side show. The truth is, if this bill gets on the ballot and wins a majority, America will be changed forever. This is on a par with FDR's attempt to stack the Supreme Court to assure passage of all his New Deal initiatives. That attempt to stack the deck in favor of a Democratic President was stopped, let's hope this attempt to stack the Electoral College in favor of one party is also stopped. For the good of this nation, this assault on the electoral process MUST be defeated at all costs.