KERRY AIDE POINTS TO MEDIA, KERRY'S SHORTCOMING

"George W. Bush ran the most negative presidential campaign in history, and the media never covered the story, an aide to Sen. John Kerry's campaign said last Monday at the journalism department. He said the Massachusetts senator has more integrity and intelligence than almost anyone else he knows. He added, however, that unlike Bill Clinton, Kerry's intellect is stronger than his political ear. "Excuse my language, but you've literally got to beat the shit out of John Kerry sometimes to get him where you want him to go," he said.-from the article today, "Kerry aide pans nasty Bush run," in NYU's Daily Student Newspaper. Update: Howard Dean's first blogmaster, Mathew Gross, posted this strategy piece, "The Politics of Victimization" after the election but it's still making the cyber-rounds. Free sample: "And watch the Democratic Party leadership walk on eggshells, try to meet him, please him, wash the windows better, get out that spot, distance themselves from gays and civil rights. See them cry for the attention and affection and approval of the President and his followers. Watch us squirm. Watch us descend into a world of crazy-making, where logic does not work and the other."

QUOTE OF THE DAY (LATE EDITION) (UPDATED)

"What right does this Administration have to lecture Ukraine when Bush came to office in a non-violent coup d'etat in 2000, and when numerous reports document that the 2004 election was marred by GOP voter suppression and intimidation tactics, flawed voting equipment and unexplained discrepancies between exit polls and official results in key swing states?"-from Editor's Cut, by The Nation's Editor, Katrina vanden Heuvel. Update: Learn more about "Doublethink" here in "Why Bush's America Feels Like Orwell's 1984. Another take on the USA-Ukraine connection here in, "If The Ukraines Can Demonstrate in the Streets Over a Stolen Election, So Can We." For the Seattle P-I, it's all about the money in, "Reed to certify Rossi as winner of governor's race." They don't even tell us why "Gregoire maintains that there are too many unanswered questions about the election to concede." The Seattle Times focuses on write-in votes that cost Gregroire dearly and other quirks in the process, in "Sims got hundreds of votes that didn't count." Ignored by almost everybody, "Greens file for recount in NV, NM." Update: "Voter fraud in the Ukraine? Give me a break. It has been a month now and we still don't have a clear count of the votes for our own presidential race from the state of Ohio."-from today's New York Daily News column, "Ohio tally fit for Ukraine." Another variation on the same theme: "If U.S. officials who are complaining about election fraud in Ukraine applied the same standards in Ohio, then our own presidential election certainly was stolen."-from the Salon article, "Democracy inaction." From Kos, "Compelling: Ohio recount: Stealing votes in Columbus-- INVESTIGATE DAMSCHRODER."Newsclip Autopsy: "3 excerpts from mainstream news sites reveals that the big news organizations are still under-reporting the Ohio recount efforts."

''Howard Dean: $2 Million for a Presidential Yacht?''

"Americans deserve a better government than this. I very much hope that Democrats will provide at least a strong opposition force to this kind of spending and to these kinds of gross invasions of personal privacy, which the President's party apparently thinks are justified."-from this week's syndicated column. Sounds like someone who has tossed their hat into the ring for DNC Chair. Update: "DNC chair ongoings," from Kos. "All eyes are on Dean’s next move right now. Everyone is waiting on what he is deciding what to do, and that will shape any decision by any candidate,” a prominent Democratic strategist said.-from "Dems plan to redirect DNC away from presidential race,' in The Hill. "Reid announces new office created--Communications`war room' to promote Democrats' messages, respond to GOP attacks," in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Keith Olbermann (Bloggerman) Interviews (Sorta) Ohio Sec'y of State Blackwell

Keith Olbermann (Bloggerman) Interviews (Sorta) Ohio Sec'y of State Blackwell"We had no expectations that this interview was going to produce a “Eureka” moment and we were correct. But the salient point seems to be that -- as was meekly forecast here some time ago -- as the prospect of the actual recount loomed, the story would be driven into the mainstream media."- from Monday night's "Bloggerman" post. Update: The New York Times finally notices the political news in Ohio with, "OHIO: GROUP TO CHALLENGE PRESIDENTIAL TALLY," tucked away under a larger "National Briefing" headline. New article today, "On Air and Online, Olbermann Draws Attention to Voting Problems," in the Online Journalism Review.

''Nearly a Month Later, Ohio Fight Goes On''

"An attorney for a political advocacy group on Wednesday plans to file a "contest of election." The request requires a single Supreme Court justice to either let the election stand, declare another winner or throw the whole thing out. The loser can appeal to the full seven-member court, which is dominated by Republicans 5-2.- from the AP story which just turned up on Yahoo as one of the "Most Viewed News Stories." Update: "Re-Vote, Not Recount, in Ohio," on BuzzFlash. "NORTHEAST OHIO ORGANIZES RECOUNT EFFORTS," from ohio-recount.info. Jesse Jackson dodges the bullets on "Crossfire," while commenting on the situation in Ohio.

QUOTE OF THE DAY (EARLY EDITION)

"As generations of activists have taught us, we can't wait around for politicians to fix a corrupted political system. It's going to take - as the Ukrainians are now showing us - involved and active citizens to make this happen, and that requires an organizational framework to cut through the political and media fog. And now is the time to begin."-from "How To Take Back A Stolen Election," by Thom Hartmann.

QUOTE OF THE DAY (UPDATED)

"You're not such a scary guy," joked his guide. "Yes, I am," Rove replied. -from Sidney Blumenthal's "One gulp and Bush was gone," in the Guardian UK about the dedication of the Clinton library last week in Little Rock. First Runner-Up: Top 10 election myths to get rid of- Connie Rice (Condi's sister, according to Working for Change.org) separates the real dangers from the bogeymen (NPR text and audio]. I can't believe she's Condi's sister. Tavis Smiley says she's a cousin. Second Runner-Up: "Well, evidently Rev. Jackson can observe the body twitching even if the rest of us are still where we were when Senator Kerry made his direct-to-video, M.C. Escher drawing of a statement: “regardless of the outcome of this election.” We’re scratching our heads with one hand, and wanting to use the other to poke the tall, supine creature with a stick to see if it really is alive."-Keith Olbermann today in Bloggerman, still waiting for Kerry to come to life, in spite of Jesse Jackson's claims of a heartbeat.

''Outsider takes mayoral post in Portland, Ore.''

Although this article in the Boston Globe doesn't mention it, Howard Dean campaigned with Mayor-elect Tom Potter. The Stranger's Sandeep Kaushik extends the geography of his audience with this piece.

Sunday News and Commentary (UPDATED)

The Seattle Times reassures us that no matter what Bev Harris has said, "Florida newspaper finds no evidence of election fraud." Slipping into his white doctor coat, Howard Dean tips his hat to Nancy Reagan in this week's syndicated column, "Embryo source, goal of stem-cell research often misunderstood."A suburban New York reporter, Adam Stone, does a very thorough recap of what the bloggers have been pounding away on with, "Kerry clutches to hopes of recount victory." The first half of this New York Observer story is all about Dan Rather's exit from the stage, but the second half covers Keith Olbermann's current moment in the spotlight.In Kiev, Ukraine, they are still blockading the government offices, after four days and nights. The BBC sets the scene.Update: "Kerry Supports Ohio Vote Investigation, Jackson says. Jackson’s brief remarks may be the first that shed some light on Kerry’s fast concession – a decision many supporters felt was too hasty. Jackson will be in Ohio today, Sunday, Nov. 28, to declare his support for a recount of the Ohio vote and for a broader investigation into voting patterns that he said were “suspicious” and could have given votes to Bush that he did not earn."-from the Columbus (OH) Free Press.The Oregonian has, "'Lowdown tricks' sap poll-watcher's faith in fair U.S. voting." "Voting Machines Count Backwards in Okla.," according to the Oklahoma Independent Media Center. "Thirty Million Americans Don't Believe Bush Was Legitimately Elected," according to a new Harris Poll, reported on ReDefeatBush.com. For a newspaper that used to be the laughingstock of newsrooms everywhere, the San Francisco Chronicle does a much better job today than either the New York Times or Washington Post have managed, to date, with the story, "Skepticism spawns broad effort to push voting reform." Jesse Jackson is having an impact on the media's coverage: "The Rev. Jesse Jackson said Sunday that the Ohio Supreme Court should consider setting aside Bush's win in Ohio and that Congress should investigate how Ohioans voted."-from the AP story, "Jackson joins critics of Ohio vote." Update: "Preaching to a packed, wildly cheering central Ohio citizen congregation, Rev. Jesse Jackson blasted the presidential election back into the national headlines Sunday. Jackson said new findings cast serious doubt on the idea that George W. Bush beat John Kerry in Ohio November 2. A GOP "pattern of intentionality" was behind a suspect outcome, he said. At stake is "the integrity of the vote" for which "too many have died." "We can live with losing an election," he said. "We cannot live with fraud and stealing."-from the article, "Jesse Jackson demands Ohio presidential recount, blasts GOP election officials, and says Kerry supports the process," in Monday's Columbus (OH) Free Press.

HEAR YE, HEAR YE (UPDATED)

"OK enough fuming around getting our asses kicked by the courage of the Ukrainians. Both truthout and Kos are calling out for the keyboard protesters to get out of their pjs and hit the streets. WE'RE DEMONSTRATING HERE IN SEATTLE! We've been inspired by http://www.votersunite.org/takeaction/bbballot-invitation.htm and our ace news source Sharon in NYC, who attended her first Blackbox T Party Saturday in Times Square. So...we are organizing our first Seattle Blackbox T Party! To get in on the first planning phase, Mon. night (11/29) @ 7pm in Ballard, contact annierobbins@speakeasy.net for more information."-from an email from the planning group. Update: Port Townsend photos here.

Times Square, Port Townsend, Kansas City...(UPDATED)

These communties will have vote fraud protest demonstrations tomorrow, 11/27. The one in Times Square starts at 10 am, PST. You may be able to check it out at one of the Times Square webcams. Try Cam 2. Here's the invitation for the Port Townsend event at 1pm. "Stolen Election 2004 Alerts" is a site that has updated information on Ohio and activities around the country. There is new report by a Senior Fellow at the Electronic Privacy Information Center. His name is Wayne Madsen. In the article on onlinejournal.com, Mr. Madsen describes how disgruntled Saudis posed as Homeland Security and FBI agents. They were actually technicians familiar with Diebold, Sequoia, ES&S, Triad, Unilect, and Danaher Controls voting machines. These technicians reportedly hacked the systems to skew the results in favor of Bush, using Enron money that helped finance the operation. A second new Madsen report is claiming "information on the buying of vote riggers with Saudi and former Enron funds has been obtained. The epicenter for the vote rigging operation is Dallas, Texas.The operation may involve retired FBI agents who used a well-established "good ole boy" network to arrange for access to polling precincts by electronic voting machine technicians who took advantage of various November 2 security "lockdowns" to illegally alter the tabulation of votes in favor of Bush." Are they the new cyber-Plumbers? Kos repeats the comments by Ian H. Solomon, Associate Dean of the Yale Law School, "VALIDATE THE VOTE," from the Baltimore Sun. The Guardian UK has, "US campaign behind the turmoil in Kiev." The British Helsinki Human Rights Group claims, "Contrary to the condemnations issued by the team of professional politicians and diplomats deployed by the OSCE mainly from NATO and EU states, the BHHRG observers did not see evidence of government-organized fraud nor of suppression of opposition media," in its report: "Ukraine: 2nd Round of Presidential Election." Sequoia Pacific, another e-voting company, gets the once over in "Thugs, Racketeers Counting American Votes." Update: New Saturday from Bellaciao, a France-based (according to Google) tri-lingual site, "Best of Bellaciao’s Vote Fraud Links." In Florida, ""Suit Seeks Provisional Ballots Re-Examined," from AP. New York's Amsterdam News has, "Voter suppression efforts mired election." Ralph G. Neas, president of the People For the American Way Foundation, has "Fundamental flaws put our voting system at risk," in Newsday. The Internatiional Labor Communications Association (AFL-CIO) has "Labor Must Get Behind Demand for Fair Vote Count." Update: Bloggerman (Keith Olbermann) stirs from his vacation stupor to knock down Wayne Madsen's posts, linked above.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"What Kerry and many of his supporters don't understand is that the critical post-election battle is not about John Kerry. What is at stake is far greater. Democracy is not about men; it's about ideals. The battle which must be fought is one to save representative democracy from the final death blow that will be dealt by ignoring the widespread electoral problems of the past two presidential elections. Considering the relative ease with which the Bush administration stole the 2000 election, deceived the congress and American people, and impudently committed crimes against the international community, why wouldn't they take steps readily available to them (via Diebold, Jeb Bush, Kenneth Blackwell, et al.) to stay in power by stealing another election? After all, they're on one hell of a roll. If the corrupt precedents set in yet another election again go unquestioned, won't the Bush regime essentially have an implicit mandate to do more of the same and worse?"-from "Following the Ukrainian Lead," today on truthout.org.

"Can Howard Dean Save the Democrats?"

"The struggle to be Democratic National Committee chair is round one of the battle for the soul of the party.-"-from Eleanor Clift's commentary in Newsweek and on MSNBC.com. Update: I just rented and watched "Bush's Brain," a movie about Karl Rove's political career. I'm beginning to see the pattern here today, from Ohio to Washington state. We someone to get tough and smart in opposition. Saturday morning's Washington Post gives us the beltway version, "Party Debates Ins and Outs of Chairmanship."

ReDefeatBush.com Invites the Ukrainians Here

Posted on Friday, November 26 @ 05:53:54 PST Topic: The Political Landscape
Picking up on our suggestion below, they have posted a "Petition for Ukrainians to Observe the Recounts in Ohio and New Hampshire and to Use the Penalties for Vote Suppression in our Constitution." If we get them to add the Governor's race Washington state, it would save us the trouble. Update: Here's the latest from Kiev, and the web cam that watches it. BBC tells us about, "Ukraine state TV in revolt," saying they have had enough of "telling the government's lies." Could that ever happen here? Well, it's not yet a media revolt, but in Denver a small group went to the Denver Post to ask, "Aren't You a "News" Paper?" The Denver Voice tells us the story in,"Media Blackout on Election Fraud by Media News Group." The Columbus Dispatch (OH) adds more fuel to the fire. The story from Medford, OR about "Concerned Locals" that first surface last Tuesday pops up again today in Vallejo, CA. "A massive letter writing email and call campaign should be organized with times or days announced so we can all participate," turns up in the "What's Your Opinion?" section at the end of this story.

IF THE CONVERSATION LAGS AROUND THE POST TURKEY BREAKFAST TABLE

Thursday, November 25 @ 06:30:56 PST by howard martin (8 reads)
Here's a handy conversation ice breaker you can refer to: "Election Theft Flyer," courtesy of OpEdNews.com. Then ask them to give thanks by supporting people less fortunate than us LIKE THE DEMS IN OHIO WHO HAD TO WAIT 7 HRS TO CAST A BALLOT. Once you've got them softened up, have them sign this petition, "Ask Ukraine to send Election Observers and Use the Penalties Against Vote Suppression in the Constitution." The Hartford Advocate (CT) has this Thanksgiving Day wrapup, "What Were the Odds That Bush Would Win?" Before everyone leaves, you can draw the connection between tossed Provisional Ballots and other "irregularities" in your state, Ohio and elsewhere. When the Ukrainian observors arrive, we'll finally get some press! If you're tired of sports on tv, here's the link to the webcam of the ongoing protest in the Ukraine. Oh and if you felt guilty because "of this official U.S. celebration of the survival of early arrivals in a European invasion that culminated in the death of 10 to 30 million native people," there's this: "Thanksgiving: A Native American View."

Post-Election Reports from Here and There

Post-Election Reports from Here and TherePosted on Thursday, November 25 @ 21:56:26 PST Topic: The Political Landscape
"Did Dubbya rig the election?" A British Labour MP asks the question. Unfortunately, this just became a subscription only article, after your first page view. Here' s an excerpt: "Michael Meacher smells something fishy in Bush's return to office. The evidence of fraud is not yet conclusive but, given the Republicans' record, it is all too plausible. The great mystery of the US presidential election was that the exit polls, which had been reliable guides in all previous elections, did not tally with the final results. In Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, Minnesota, New Hampshire and North Carolina, however, where electronic or optical scanning machines were used (though not exclusively), the tracking polls were seriously discrepant from the published result. Two aspects of this are immediately striking. One is the large size of the variance, and the other is that in every case it favoured Bush. Moreover, extensive voting irregularities have been reported across the US - including intimidation, exclusion of black voters from electoral rolls, touchscreens that consistently registered support for Bush when the name Kerry was touched, and a large number of county precincts (including in Ohio) where the number of votes cast exceeded the total number of registered voters, sometimes by large margins. One's immediate reaction is that such large-scale fraud is implausible. But look at the history of the Republican Party, and its willingness to go to extraordinary lengths to manipulate the popular vote, and the idea seems all too likely. It has emerged that the Diebold Gems software and optical scan voting machines used in counting a high proportion of the votes may not be tamper-proof from hacking, particularly via remote modems. Two US computer security experts, in their recently published book Black Box Voting, argue that "by entering a two-digit code in a hidden location, a second set of votes is created; and this set of votes can be changed in a matter of seconds, so that it no longer matches the correct votes." "Ralph Nader-requested recount to resume Monday," in New Hampshire."What Vote Fraud?" Bev Harris, the Executive Director of Black Box Voting, tells us what's been going on since November 2nd."Jackson plans rally with ministers to call for election investigation." Jesse jumps into the fray in Ohio.

Elections in the Ukraine and the USA

Elections in the Ukraine and the USATuesday, November 23 @ 18:26:23 PST by howard martin (5 reads)
"In a lead editorial, the Post cited the divergent exit polls, along with voter claims about ballot irregularities, as prime reasons for overturning the official results. For its part, the New York Times cited reports of “suspiciously, even fantastically, high turnouts in regions that supported” the government candidate. The U.S. news media is making clear that the truth about these electoral anomalies must be told. Of course, the election in question occurred in the Ukraine."-from Robert Parry, who broke many of the Iran-Contra stories in the 1980s for the Associated Press and Newsweek in "Big Media's Democracy Double Standards." Greg Palast checks in with his attempts to query Senator Richard Lugar on the "inconsistency of official election results and exit polls in the USA; the intimidation of minority voters in Florida and Ohio; ... the failure to count two million ballots cast, half by African-American voters, in America's first post-democratic election held earlier this month." This comes after Lugar cited similar problems in the Ukraine. Back in the USA: "Government Accountability Office to Conduct Investigation of 2004 Election Irregularities," and CNN has "GAO to investigate election complaints." "14 House Dems Demand GAO Election Probe," but, Where's Jim? Update: Florida resident sues Volusia County FLA, based on "inadequate and incomplete information regarding election results."-from the Daytona Beach News-Journal. Ohio Judge Says: No Recount Before Final Official Count. "Washington Post Offers Support for Recount Coverage," finally. For a more robust analysis of the Ohio situation, see "Questioning Ohio," from the Boston Phoenix. Free sample: "If the reduced number of precincts in those counties accounts for the difference, it cost Kerry about 45,000 votes. And who knows what might have happened had the state increased polling places in anticipation of the high turnout it knew was coming? And if the state had encouraged voting rather than threatened to challenge credentials? And if there had been no dirty tricks and intimidation? And if all had received their absentee ballots? Would we be preparing for a Kerry presidency? We’ll probably never know." Bloggerman hasn't conceded this point yet: "the Provisionals plus the “Undercount” could make things very close indeed." On this morning before Thanksgiving, Olbermann has posted again. He recaps the state of affairs and notes that CNN's Aaron Brown has now acknowledged that there are some questions about the election. Brown even said the words, "Black Box Voting" on camera! Meanwhile, Medford, Oregon keeps the pressure on with, "Concerned Locals Push For Presidential Election Fraud Probe." Detroit's metrotimes has "Moonshine moment" that takes a look and concludes with "This is a legitimate story. Knowledgeable, highly educated, well-respected people have looked at this election and concluded there are some statistically mind-boggling results. One explanation is widespread fraud. The media should be on this like hungry dogs on fresh meat." Here are two more anecdotal Ohio postings: "Widespread Election Fraud in Cleveland?" and "Possible Proof of fraud in one bit of testimony."

While you are consuming triptofan or tofu or whatever,

we'll still be here, looking for things to post. Update: In the chopped liver department, this site was passed over for the second time by the local press in its quest to cover the political blogosphere.