Sunday Bits and Pieces (UPDATED)

Joe Trippi rips the DNC a new one in "Only the Grassroots Can Save the Democratic Party." In Ohio, the recount begins next week. Also in Ohio, "Blackwell Locks Out Recount Volunteers." In "Election 2004's Myths & Mysteries," the myths mostly originate in the Democratic party. The mysteries? Well---they are there too. For those of us who care about the way we get our news, let's go across our northern border to the Toronto Star which has, "Anchors, male or female, can't hold us." Next question: how will the MSM (mainstream media) package the news without them? Knight Ridder surveys the field for DNC Chair in this report from their Florida meeting. The Political Editor of the Palm Beach Post does the same. This AP story on the same topic headlines, "Democrats look at South, West for 2008." It was there we learned that each of the speakers had five minutes to express their vision for the party's future at the meeting. The AP's Nedra Pickler, one of the least favorite reporters with the Dean crowd I know gives us, "List of party problems is long as Democrats gather in search of a leader." It must have been a hellish third grade with a name like that. For her sake, let's hope Pickler is the name she aquired by marriage. The Washington Post, or "Pravda by the Potomac," has this piece by Dan Balz, "Campaign for DNC Chief Begins." He has this quote from Howard Dean: "If I think they want me, I'm running," he said, adding that "this is not a hostile takeover." For some reason the AP story, "Observers watch Wash. recount closely," focuses on the political party volunteers who we see peering helplessly over the yellow ropes at us actual vote counters, forbidden to talk to us. We now know how it feels to be an animal in the zoo. Finally, we present the top ten list least likely to be seen on Letterman: "Top Ten Questions about the Legitimacy of the 2004 Presidential Election." Update: You have to dig pretty deep to learn that "Conyers Takes Judiciary Investigation to Ohio on Monday." John Bonifaz, General Counsel of the National Voting Institute testified in Washington, DC before the John Conyers "hearing." Democracy Now! gives us this excerpt and followup interview story that they headline, "Was The 2004 Election Legitimate?" You may watch, listen or read it. Greg Palast takes up the issue of "Apartheid Ballot Counting in America" in a speech at the New York Society for Ethical Culture last week. I quote: "Were the votes 'spoiled' randomly? Well, not exactly. Overwhelmingly the votes not counted -- NOT COUNTED --were cast in African American precincts. These are very Black votes. I use the term “overwhelmingly,” those votes cast into the machines but not counted for technical reasons. When I say “overwhelmingly Black votes,” that is not my phrase. That’s from Dr. Mark Salling of Cleveland State University who’s been investigating this for the ACLU. The statisticians and demographers say it’s overwhelmingly Black votes which are not counted." Update: The LA Times takes notice today of the doings in Ohio with, "For Some, the Race Remains Far from Over."