The GOP Is Systematically Stealing Democracy [Oct. 29]

[flamingdem]

** Does anyone know about dissenting opinions on their research?

Written by Charlie James at Kos


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/29/1152004/-The-GOP-Is-Systematically-Stealing-Democracy

The United States is facing its greatest Constitutional crisis since the Civil War.

With multiple studies providing incontrovertible proof that operatives of the Republican Party – either direct agents or individuals operating on its behalf – are stealing votes, then we cease being a democracy and can forget about any semblance of "representative government."

When my colleague Denis Campbell and I reported this last Thursday at UK Progressive Magazine, the website was hit with a massive Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attack from right wing zealots in America. Only if they were deeply concerned about the truth slipping out would a political faction go to such lengths.

Our Founding Fathers knew there was a real risk of a democracy being undone. In 1787, shortly after the close of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, a woman approached Ben Franklin and asked what sort of government the new nation would have. The venerable champion of liberty famously replied, "A republic, madam, if you can keep it."

We are losing our republic, and the nation for which it stands.

Roots

Some might argue the process began when Richard Nixon tried to steal America during Watergate. Fortunately, Congress and the courts stopped him cold. And compared to what is happening today, Watergate was child's play, a Tinker Toy version of what lay ahead.

In fact, the loss of democracy can trace its roots directly to Dec. 12, 2000, when George W. Bush won the presidency by one vote, a poorly reasoned and tortuously argued decision by the Supreme Court.

It continued in 2004 with the wholesale theft of votes in Ohio and Florida, which assured Bush a second term.

It happened again in 2010 in the Arizona general election and in the 2012 primaries in Arizona and South Carolina where the GOP establishment was stealing votes from other Republican candidates to benefit Mitt Romney.

When something like this happens in other countries, organizations such as the United Nations and The Carter Center swoop in to monitor elections and prevent cheating. America is at the point where it needs international observers in many states, and to check outcomes against actual ballots. Yet Texas Atty. General Greg Abbott threatened to arrest monitors who might show up in Texas Nov. 6 even though poll watchers are immune from arrest if they do not interfere in voting, although the Tea Party group True The Vote has been accused frequently of harassing minority voters.

When a state's top legal officer doesn't think laws apply to him, we have lost our democracy.

Stuart Smalley

American democracy is being pecked to death by ducks. MORE AT LINK

[DrToast]

1. Your thread title suggests Markos wrote that piece

He didn't.

[flamingdem]

2. I didn't realize that Kos means Markos

I'll update

[elleng]

3. No surprise.

My only correction, not pecked to death by ducks, eaten alive by pythons.

[Marmitist]

4. And if they steal it for Romney this time around, what then?

I ask in all seriousness, because it's looking more and more likely that this is going to occur, despite the long odds of a legitimate Romney victory, his campaign and media sycophants have been trying their damnedest to create this idea that his candidacy has "momentum". Though the campaign and its media partisans could hardly be expected to say otherwise, it certainly does make me believe that this is a mere cover for the theft of the election, much like the mythical "reluctant Republican" who was responsible for the massive discrepancy between the Ohio exit polls and the officially recorded vote that favored Bush in 2004.

So, again, I ask, if Romeny et al steal this election, what do we, the most politically aware citizens, do about it?

[Phx_Dem]

5. Do the UN election monitors actually check ballots?

I'm not familiar with what they actually do, but I'm glad they'll be here.

[flamingdem]

6. This is the problem, this is so unwieldy and difficult to pin down

How can things be double checked, how can we know when someone feels too intimidated to vote?

[Big Hit Buda]

7. Our founding fathers

GOP always refers to founding fathers only when it fits their pov

[flamingdem]

10. The Founders would be

horrified by the Republicans, back then ones word was everything.

[defacto7]

8. You are so right, flamingdem

This is a serious time in American history. Either we win this or America loses... and I don't think for the short run.

What if...? Any scenario would be appropriate and there are many. It depends on how much we as citizens want our republic to stand. How much would we be willing to sacrifice? Are we still of the same cloth as our revolutionary ancestors?

[flamingdem]

9. Lately I think about the Revolutionary War and the Founding Fathers

and Lincoln's era, many were Puritans or similar in origin and would be pretty horrified by Republicans!

I'm willing to sacrifice to overhaul our voting system, I hope it's a priority and soon

[A. Herman Niemeyer]

11. The GOP Is Systematically Stealing Democracy

I have run into very substantial information about a nationwide voter suppression program currently underway by our opponents. My wife and I attended one of their training sessions. They hope to train 20,000 poll watchers covering every state. The training was . innocuous except for two words spoken in a question: Where do we get the "strike lists"? The answer was given but revealed little other than that they can be picked up in two days at your . . . . You will also get your poll watcher certificate at the same time. Then you can pick your polling place and hours. It turns out that the strike lists are used to greet voters as they come in. "May I get your name please?" The list is then scanned and if the name is found on the strike list, the poll watcher is to challenge the voter. If there is any problem, each poll watcher has a telephone number to the Command Center which they should use. There is also a Legal Hotline App which they can use. Both are manned by Party officials.

Some one somewhere will have scanned registered voters and selected those that would appear to be challenge able or likely to be intimidated. Some will receive a letter because they only recently became registered. Others because they may be poor or old. Some because they have not had stable residency. In some cases, it is expected that when the people on the Strike list receive their first letter, they will simply be intimidated by the content of the letter and not turn out to vote. For example the letter may specify that they need to provide proof by bringing in specified documents. In other cases they will be asked to fill out requests for information and told that if their reply letter is not received in time, they will not be allowed to vote.

Was I then surprised when I got one of their letters. My wife also and everyone in our building. I hope someone in Democratic Headquarters is already working on this problem.

[secondwind]

12. I'm going to be helping out here in MA on nov. 6th. For Elizabeth Warren.. something about

"legal challenges". Don't have more information at the moment, but they did email me and ask me for my cell number...

[flamingdem]

14. Are you a part of the legal team described here?

https://my.barackobama.com/page/s/become-a-volunteer

[flamingdem]

13. Thanks for sharing that, did you know about 1-866-OUR-VOTE - you can call them

Also here on the web:

http://www.866ourvote.org/


You've probably already gotten this info into circulation but why not see if you can get someone on that hotline so they can learn from the information you gathered. It's heartbreaking to think of their methods of intimidation, we have to do everything possible to stop them!

The good thing is that they don't have much time to train all of those people. I cannot believe it is legal to approach people like that at the polls. The worst intimidation is the letter in my opinion, that would scare a new citizen or confuse an elderly person, terrible!

[flamingdem]

15. I forgot to say welcome to DU A. Herman!

A great first post and hope to hear more from you

[liberalla]

16. Welcome to DU!

Yes, it's very concerning. Thank you for posting this info.