Krugman: Block the Vote

[johan helge]

From http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/15/opinion/15krugman.html?hp:

"The important point to realize is that these abuses aren't aberrations. They're the inevitable result of a Republican Party culture in which dirty tricks that distort the vote are rewarded, not punished. It's a culture that will persist until voters - whose will still does count, if expressed strongly enough - hold that party accountable."

An addition: One reason dirty tricks are not punished in the Republican Party, is that the media don't punish the Republican Party.

[whistle]

1. So, expect the officials in the republican party to look the other....

...way regarding voting fraud and election stealing. Why? The explaination is pretty simple, victory. In the republican mind winning isn't everything, it's the only thing!

[The Straight Story]

2. They don't?

I remember Newt getting handed his ass on a platter. He resigned.

The media is left to the right and right to the left. Who is correct on it? The media, as we see it, used to be made up of a bunch of corporate whores who pandered to whomever threw them the biggest bone (imho, in which case I partially agree with you).

But nowadays, we have the interenet. People en masse look to many other sources for news. From DU to FR to drudge, slashdot, newswire, and more. The strangelhold is going away.

We need to keep up the good work here and keep on top of the news with commentary and insights that one will not see on the networks and such. bush, kerry, and all others in government must come to realize at some point that the people have taken over the news (from blogs to DU). We will watch our employees and rate them - they don't have the control they once did.

Posts like yours, and others, as well as alternate news sources and blogs are the key to getting our officials to bend to our will and not their own self interests.

Kerry has been in power many years, as was clinton and as now is bush. We all need to pound on them and keep them doing the job we pay them to do. If not, out they go :) Right now - bush needs to be kicked out and someone new should take the helm and have a chance. Kerry is my man - but I will watch him as well. And DU is my forum, and come November 15 and each month on the the 15th I will send in a donation so that we can continue the great works I have seen here on du: keeping the people we pay in line.

Thanks to all here who post, reply, vote, get active, and take the time to read the forum as lurkers. If you have not contributed to DU please do so soon. It is a voice worth having on the net, and one which keeps our elected/employed officials on their toes.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

3. Thats right, "the media doesn't punish the Republican Party".

[Raster]

4. In a democracy, disenfranchising legal and lawful voters is ....

...tantamount to treason and should be treated as such.

Let's examine the situation from a slightly different angle. Republican thugs are doing everything they can to prohibit citizens from exercising their right and obligation to vote. These miserable fucking cretins are basically saying "your vote shouldn't count, because you're not as much of a citizen as we are." And considering that the persons being denied the vote are older, people of color and lower on the economic scale, once again you have race and class wars promulgated by the white, good-ol-boy power structure.

I simply cannot fathom how anyone can feel right about denying anyone the vote in a democracy. In essence the message is that this ISN'T a democracy. I don't understand how people who consider themselves fine, upstanding citizens would work to limit the political free expression of another. And a person's vote is the ultimate manifestation of that expression.

EVERY citizen of this country should be aghast at the dirty tricks being used to prevent lawful, legal citizens from voting. People just don't get it; if it can happen to someone else, it can happen to you.

[johan helge]

5. The people who talk most about freedom and democracy

don't really support freedom and democracy.