Kerry pushes BBV - and pollwatching for access as an issue in the debate

[salin]

says if he is the nominee he would take action on these issues immediately (during the election) not waiting until elected.

Was watching the second half of the debate with my Mother. We both sat up tall at that mention... were she about twenty years younger... I think we would have had a mother/daughter high five moment.

Good job Senator Kerry!

Good job BBV activists who have pushed this issue from obscure observation/concern into the mainstream.

:thumbsup:

[oasis]

1. Kerry named names---DIEBOLD. Max Cleland will likely give him

first hand knowledge of Diebold election fraud.

[JI7]

2. he has before also

spoke on the issue before and named diebold specifically.

[oasis]

6. Max Cleland may have some interesting data to share.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

4. Yep. And the Skull and Bones obsessed still think he's BFEE

Kerry is the bonafide right wing cabal slayer.

[oasis]

10. IMO, the S&B stuff was the best his critics could muster until they found

a less looney issue to attack him with.

[salin]

5. He did.. great moment

wonder how they will react. Again.. good for Senator Kerry.

Others may or maynot have brought this up in other debates and I missed it - so this isn't a criticism of anyone else - but a Kudos for Kerry and our reaction at hearing it in a mainstream setting.

[revcarol]

3. "Following Kucinich's lead, Kerry discusses BBV."

THAT should be the headline.

[salin]

7. I missed the beginning of the debate

did Kucinich also mention it? I don't mean to down play any candidate... but just express my reaction at hearing it mentioned... and recognize the very dedicated work of the BBV folks.

So to all who have begun to push the issue front and center... Kerry, Kucinich... (have others?!) KUDOS!

[sandnsea]

11. Absolutely, we know

I'll make sure and put it in our forum and get it to people who might be able to get it to people who might decide to get it to the campaign. Got that? Dennis deserves all the credit on this, he was absolutely the leader.

[Rowdyboy]

8. What's been done to John Kerry this campaign

shouldn't happen to a dog. He deserved far better at the hands of people he served so well and for so long.

[salin]

9. It has been a bit of a quixotic campaign...

and while I still stand on the sidelines observing and rooting for all (eg have no particular horse in the race... yet)... I believe that the early primaries are a pretty unpredictable, dynamic set of events. Too early to count anyone out, yet.

[maddezmom]

15. "Too early to count anyone out, yet. "

:)

[adadem]

12. He had me

out of my chair...jumping with joy...when he named Diebold and addressed the voting issues. And he's right..along with Dennis...we need poll watchers everywhere....maybe we can get the Russians to come back...hell I trust them more than the pugs!

[shance]

13. Can someone help me. What can poll watchers do to protect our vote?

other than to watch our computerized vote enter never-never land, NEVER to return again, and/or for that matter, to be counted properly.

Seriously. Am I missing something? For the most part, especially when it comes to monitoring comperterized voting machines, I see poll watching as a pretty obsolete task.

[salin]

14. Report instances of voter intimidation.

Remember the problems in Florida went beyond scrubbing the polls to remove many eligible voters - with no recourse for voting. It also included all sorts of suddenly erected traffic barriers in specific areas making it harder to reach polls. It included frequent police presence (idea: intimidation) and sudden heavy patrolling in areas. It included hassles at polling places.

Poll watchers are often used to watch and document the process to prevent voter intimidation and disenfranchisement.

Sometimes poll watchers are also used as part of GOTV efforts - where folks from the precinct can identify regular party members (that is - registered to vote, and often vote) who have not yet made it to the polls and coordinate efforts to contact those individuals to encourage them to vote.

The flip side is there have also been reports of pollwatchers themselves being used as a form of voter intimidation.

[JI7]

17. the thing is

there is no perfect or probably even near perfect way to get everyone to vote and be counted fairly. but we can acknowledge the problems and keep trying to improve on them. that's what i'm hoping even when we make improvements. i never realized until recently how bad things are when it comes to voting in this country. it wasn't just a florida thing, but rather it took the florida 2000 to finally get more people to notice.

[maddezmom]

16. Fine job by John Kerry

they all need to keep this issue front and center. :)

[blm]

18. I'm getting the feeling that Kucinich and Kerry listen to each other

respectfully.

They have both seemed to address this issue substantively, with Kucinich really lighting that torch.