GOP Tries to Steal Election; Democrats Do Something

[EV_Ares]

The New York Times yesterday offered up an interesting new take on the California ballot measure that has garnered a great deal of media attention as of late, suggesting that its probable demise next month will be largely due to a shock-and-awe style assault on it by supporters of Hillary Clinton. The initiative would redistribute California's electoral votes by congressional district, effectively handing Republicans 20 free points in the otherwise blue state.

The measure, sponsored by a Republican law firm, has been linked to supporters of Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani. Surprisingly, however, opposition has come not from grassroots internet stalwarts but instead from influential supporters of the Clinton campaign.

The snappiest analysis comes from Bruce E. Cain, director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, who the article quotes as saying that "Clinton's people have taken the Bush doctrine of pre-emptive military strikes against hostile nations and applied it to domestic campaigns."

The article attributes the bulk of the tactical work to Chris Lehane, a former member of Bill Clinton's administration and a Democratic heavy-hitter with enough influence to rally national Democrats, state Democrats, and the Democratic mayors of three major California cities to an unprecedented level of active opposition. But why this sudden vigilance, when normally it takes an outcry from local and internet activists to elicit even general condemnation from the elite—never mind actual action? Is this a sign that Clinton's people simply don't want to take the risk of losing those votes, or a long-awaited expression of moral certitude? Let's hope it's the latter and that our Democratic Congress takes the hint.

http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2007/10/5688_the_new_york_ti_2.html?src=email&link=hed_20071008_bl3_GOP%20Tries%20to%20Steal%20Election%3B%20Dems%20Do%20Something

[wyldwolf]

1. The Clinton campaign has poured countless resources into California

Because of the early primaries, they believe California is a momentum builder in the early states. They simply were not going to let this one get away.

[comtec]

2. Old news

thankfully the initiative died on the table because of "infighting"

[gratuitous]

3. But still good news

I see nothing wrong with celebrating a victory, and rubbing a few Republican snouts in it wouldn't hurt my feelings a bit.

[Bitwit1234]

4. So this newspaper is giving an underhanded attack on Hillary

For your information this has been all over the news for the last month or so now. It was brought to the publics attention. They are the ones who were up in arms about it.

The proposal was set up by one of Rudi G.'s supporters. The only thing Hillary had to do with this is she was a connection at one time to the guy who launched a campaign to squash this election grabbing ploy by rudi.

Goodness some people just can't help themselves to try to blame Hillary for everything but hurricanes, and if they could figure out how to do that they would.

[Hawaii Hiker]

5. This was a terrible & partsian initiative which Republicans attempted to pass in California

I'm not worried as to the exact motivation as to "WHY" Chris Lehane (and others) fought this initiative so hard....Had this initiative passed in California & NO other states, Demcorats would certainly have lost in 2008....If Democrats tried a similar stunt in Texas or Ohio, Republicans would have fought it mightily as well....

So I say congratulations to Chris Lehane for helping stop a purely partsian initiative..:woohoo: :woohoo: