However, the corporate media/corrupt county election officials, and, some say, Rove "dirty tricks" campaign against the previous reforming Calif Sec of State (Kevin Shelley) started just like this: with complaints in the corporate media, by these corrupt officials, about Shelley's reforms. Next it was, 'Shelley is corrupt'--entirely bogus charges, but enough to drive him out of office, because he had no money for lawyers (tells you something about Shelley) and he couldn't do his job. It is essentially the same gang--minus Connie McCormack (who resigned Dec 07). San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, and the election officials' prez and spokesman from Contra Costa--Steve Weir.
McCormack is gone, yeah. (So is Rove--at least from the White House.) And the political landscape is somewhat changed, due entirely to citizen activism (especially regarding Dem politicos any longer defending paperless voting--now they have to run for cover from the voters as much as from the e-voting corporations and their county shills).
But their latest moves clearly indicate that these county election officials and corporate vendors have not given up. They just sued Bowen! To prevent better audit rules! They're yammering in the media about the "slow" vote count. They may just be trying to cast blame away from themselves (richly deserved blame), but you've got to look at the recent history here, and the utter lack of shame of these people. A former Diebold salesperson now the head of elections in San Diego! I mean, jeez. Could the corruption get any more obvious?
Meanwhile, McCormack is whining against Bowen (and strategizing!) in the "Whittier Daily News," as follows:
"'It's hard enough when you have a support system that goes all the way to the state level. That's not what has been going on in California. It's just the opposite.'
"
McCormack's biggest complaint concerns Secretary of State Debra Bowen's decision to decertify several electronic voting systems.
"'There's no evidence of a problem,' McCormack said. 'Riverside has had 2,040 successful electronic elections with absolutely no attempt to rig the equipment. It's all theoretical. I just got sick of it.'
"The administration of elections should not be politicized, she said."'Unfortunately I think it has been by several secretaries of state in California and elsewhere now,' McCormack said. 'There's a perception been created that there are some people who think there is manipulation of the electoral process by election officials.'" (my emphasis) (MORE)
http://www.whittierdailynews.com/ci_8153626?source=rss Originally posted here (no. 7):
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x496612---------
Jee-suz! The shamelessness! Now, the people who want transparency (according to Zogy, 92% of Americans) are POLITICIZING the election process. McCormack corporatized it. And now that we want it un-corporatized--and returned to normal, transparent, honest, open elections--THAT's "political."
McCormack complains that she doesn't have the "support system" in Sacramento of Diebold shill, SoS Bruce McPherson (appointed by Schwarzenegger to replace the "swift-boated" Shelley) to secretize and corporatize our elections any more. And so she "got sick of it."
But neither Seiler in San Diego--who should be crawling off to a desert to do penance--nor McCormack, who should go with her--has gone away.
They're strategizing Bowen's demise, Featherman. Part of the strategy is to do a slowdown on voting results next Tuesday, and blame it on Bowen's reforms. And McCormack just told us the other part--that to be against Diebold and "trade secret" vote counting is to be PARTISAN.
It's no skin off her nose that Diebold's CEO was a Bush-Cheney campaign chair and major fundraiser, who promised in writing to "deliver Ohio's electoral votes to Bush-Cheney in 2004."
I swear, this is Rove talking. Whatever crimes
you are committing, get out there with an accusation of the same crime against someone else--to deflect attention, and to fuzz peoples' minds.
As I said, things have changed--somewhat. But the forces against transparent elections have big, big money, are extremely powerful and dangerous, and they think long-term. They knew there would be an election reform movement. Their fallback position is the optiscans. Whatever happens, they make money. And if the elections are just a little harder to rig--as they are now in Calif--well, that's just a challenge. They've made so many gains toward their fascist/corporate ends, they can afford patience. And they have so many ways to strike at honest officials. Using dishonest ones, like McCormack and Seiler is just one of them.
I think we'll win our country back, in the end. I don't think it's going to be easy. And we should take nothing for granted. I took Shelley for granted--that we had some election safety in Calif. Then the bad guys struck. And it was dizzying how quickly it happened. But, another lesson learned, in navigating our way out of BushWorld. This time, a lot of more people are watching, and are actively involved.
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