Allegations surrounding Ohio in 2004
At the Ohio press conference yesterday, the former McCain adviser said Michael Connell, of the Republican Internet development firm New Media Communications, had designed a system that made possible the real-time "tuning" of election tabulators once Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell had outsourced the hosting of vote counting on the same server which hosted GOP campaign IT systems. He said he didn’t believe Connell was behind the alleged fraud, but that he should be considered a key witness.
Spoonamore also confirmed he’s working with Connell on overseas election issues and that Connell is now working as John McCain’s IT developer.
Connell has a long history with the Republican Party’s IT infrastructure. In 2001, for example, he set up MajorityWhip.gov for then House Majority Whip Tom DeLay. He also helped built georgewbush.com, as well as the Ohio GOP site Spoonamore referenced.
Sources close to Spoonamore said he was very concerned that he would lose his contracts as a result of coming forward and would take a "large financial hit." These sources added that, despite his concerns, Spoonamore felt obligated to reveal what he knows to the public. "He felt he had no choice as an American citizen but to come forward, and he also knows the likely consequences of him doing so," one source said.
An audio file of the press conference is available here:
http://www.rawstory.com/OhioPressConference/ohiopressconference7-17.mp3http://www.roguegovernment.com/news.php?id=10777Is Technology Driving Us Towards The "Borderless" Election?
In 2004, The Guardian asked its readers in the U.K. to write letters to American voters in Clark County, Ohio, voicing their opinions about the presidential election. All of it was documented online, and American voters spoke back. Fast forward four years, online media, particularly citizen media, has grown, and political opinions are increasingly shared in a matter of seconds across national boundaries. How will this affect the way Americans vote in 2008 and later? How will it shape electioneering and politicking in the United States and the rest of the world?
Chair: Phil Noble - Founder, PoliticsOnline
Phil Noble is one of the top experts in the US and internationally on the use of the Internet in the civic sector – media, politics, governments and non-profits.
Noble is the founder of PoliticsOnline and its affiliated company Phil Noble & Associates, an international public affairs consulting firm. PoliticsOnline is responsible for over a dozen major global innovations and industry first. They have developed major e-democracy and interactive projects for such clients as the BBC, European Union, United Nations, Amnesty International, and numerous political parties, NGOs, media companies and corporations.
Noble is a veteran of over 350 political campaigns and public affairs projects in 40 states and 35 countries and he has worked to elect the head of state in 15 countries. He and his companies have received numerous awards and recognitions for their work in the US and internationally.
Mike Connell - President of New Media Communications
Mike Connell is president of New Media Communications and a partner in the online advertising firm Connell Donatelli Inc. Mike is recognized internationally as a pioneer in the field of online politics. His clients include the Republican National Committee, John McCain 2008, the Bush-Cheney campaigns of 2000 and 2004, the National Rifle Association, USAID, Newt Gingrich’s American Solutions and a number of statewide campaigns. Connell advises international leaders and provides online strategy to help emerging democracies around the globe.Paul DeGregorio, Chief Operating Officer – Everyone Counts, Inc
Paul DeGregorio has spent his professional career focused on the promotion of democracy and the use of innovative technology in the field of elections worldwide. As COO of Everyone Counts, DeGregorio is a strong advocate of the use of the internet in the election process, particularly secure online voting programs that can especially empower remote and disabled voters in public and private sector elections. In 2007, open-sourced-based Everyone Counts achieved significant online voting success in British and Australian public elections, and in February 2008 provided the technology that allowed US Democrats living abroad the opportunity to vote in a binding online presidential primary that elected delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
Prior to joining Everyone Counts as COO, DeGregorio served as a Commissioner with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) from 2003-2007, including terms as chairman and vice-chairman. As the chief election official of the United States he helped to distribute $3 billion dollars to the states to implement the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), and was also responsible for establishing some of the EAC’s first voting system guidelines and best practices.
DeGregorio has provided his technical expertise in elections to over 25 nations. From 1993-2003 DeGregorio served as a technical consultant and then rose to become Executive Vice President and COO of the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), a non-profit organization that has been fostering democracy and the rule of law worldwide since 1987. He has also conducted considerable work for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), including 2007 election assessments in Estonia, Ireland, Belgium and Switzerland.
Prior to his work with IFES, DeGregorio served as the Director of Elections for St. Louis County, Missouri, from 1985-1993.
DeGregorio has received numerous awards and citations, including the prestigious Freedom Award from the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) for his achievements in promoting democracy & freedom worldwide, and with lifetime memberships by the election officials’ organizations of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the International Association of Clerks, Recorders, Election Officials and Treasurers (IACREOT).
DeGregorio is a graduate of the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where he also served as Director of Outreach and currently is an advisor to the College of Arts & Sciences. He resides with his wife and family in St. Louis, Missouri.
http://polc.ipdi.org/Agenda/borderlesselection.htm2007 POLITICS ONLINE CONFERENCE: from March 2007
http://politicsonlineconference.blogspot.com/?widgetType=BlogArchive&widgetId=BlogArchive1&action=toggle&dir=close&toggle=MONTHLY-1172725200000&toggleopen=MONTHLY-1172725200000http://web.evote.com/?q=node/5175About Connell Donatelli Inc:
Connell Donatelli is a full service, online media and communication agency. That works with Republican and conservative firms around the nation and focus on three areas: Internet advertising, email communication, and advice and strategy. Connell Donatelli pioneered the use of email in a political context, and we continue to work with clients on email. Visit CDI at
http://www.connelldonatelli.com/.Patrick Ruffini:
Ruffini was Webmaster for the Bush-Cheney '04 presidential campaign, where he was responsible for day-to-day Web site operations, designing creatives to crisply communicate the President's message and developing special features surrounding major events like the Conventions and Presidential debates. Ruffini also designed and served as chief writer for the campaign's official blog and managed the campaign's outreach to the blog community.
Prior to arriving at the campaign, Ruffini maintained a political blog which launched in July 2001, back when such sites were still known as "me-zines." His commentary has appeared on Web sites ranging from National Review Online to FoxNews.com.
Ruffini graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 2000 with a B.A. in Diplomatic History and Political Science.
Mike Connell:
Mike Connell is president of New Media Communications and a partner in the online advertising firm Connell Donatelli Inc. Mike is recognized internationally as a pioneer in the field of online politics. His clients include the Republican National Committee, the Bush-Cheney campaigns of 2000 and 2004, the National Rifle Association, USAID, the Republican Governors Association and the National Federation of Independent Businesses. Connell advises international leaders and provides online strategy to help emerging democracies around the globe.
http://cache.zoominfo.com/CachedPage/?archive_id=0&page_id=-1877841516&page_url=%2f%2fwww.mobilemonday-dc.com%2f2007%2f01%2fjanuary_release_and_the_elepha.html&page_last_updated=5%2f20%2f2008+6%3a13%3a19+AM&firstName=Mike&lastName=ConnellMcCain hires New Media people: August 23, 2006 – 5:46 pm
The other day, ABP was telling us that McCain got the New Media. This was in response to my pointing out that a self-congratulatory Redstate writer thought McCain was going to get rolled by the blogosphere.
Well, and you are probably sick of hearing this, McCain announced some new hires today… Hotlineblog has the details:
Over the past several months, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has quietly recruited for his presidential campaign some of the most influential online strategists in the country, including one of the main architects of Howard Dean’s pioneering website.
John Weaver, McCain’s chief political strategist, confirmed today that Nicco Mele, the webmaster of Dean for America, is among those who have committed to help. Mele’s work on Dean’s campaign, which including , led Esquire to name him as one of the country’s “best and brightest.” His firm, EchoDitto, lists more than twenty major Democratic and liberal firms and candidates as clients. Mele did not respond to an e-mail seeking immediate comment.
Also committing, according to Weaver: Mike Connell of New Media Communications. He designed, developed and managed the Bush campaign’s websites in 2000 and 2004.
They also point out:
With the recruitment of Connell, the incipient McCain campaign has pulled off a coup of sorts. It has now attracted top talent from nearly every major division of the Bush-Cheney campaign.
http://www.eyeon08.com/tag/celebrity-staffThere is a lot more stuff out there but for now I need to take a break, and will be away for a little while. If you wish I could add more later. Just respond to this post and let me know.
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