WASHINGTON confident of GREGOIRE RECOUNT going forward

[Straight Shooter]

I just called the Washington State Democratic Central Committee at 206-583-0664 and the woman I spoke with informed me that, as it stands now, the only thing that will prevent a recount is if the world ends today.

She was very confident of the recount going forward, but stresses that funds are still needed because as this moves forward, the final cost will be at least $1.5 million. In other words, they are sure they have the down payment, but not the total eventual cost.

Also, a big THANK YOU to Air America, which she mentioned that they were receiving a very positive response from Air America's efforts.

There you have it. Contributions are still needed and very welcome, but if you're tapped out, hold off until you have more funds and can afford it a bit better. I'm going to guess that we'll be needed to contribute to the Ohio effort soon, too.

[sabra]

1. Excellent!

Today is a good day. Thanks for the update!

[Chili]

2. thank you Straight Shooter

AAR has been pushing it all morning - now we know how badly we've needed them.

[Straight Shooter]

4. You're welcome, and thank YOU

and everybody else on DU and across America.

:toast:

[4_Legs_Good]

3. did MoveOn make the $250,000 yesterday they wanted to contribute?

I hope so!

Let's get that recount going!

david

[montanacowboy]

5. Why don't they approach George Soros

for the remainder of the money?

[IAMREALITY]

6. Great News! Thank You n/t

[Straight Shooter]

7. Kick because people are missing this thread

This is good news, and there are still threads on fire about them needing money right now. We can relax (a little bit).

Thank you again to everyone who contributed and got involved.

[googly]

8. I just saw Gregoire on local TV news saying she wants all counties

to recount or else she will concede at 5pm today. She does not want a partial recount. A full recount will not happen unless there is $750,000 upfront deposit before end of day. And they are short $200,000 or so.

[BlueCaliDem]

9. JFK Donated $250,000 Yesterday...Surely...

...there are others out there contributing as we speak!

I was only able to donate a pittance to the WA Recount, but there are enough millionairs out there who can help, I believe, and they will.

[Casablanca]

10. That's what she said last night also. Kick.

It's beginning to sound like there might be some dissent between Berendt and Gregoire about how far to go in the recount. It's possible that Gregoire might concede if the statewide recount funds aren't raised while the WA Democrats go ahead with a partial recount of King County. Or maybe she'll change her mind and hold out a bit longer.

Also a big thank you from this Washingtonian to everyone who has contributed along with me. This isn't the time of year that anyone has a lot of money left over (unless you're a 5 percenter), so the sacrifices you've made to keep another Bushhead (and yes, Rossi's dog is named after the Frat Boy-in-Thief) out of office is VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!

[uppityperson]

11. Article link here. Gregoire vs Wa democrats

Please keep sending money.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002108084_gregoire03m.html

OLYMPIA — Democrat Christine Gregoire says she will concede the governor's race to Dino Rossi today unless her party raises enough money for a statewide recount.

"I'm done with the shock of Nov. 2 and I have moved on, and I am ready to do what the law provides" and have a final statewide manual recount, Gregoire said yesterday. But the party says it'll do what it wants.

Democratic Party Chairman Paul Berendt said he will request a recount in only a few selected counties if that's all the party has money to pay for when the 5 p.m. deadline hits today. He said Gregoire can concede the race to Rossi, a Republican, if she wants.

[Casablanca]

12. So is Gregoire going to unconcede if a partial recount goes her way?

Man, she's got to stop worrying about form and start thinking about what the stakes are in this election. Same as for Kerry.

I'm still banking on the possibility that she'll change her mind and hold out a little while longer. There's a lot of pressure on her at this point, but she's fighting for a lot more than just herself.

Buck up, Chris.

[uppityperson]

13. I know, what is it with conceding rather than taking the time

Repeat over and over and over-Accuracy is important, not speed. So what if we don't know for a while. So what if we can't predict the future accurately. Get over it, get on with life, count the votes and see what happens when they are ALL counted. As bush said "we are a patient people". That last was meant as sarcasm, but you know what I mean?

[Casablanca]

15. Agreed, but accuracy shouldn't be a matter of money.

But since it clearly is in our screwed-up banana republic election system, I still say that Gregoire needs to stand up for any kind of recount that has the possibility of getting her the governorship. There's no doubt that Rossi will be part and parcel of the systematic hacking of every future election in WA state, and Gregoire as governor can do a lot to prevent that.

It's not enough to just have the legislature, not with the corporatists "drown government in a bathtub" Repub agenda. WA Dems *have* to keep spiking them, and spiking them, and spiking them - no matter how many times it takes.

If Repub have no regard for government, they have no place in it. And we know Rossi wouldn't concede under than same circumstances, so why the hell should Gregoire?

[WebeBlue]

22. Another Washingtonian expressing gratitude.

My heartfelt thanks for all the help to save our beautiful treasure state. I've posted to about 3 threads on this and I know DUers contributed actual $$, which makes me tearful and weepy. I've been up till the wee hours of the morning, and few hours of sleep and back at it watching for the recount. Got this email this morning, sharing it here.

Dear MoveOn member,

As you have probably heard, a hand recount of the Washington governor's race, where conservative Republican Dino Rossi leads Democrat Christine Gregoire by only 42 votes, is very likely. With such a tiny difference separating the candidates, the recount is an important step to make sure every vote is counted.

The recount will proceed separately in each of Washington's 39 counties, and in order to ensure the counting is fair, the state Democratic Party plans to have volunteers supervise the counting. That will require several volunteers in each county all day for a number of days, and Gregoire's campaign has asked MoveOn PAC for help.

Can you offer a couple hours, a full day, or even several days to help protect democracy in Washington and make sure the final count is fair and accurate? If so, click here to sign up for a training near you this weekend:

http://www.moveonpac.org/lnvb/recount/wa.html

Even if you can't attend a weekend training you can still sign up and the campaign will get in touch with you.

If you made a contribution to the recount effort, you deserve extra thanks. Your contribution yesterday not only helped us hit our goal of at least $250,000 to contribute to the Washington State recount but helped give the state Party resources that we hope will enable them to proceed with the recount. Christine Gregoire's campaign asked us to express their gratitude to you and other MoveOn members for doing our part to make it more likely that all the ballots will be counted fairly.

The recount process will be determined by the Secretary of State as well as county officials. If it proceeds it is likely to start this coming Wednesday, with counting beginning at 8 AM each day and lasting until 8 PM, though it may vary by county. Smaller counties will finish within a few days, while large counties will likely continue until the 20th.

The trainings this weekend will provide further details as well as instruction on how to monitor the counting, but it's not that difficult: you'll just watch as officials count the ballots to make sure the agreed-upon procedures are followed correctly.

If you can help organize other volunteers, for example, by making sure a whole day's worth of shifts are filled in one county, you can also indicate that when you sign up.

We'll pass your name and contact information to the Gregoire campaign and the Washington Democratic Party if you sign up, so they can give you more information on what to do next. Technically, you will act as their official representative when you observe the counting.

You may not know your schedule exactly, but if you think you may be able to help, sign up now:

http://www.moveonpac.org/lnvb/recount/wa.html

Thank you very much. Sincerely,

--Adam Ruben
MoveOn PAC
December 3, 2004

PAID FOR BY MOVEON PAC www.moveonpac.org
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

[KatieB]

14. Thanks

[shakerbaker]

16. Gregoire-2pm pst Press Conference scheduled

according to KING 5 to presumably announce their demand for a hand recount. You GO Girl!

[Straight Shooter]

17. Thanks for the update. Please re-post after her press conference.

I truly wish that those involved within the organization who are coordinating this "fight to the finish" recount would update their web site. It would make it much easier for those of us on the "outside" to keep up with what is going on.

https://www.wa-democrats.org/site/index.php

"Numerous problems exist with the current count including thousands of uncounted ballots, differences in how counties counted ballots, reporting mistakes, and questions about ‘discovered’ ballots. To count these votes properly we need your help.

Help us count every vote.

We want to do a full state wide hand count, but we need to raise $750,000 as soon as possible. Your contribution is crucial to this effort."

It seems to me from my earlier conversation they have the money for a state wide hand count. So why would there be any question about it now? This is NOT directed to DU'ers, just a rhetorical to those responsible for the recount campaign.

[JD Lau]

18. Kick. Maybe a link to the other discussion?

[shakerbaker]

20. I will if I can

I have to leave for work by 2:15pm. Hopefully it will be on time.

[Straight Shooter]

21. Here's another ongoing DU discussion, originally posted by Casablanca

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x107477

I hope this is what you mean by "link to the other discussion." I've only had one conversation with the Washington office. Definitely looking forward to info on her PC today. Surely she must be energized and encouraged by everyone donating :)

[Lil]

19. Great news. Thanks for the info! n/t

[googly]

23. Gregoire has very good reason for a full recount--->

If a partial recount is requested (since there are not enough funds to
pay for a full recount) and if Rossi wins that partial recount, then
THERE IS NO MORE RECOURSE FOR MORE RECOUNTS. On the other hand if the
partial recount flips the election to Gregoire, then state of
WASHINGTON TAX PAYERS WILL BE PAYING the bill for a FULL RECOUNT. I am
assuming that bill will be only for the additional counties not
included in the initial request.

So you all can see why Gregoire is holding firm for a FULL recount.