Use of the phrase "conspiracy theorists" in the House Debate >

[Stephanie]

Ms. PRYCE of Ohio.

But apparently some Democrats only want to gripe about counts, recounts, and recounts of recounts. So eager are they to abandon their job as public servants, they have cast themselves in the role of Michael Moore, concocting wild conspiracy theories to distract the American public. Such aspiring fantasy authors should note the facts before they let the ink dry on this tall tale.

Mr. Keller

Why are we here wasting time on silly Hollywood inspired conspiracy theories?

Why allow the conspiracy theorists to undermine the public confidence in the electoral system itself?

Mr. NEY.

For those thinking Mr. Anthony must be a part of this conspiracy, I would point out that in addition to his position on the elections board, Mr. Anthony serves as chairman of the Franklin County Democrat Party. He said that he is offended by accusations from a band of conspiracy theorists.

Ms. PELOSI.

So, Mr. Speaker, I say to my colleagues, please do not talk about this as a ``conspiracy theory.'' It is not about that. It is not about conspiracy; it is about the Constitution of the United States. George Bush and Dick Cheney are the elected President and Vice President of the United States, and I think the objection will be overruled today in that regard. It has never been about that. It has always been about the fundamental principle of the legitimacy of our electoral process.

Mr. REYNOLDS.

Mr. Speaker, President Bush won more votes than any candidate in America's history. His opponent conceded that victory long ago. The Ohio results have been certified, and one of that State's newspapers, the Dayton Daily News, reported last month that those advancing the wild-eyed conspiracy theories surrounding Ohio's electorate votes are ``speaking nonsense.''

Ms. ESHOO.

We know that elections are not perfect, but no American should be castigated for raising questions or concerns when valid voting problems arise. Only open debate on this issue will solve these problems; only accurate information will quell rumors and conspiracy theories that question our country's sacred democratic tradition.

Mr. HOLT.

Mr. Speaker, this debate is not frivolous. This is not about sour grapes. This is not about conspiracy theories. This is about the central act of democracy.

Mr. TIBERI.

In fact, Franklin County Board of Elections Chairman William Anthony has gone so far as to label those making these wild charges ``a band of conspiracy theorists.'' By the way, Anthony is also head of the Franklin County Democratic Party. I know him personally, as I do others who serve on the boards of elections in the three counties I represent.

[judy]

1. Interesting post...

Who is the one who said that actually written on the original complaint is "Rove manipulating numbers at his computer"?? Is there a transcript of this part of the session ? That was unbelievable! I don't believe ANY of the challengers from Conyers to Tubbs Jones EVER said anything ressembling this...

I am struck by the fact that only the Republicans are talking conspiracy (similarly to Smirk's comments on the Ohio court case), and that their attitude always makes them look guilty...Why would this woman mention Rove, and lie about what the written challenge said unless someone mentioned it to her???

Wonders never cease...

[genieroze]

5. Guilty conscience?

[Stephanie]

12. Thanks for reminding me! Quite an amazing claim by Miller of Michigan>

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, the American people must be watching this debate and literally shaking their heads. With all of the challenges facing our Nation we are spending our time debating the challenge to the validity of the Presidential election simply because the Democratic Party cannot accept the fact that their candidate lost this election. They cannot accept the fact that their agenda, that their vision for America has been rejected by the majority of Americans. They cannot accept the fact that President George W. Bush simply received more votes than Senator John Kerry.

This election was very hard fought on both sides. The American people have accepted the fact that it is over and they want this Congress to get to work and to work in a bipartisan way.

If this is a minority party's idea of bipartisanship, then let the people of our Nation see it for what it is. Because in the spirit of bipartisanship, the Democrats are asking us to overturn the Presidential election which President Bush won by over 3 million votes nationwide and by over 118,000 votes in the State of Ohio.

In the spirit of bipartisanship they say that somehow Karl Rove was manipulating votes from a secret computer in the White House and that somehow these secret computers were changing the votes on punch cards and optical scan sheets that record actual votes. This language is in their challenge.

How interesting, however, that their challenge as it talks about conspiracies in the State of Ohio, making allegations that have no basis of fact, their challenge is silent about an incident in Ohio where fraudulent voter registration forms were being submitted and the worker who collected them was paid in crack cocaine.

How interesting that their challenge does not mention the Democratic group ACORN which submitted vote registrations for dead people that used 25 different addresses for the same individual.

Mr. Speaker, before I came to Congress I served very proudly for 8 years as the Michigan Secretary of State where my principal responsibility was serving as the chief election officer. So I feel I have a little bit of background to make some observations about the election process. In fact, Michigan is recognized as a national leader on elections. We constructed the first statewide computerized voter registration list which precludes the possibility of anybody having more than one address or registering more than once.

In fact, I might add, I was very proud in my former capacity to receive the highest grade in the Nation of Secretaries of State for voter election reforms and that grade was given to me by the NAACP.

We are all committed to free and fair elections. We all want to make sure that every single vote is counted, that no different voter is disenfranchised.

I do remember clearly, however, how distressed I was in my former capacity to have to threaten the Detroit City Clerk, a Democrat, with court action if she did not comply with our State election law to make sure that every vote is counted, particularly minority votes. However, my dismay at seeing that none of the Members of the United States Congress here ever spoke out to protect the rights of their own constituents to be heard at the ballot box. There was no outrage. There was no indignation. And yet today we hear outrage based on fantasies and conspiracies.

Mr. Speaker, let me say that I am sincerely interested in undertaking the important work of the American people in truly a bipartisan manner. So I would ask that we might be spared from selective outrage, that we might be spared from the righteous indignation based on fantasy.

Mr. Speaker, the challenges to those votes in Ohio are turkeys. I think those turkeys should be given to someone else.

Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Turner).

[RaleighNCDUer]

2. speaking of conspiracy theories --

did you notice how nobody in the senate mentioned ESS or Diebold? Not a single one.

It was mentioned in the House debates, a few times. Made my heart glad.

[Junkdrawer]

4. Even more interesting in that only a few Republican Senators...

deigned to speak...

[kuozzman]

3. Is the full text of the "debate" available anywhere?

[Stephanie]

6. put in your search terms here

http://thomas.loc.gov/home/r109query.html

the full "debate" is there

[Zan_of_Texas]

10. I heard 3 Rs brandish about

the unanimity of Ohio's major newspaper editorial pages in wanting this over with and disagreeing with the challenge.

[mod mom]

7. I wonder if Jon Stewart will show clips of them repeating C T

conspiracy theorists...conspiracy theorists...conspiracy theorists

[mousie]

8. it really disgusted me

to hear the repubs saying "conspiracy theorists"... I mean, how can they possibly say that given ALL the documented problems and evidence?! Repubs really disgust me these days. Have they NO SHAME?!

[msongs]

11. they have NO shame or morals either, as in

what elections would Jesus steal thru election fraud? answer = all of the elections.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/political-shirts.htm

[mousie]

14. yep... amazing...

seem to be the world's biggest hypocrites, and they just don't get it? (or are they just playing dumb??)

[Amigust]

29. How can you say they have no morals? They have the

evangelicals wrapped around them like a fur coat.

[Amigust]

26. It's part of their successful non-stop propaganda machine. n/t

[Number_6]

9. old enough for Warren Commission?

I find it an interesting Rethug talking-point sound bite too. Seems people started using "conspiracy theory" in a derisive way after some were doubting the official explanation of the JFK assassination. The irony being of course that the more you look at the JFK thing, the more it seems the official explanation's a little preposterous. The Rethugs seem to want to preempt any logical thought (as usual) by painting the very thought of Election 2004 mischief as requiring tin foil beanie. As explained in another thread a while ago, by the way, "conspiracy" has a legal definition...more than one individual plotting a crime. More evidence I've seen that a conspiracy occurred in Ohio and other states than that it didn't.

[Zan_of_Texas]

13. Yup.

Enron was a conspiracy fact. The legal indictments even use the term conspiracy. Mid-level people have already pled guilty to the conspiracy. It is a fact.

The tobacco thing was a conspiracy fact -- 50 years of trying to keep the health dangers of tobacco a secret, and using fake science to prop up tobacco.

The Catholic priest abuse scandal was a conspiracy fact -- not only hundreds or thousands of cases of abuse over 50 years, but a conspiracy of those higher up the chain of authority to cover it up.

Once exposed, though, the press calls it a "scandal" or "corruption." Never admits that a conspiracy exists.

Unfortunately, the biggest evils of our times are not perpetrated by lone criminals but by people acting in concert -- aka a conspiracy.

[Stephanie]

15. Conspiracy facts!

Yup!

We need a quick retort though. The refrain is getting tedious.

[Zan_of_Texas]

23. Some conspiracy theories just need investigation.

Some conspiracy theories just need the evidence to be preserved (which the judge in Ohio refused to do!).

Some conspiracy theories are just plain wrong, and cost 101,300 people their lives -- for instance, the biggest wrong conspiracy theory going is that Saddam conspired with those who attacked the US on September 11th.

[spooked911]

16. I think a conpsiracy theory is that Bush really won fair and square

given all that we know now.

[Time for change]

17. I'm a conspiracy theorist!!

A conspiracy theorist is someone who believes that sometimes conspriracies occur and sometimes those conspiracies are mounted by powerful people who are attempting to gain more power in crooked ways.

I am proud to be a conspiracy theorist, and I think that anyone who thinks that there is something wrong with us because we're conspiracy theorists needs to get a grip on reality!

[JoMama49]

18. This is one of their "sound bites" that they know works to

make their opposition look like lunatics and crazies. We have to come up with some of our own. How about "the party of greed, money, death and destruction" (Mike Malloy just said that), but we really need to come up with our own key phrases for dismantling their rhetoric. Any suggestions?

[Time for change]

27. I say screw them

They've made liberal into a bad word. They've made conspiracy theorist into a bad word. Everything we are they try to make into a bad word. There is nothing wrong with thinking that conspiracies sometimes happen. Anybody who doesn't think so is a brainless idiot.
So that's the phrase we can use, "brainless idiot". I'm happy to let them call me a conspiracy theorist because that's what I am, and they ought to be happy to be called a brainless idiot, for the same reason.

[Bill MI]

19. Don't get mad, get LOUD!!!

We need to flood the Judiciary Repuglicans with e-mails, letters, and phone calls in order to get them to understand how important this is. They MUST hold FULL investigations with subpeona powers.

<http://judiciary.house.gov/contact.aspx>

The idiots have megaphones, but we have numbers!

The Senate Democrats were cowed, this time by their constituents, into doing what they should have done in 2000. We can't stop now. The Fight has only begun!

[Stephanie]

20. a bot?

[Bill MI]

22. No just busy

[Blue State Blues]

21. Oooooh! Keller gets extra points!

the Hollywood reference in the same breath as "conspiracy theories."

Too bad he didn't go for a triple word score with a reference to moral values or terrorism.

[rumpel]

24. Why is conspiracy theory a bad word? Ours is based on truth,

let's put the facts behind it,and make it a hip word.

[Time for change]

28. I agree entirely

See my posts 17 and 27.

[mdb]

25. Prove it's a conspiracy theory. Go ahead congress. Investigate this!

Investigate the machines that don't tell anyone if you voted. Investigate the reports of electronic voting machines not voting properly. Investigate a system where software is kept secret with no paper trail. Since this is an inappropriate practice that could result in serious fraud, investigate this then!