Republican official on TN NPR this am: "... maybe we'll steal a few ..."

[Fly by night]

This morning, there was a locally produced segment on our public radio station (WPLN - Nashville) discussing the upcoming elections. A local Republican Party official (whose name I did not catch) was asked by the reporter how the GOPsters are planning for the fall elections, given how unpopular the Smirking Chimp is in Tennessee and across the nation.

His response: "Well, we certainly are going to have to play defense in most of our state races, and we'll probably STEAL A FEW....(!!)"

Lordy, I almost passed out. I'm so unaccustomed to bald-faced honesty from any spokesman for the "faith-based voting" party. But before I lost consciousness, I sent a quick email to the TN Democratic Party suggesting that they get the tape of the interview and play it prominently whenever and wherever the sanctity of our elections here in the Volunteer State is discussed.

Of course, we have been "Diebolded" statewide, have had a plethora of e-voting problems in the primary, and have heard ever since that "there's nothing to see here, just move along" from our State Election Coordinator (who is the only state official on the board of Doug Lewis' Election Center.)

If I can find a link to the text of this interview, I will post it on this thread. Here in the Volunteer State, this quote ranks up there with Rep. King's 2003 quote (regarding the 2004 election): "The election's over, we've already won. Because we're the ones who are counting the votes."

Peace out.

BOP# 16502-075

[Botany]

1. Tom DeLay 1/6/05

"So what do these people think that Karl Rove was in the White House Basement
with a couple of computers flipping votes."

On certifying the 2004 presidential election.

Once and a while they let the truth get out.

[Kip Humphrey]

11. It wasn't in the basement. It was in the Oval Office.

[Botany]

12. It looked like this

[Fly by night]

2. Here's the transcript

WPLN News Reports: Tennessee Battleground for Legislature Elections, by Nathan T. Baker

The National Conference of State Legislatures labels Tennessee as one of the top ten battleground states for legislative elections in November.

The NCSL calls the state’s Republican controlled Senate and Democratic controlled House within “striking distance for the minority party.”

Alex Johnson directs the Republican Legislative Campaign Committee. He says he doesn’t expect his party to overtake Democrats in the Tennessee House, but he does think they’ll keep control in the Senate.

His Democratic Legislative counterpart Michael Davies is more optimistic about his party’s chances in the Senate calling it “a true coin toss.”

“I think that there are enough vulnerable Republicans that Democrats could take the Tennessee State Senate and I think that the national environment gives our incumbents an advantage that they haven’t had in past years.”

In a panel discussion today, Johnson conceded that the Republican party is at a disadvantage in legislative elections across the nation this November because of the President’s low approval rating and the trend of voting against the incumbent party.

“Some years you play offense, and some years you play defense, and I think this is a year, we play a little defense, and WE LOOK TO STEAL A FEW, I mean that I think THAT IS OUR STRATEGY GOING IN and it’s not that I’m pessimistic, it’s just I realize there are historical trends working against us and we have to DO OUR BEST to buttress those.”

Johnson says despite these factors working against Republicans, there are still plenty of “Democratic legislatures ‘in play’ for REPUBLICAN TAKE OVER.” (Emphasis mine, uncharacteristic honesty courtesy of Mr. Johnson).

[journalist3072]

5. Why am I not surprised by that statement?

It reminds me of how Rep. Peter King (R-NY) was on Alexandra Pelosi's 2004 campaign documentary. He was speaking about the 2004 election (which had not happened yet), and he said "It's all over but the counting, and we'll take care of the counting."

Anyways, do you have a link to the transcript of Alex Johnson's comments?

[Kagemusha]

3. UGH. You've never heard of stealing a victory in Basketball?

Slap yourself. Toss some cold water onto your face. He meant pull races out at the last minute. I find it very hard to believe he meant to say - despite a pretty unbelievably poor choice of words in context of people like you out there - that the Republicans were going to steal elections through fraud and criminal acts.

[Lindacooks]

4. Where's the sarcasm tag?

Are you serious? Of course repukes steal elections - the most famous was Bush v. Gore in 2000. Remember?

[Kagemusha]

6. I don't care, not the point. He surely meant steal in a sports sense.

Not in a grand theft election sense.

Whether you believe "they steal elections" or not isn't, frankly, relevant, because this statement is hardly proof that they're admitting to such a thing in public.

[Fly by night]

7. I don't know what he meant, only what he said.

Freudian slips occur, and this looked like one to me. We could probably fill this thread with similar comments (and the references to King and Delay have given us a good start.)

Your pseudonym is a new one for me, so I'll just assume that you are not more privy to what the speaker meant than I am. But I am here because I know that Rethugligans steal elections and I've been around a while to learn how they do it. (Other folks here can vouch for me on that score.)

Where have you been since the day after the election of 2004? As for me, I've been here, I've been in front of my state legislature, in front of my State Election Commission and a few other places, working for election reform. So, once again, I don't know what the young Rethug meant -- but I do know what he said. And occasionally, the truth comes out, whether it is meant to or not.

Of course, as hot and sticky as it is here in Tennessee today, a cold splash of water sounds good (though you may not have meant it that way).

[Kagemusha]

10. Seriously, it's new to you?

Well, then it's just unfortunate you haven't heard of it. Might've saved you some heartburn and high blood pressure. And frankly, I think I did mean the cold water part in a way that's so close as to be indistinguishable...

Nonetheless, "steal" as meaning "snatching victory from the jaws of defeat" is not only not new but common in sports circles. I felt people should know before buying into this as admission of criminality.

[Lindacooks]

8. Whatever.

[msongs]

9. that is not what he said...words have meaning ya know.

the words are clear. he did not mention basketball. nor did he mention calling you and personally telling you what his true feelings and meanings are. but if it suits your personal needs, go ahead and believe what you want despite the actual words that were used.

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

[freedomfries]

13. Good catch Fly by Night!

A freudian slip all right this is. Here and there bits and pieces of the ugly truth escape.
This transcript needs to get around!

[w4rma]

15. Are you a psychic? Are you a mindreader, Kagemusha?

You sure are an apologist.

[Kagemusha]

16. I hate seeing language misread to fit preconceived notions.

You and the last replier being so upset that I won't assume he meant stealing elections unless I have absolute proof that he meant otherwise.. you don't see the slightest bit wrong with that? The original poster was talking about spreading this around for political purposes. It's one thing if it's playing gotcha with someone who should've known better. It's another to believe your own propaganda and assume he meant the worst possible reading of his words rather than a blindingly simple and common alternative.

Think of it as tough love. I'm giving fair warning because conservatives will shout loudly that he meant it the other way that I mention above and that it's just those nutty liberals reading into it what they want to see. There is no benefit to trying to thrust this into the face of moderates and go, "See! See! They're stealing elections, they even ADMIT IT on tv!" and then have them hear the alternate explanation later and just shake their heads at those fringe fanatics.

That's being an apologist? Look, what the guy said doesn't change the # of elections stolen or not stolen by a single digit. Focusing on what he said may make you feel better, but that's the only benefit anyone will accrue from this. I certainly will get none either way.

[w4rma]

17. "Absolute proof"

You aren't going to get your "absolute proof". And there is no proof supporting your assumption that he didn't wasn't refering to stealing the election. They already have stolen the previous two Presidential elections. And elections systems in both Georgia and Florida (note that exit polls for the states in question had Democrats winning) have been totally switched over to unverifiable, no paper ballots, easily hackable, easily controllable, Windows-running, non-secured voting tallying machines.

So how about this? You find for me some "absolute proof" that he didn't mean steal in the thievery sense when he said it and then if your proof is "absolute" enough, maybe I'll believe you.

[Kagemusha]

18. Ugh that's exactly what I mean. You want absolute proof

and there isn't any. But if I don't have it, I'm the villain. And you therefore get to tar me with demanding absolute proof.

This isn't gonna help anyone. But I'm tired of replying to this thread every 4 hours. I'm giving it a rest.

Edit: And where the hell did you read me demanding absolute proof from YOU? I said, I was having it demanded from me. So you um, said I was asking for it from you, and then you demanded it from me. ...

You have a habit of seeing what you want to see, I guess. Your life.

[w4rma]

19. No, that remark by me was sarcastic.

The proof I want is *any* proof that the voting system, particlularly in Florida, Georgia and Ohio are secure from fraud.

[Kagemusha]

20. Unfortunately that has zero to do with the original topic here.

...At any rate, I hope elections are as non-fraudulent as possible, but the only way to completely eliminate election fraud is not to have elections. US elections have hopefully compared well with many countries' problems over the last couple of centuries but, it's still had plenty in every era... I just hope for relative security. Not saying that's what everyone gets.

[w4rma]

21. Oh, now you change the subject.

There is nothing more relavent to what he said than the situation with the unverifiable voting equipment that has been installed all around the country.

[Kagemusha]

25. Subject was what he said and if it meant what it sounded like.

Having corrected that, it's into the next day and I'm not seeking to continue this further.

[Fly by night]

26. Buh-bye.

[IndyOp]

14. I am sure he was just kidding.

Really. I am.

Really.

I am.

[demodonkey]

24. They are ALWAYS "kidding" when they say stuff like this.

See Peter King "...it's all over but the counting, and we'll take care of the counting..." HERE:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7WmC4grXdIk&search=

Yup, they are ALWAYS "kidding" when they say stuff like this.

[Fly by night]

22. Thanks for all the replies. It's good that I don't have ...

... much access to the internets these days, or I might have been tempted to debate our singular nay-sayer over "he said ..., no he didn't ..." last night. Sometimes it's not just what you say but the fact that you're the only one saying it that says a lot about you. Again, since the pseudonym is a new one for me, it's unclear just how (and why) that poster ended up here at the ER forum. I would love to see just how much time it took that person to rack up 1,000 posts on DU, but then that would be giving the naysayer more energy than is necessary.

We know Rethugs steal elections, we know they are proud of it, we even know that Rethugs pay people to surf the 'net in an effort to counteract the "reality-based" community and our growing awareness of who (what) they are. But it's all good, particularly since the electorate is about to spit that foul-tasting backwash into the toilet. Peace out.

[demodonkey]

23. Recommendation #10 -- Ye Gods, what is going on in the country.

Here in PA we have a Dem governor (Rendell) who is still going around saying "conspiracy theory" about election integrity while his Philadelphia democrats hang on to the ancient, paperless Danaher 1242 and did their best to get it into MORE Pennsylvania counties under HAVA.

WAKE. UP. DEMOCRATS.

[stubtoe]

27. People get addle-headed when they're desperate

and the truth occasionally slips. They've probably been saying "steal a few" among each other now for YEARS!

[4_TN_TITANS]

28. I heard it too

and had to pick my jaw up out of my lap. Definitely some brutal honesty there.....

[autorank]

29. His "Freudian slips" are showing...

Great to see you:hi: