Call his Boston office. I just did. Got through. The person answering the phone said 'every phone in the place is busy'.

Here's the number:
(617) 565-8519 - Phone

My message: Tell the Senator that millions of Americans who supported him expect him to be one place and one place only at 1pm EST, 6 Jan 2005 and that is in the Joint Session of the 109th Congress. If he is not there he has done a tragic, perhaps fatal diservice to the American franchise of democracy and to all those who have given their lives defending it.

We will in_DEED prevail.

I just received an email from the Kerry campaign. It was a cop out. So, I responded:

Dear Senator Kerry,

If you do not stand up sit down. We are fed up with bad elections and even tho we voted for you and supported you with money, we will not support you again if you roll over and play dead.

[name]
>>

I mean it.

I called, emailed, and faxed Boxer, Feinstein, and several other Senators.

JOHN KERRY,IF YOU DO NOT STAND UP AND SUPPORT CONGRESSMAN JOHN CONYERS TOMORROW YOU CAN COUNT ON 1 LESS DEMOCRAT TO VOTE IN ANY FUTURE ELECTION....IT WAS BAD ENOUGH TO WATCH MY ELECTED SENATORS REFUSE TO SUPPORT A CHALLENGE IN 2000 TO DO IT AGAIN IS ALL I CAN STAND...I HOPE 10,000,000 OTHER DEMOCRATS FEEL AS I DO... BYE 4-EVER DEMOCRATIC PARTY...HELLO GREEN/OR ANY NEW PARTY.

Brad,

There is a typo "Yes, Senator. They will ignore it, and we thank your for giving them the opportunity to do so."

should be "Yes, Senator. They will ignore it, and we thank *YOU* for giving them the opportunity to do so.

Is anybody surprised? Kerry's elusive and aloof behavior has been the problem since day one. And, of course, he won't stand up tomorrow in Congress; how can he when he's on a 13-day "fact finding mission" in the Middle East! He's visiting heads of state in Jordan, Israel, Syria, Iraq and Palestine. Great timing!!! Support electoral reform on the other side of the planet, not here... Flip-flop-flip-flop...

I had a different take on the letter, I still think he's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. I kinda read between these particular lines:

"...Now let's use our power to make sure that at least one good thing comes from the voting rights problems of the 2004 election. If we want to force real action on election reform, we've got to demand that congressional leaders hold full hearings. Make sure they hear from you and help hold them accountable.

Speaker Dennis Hastert: 1-202-225-0600
Leader Bill Frist: 1-202-224-3135

...I want every vote counted because Americans have to know that the votes they stood in line for, fought for, and strived so hard to cast in an election, are counted..."

Thanks for the typo correction, Dredd (feel free to email 'em to me anytime!) and for the Boston number for Kerry's office, understandinglife. I'll update the item to include that information now.

To think we'd choose him again if he is unwilling to stand up and fight in the face of all the evidence is crazy. Democrats are not going to pick him again, and they're also not going to allow anyone to use his loser campaign manager. In football, when you don't win, you get fired. In politics, if you don't win, apparently you get chosen again, at least by the Democrats. Think again! We must hire winners, not losers.

The REAL John Kerry is visible today - out of the country and sending emails that obviously are meant to discourage any Senator from speaking out tomorrow.

Sorry, he was YOUR candidate. Next time pick somebody that can WIN and that stand with his principles!

Didn't Kerry say that on the first day of the 109th Congress, he would be there with a health care proposal? Oh, I guess he forgot.

Brad, little as I condone Kerry's newfound malfeasance (so much for 'every vote counts, every vote counted'), he's the guy who will be sitting in the Oval Office if this protest has any legs.

Whaddyagonnado?

-weez

In a way, I kind of feel sorry for all of you that are counting on your Democrat Senators tomorrow. I know what they will do, I know how let down you will be..........ok I'm over it.

This is the difference between the GOP and Democrats. We TRUST our candidates to do what they believe is RIGHT, not what is politically correct.

weezil: you are somewhat uninformed: IF a senator objects, there is a two hour or shorter debate, then a vote to discontinue debate and accept the electors. The vote will be to accept the electors for Bush. At best, you won a 5 minute speech time for any Senator that thinks he wants to get up and say anything. There is NOTHING that could happen tomorrow that would make Kerry President.

Me too James. Why waste my time come next elections. Gotta better things to do. I predicted Kerry will scoot and hide somewhere on Jan 6th. Not very surprising. Won't be surprised if all other Dem senators follow Kerry.

However, applaud Congressman Conyers a true Patriot!!!!

Kerry for President in 2008? What kind of hallucinogens is he on?

I've heard it said many times that "the quickest path to self-destruction in American politics is to be branded a sore loser. Look at Al Gore" ...

But I have not yet heard this said, so I'll say it here: An even quicker path to self-destruction is to be seen as a spineless quitter.

Al Gore still has considerable credibility, at least in my eyes. But John Kerry has none! None at all! Apologies to Peg and Miss Persistent and anyone else who still believes in him ... but in my opinion John Kerry should be leading the charge for electoral reform, not standing on the sidelines waving a pom-pom.

Two months ago he was regarded in some quarters as the most powerful Democrat in America. Now he's on the brink of oblivion. And he doesn't even seem to realize it.

This paragraph is especially shameful:

Despite widespread reports of irregularities, questionable practices by some election officials and instances of lawful voters being denied the right to vote, our legal teams on the ground have found no evidence that would change the outcome of the election.

Is it not clear yet? If Bush had a chance to win fair and square there would have been no need for any shenanigans! The challenge is about the shenanigans, not about 'evidence that would change the outcome'.

David Cobb for President!
Chuck Badnarik for Vice President!

To all my Bradblog friends:

After you get cold shouldered tomorrow by the Democrats; you are welcome to join us in the light of the GOP.

Come on over to where it is always sunny, people are warm & friendly, children are loved by their parents, the grass is always green, and life is good.

Remember, todays GOP is no more farther right than the JFK Democrat Party of your parents!

Come on over and enjoy life!

Brad, I have a special invitation out for you to join the GOP. Your parents would be proud!

Michael More has joined us.........

http://www.michaelmoore.com/

Why is the fake Attorney (Jim) so nervous? Seems like he has no clients to reprensent in Court. Wow a fake attorney who is also a republican. Nice resume!!

For once, I have to disagree with all you wonderful, heartbroken people on BradBlog. John Kerry is thinking of his standing on the floor of the Senate AS WELL as the issue at hand. As I stated before, if he entered the fray personally, HE would become the issue, NOT free, fair and transparent elections.

I agree that his letter was as distasteful to me as it was to all of you, since very intelligent, well-informed people have proven "beyond a reasonable doubt" that he won the election in Ohio.
But the way this country's electoral system is set up and administered, not to mention the media "coverage" of it, providing gaping holes a league wide for argument and "spin" to enter all debates with equal weight as actual facts, I think he had no choice but to do what he has done. The simian world of the neo-cons would have "had him in derision," and he would have lost dignity as well as credibility.

This is a hard distinction to make and an even subtler decision to believe in. I think I'm right.

You do realize, of course, that even if a miracle occurred and moderate Republicans decided to vote with the Democrats, it's highly unlikely that the Ohio election would be overturned. But the effort will put a Congressional asterisk on Bush's reelection, and the facts will undoubtedly be persued throughout the forseeable future.

And believe me, NO one is angrier than I am!!!!!!!

I think you should all stop acting like babies and get to the business at hand. 2008 is absolutely unimportant right now.
We are the voters, and for some reson it has been put in our hands. If we would stop bitching about people's behavior and focus ALL our attention and energy on our demolished electoral system, we would be making progress.

There is plenty of time to analyze, crybaby, feel betrayed, depend on a savior, bitch, hate, and moan.....in the future.

Can't we consolidate our own power, and do whatever we can to succeed. In the end, there will be no one to blame but ourselves. I don't see one politician now that will do this for us. we have to be serious, committed, fearless, and unfortunately...adult.

We're working on that at the local level right now, Teresa. Next we take ourselves to the PDA movement.

Thanks for the comment.

That might be the way, Peg. All the states have control over their own voting procedures. Or at least it should be pursued along with the national. It's a gargantuan job ahead of us.

So, Democrats fought harder to deny Nader the right to be on ballots than they did to win the election. :laugh:
And until now none of you realized what a big loser Kerry was?
Pathetic, just pathetic.
All you who voted for him, all of you who compromised their beleifs deserve him.

Look friends!

John Kerry will be beyond Botox in 2008. I have no faith that a right-wing Republican Congress will in any way shape or form...reform our election system, and every Democrat knows this so they need to stop blowing smoke up our chimney.

But I have my own smoke signals!

We demand electoral transparency and credible verification by using and counting both electronic and paper ballots matched against the number of voters signing in and out to vote. This is not a request...it is a demand...and I hope Congress understands the difference!

We want a new national election with legitimate publicly owned and supervised dual electronic/paper voting machines! Create them, fund them, distribute them, and then hold a new election! We're waiting! You ain't there yet?!

Final smoke signal! Heed our demands otherwise, on our own accord, we will hold a People's Constitutional Convention, establish a new People's Constitution and form of government, and then deliver to you our ten-day notice for your wholesale eviction, executive, legislative, and judicial! You're fired!

Let's stop playing their games folks! Even if a Senator comes on board, it will only grant the debate necessary to tarnish the record and have the Republican Congress simply vote in the Electors anyway. Again, I commend everyone on their efforts and hard work and I agree having at least one Senator with huevos, whether man or woman, come forward would be a symbolic victory.

But I am sorely disappointed that up to this point, the Senate has made little or no effort to investigate or use its subpoena power to challenge the abuses and fraud of this election. As a result, we don't simply need reform...we need a reformation! As I have previously stated, the system has only so much time to make the dramatic changes that are necessary to protect and preserve our Democracy. They don't...we will!

Dear people, it looks like you are new to communicating as if you were inside a fascist state or a dictatorship and somebory is watching all your movements. You have to read between the lines. I read the email and "in short" it says:

"...blah blah blah ...we've got to demand that congressional leaders hold full hearings. Make sure they hear from you and help hold them accountable.

Speaker Dennis Hastert: 1-202-225-0600
Leader Bill Frist: 1-202-224-3135 ..blah blah"

START CALLING this two "leaders". NOW

The Senate and the Electoral College are themselves manifestly undemocratic. See this from "The NY Review of Books" (5/9/2002) re: "How Democratic Is the American Constitution?" by Robert A. Dahl.

"The most egregious of their [the framers] mistakes (apart from their failure to abolish slavery, of course) involved their acceptance of political inequality, most notably in the equal representation of the states in the Senate and in the use of electors in the election of the president. Whatever justification there was for the so-called "Connecticut Compromise" at the convention, which entitled each state to two senators, it has led, says Dahl, to "a profound violation of the democratic idea of political equality among all citizens." That Wyoming, with a half-million people, has the same two senators as California, with nearly 34 million, is in Dahl's opinion an absurdity. Other established democratic states have federal systems and bicameral legislatures with one house representing geographical units, but none of them has such a gross degree of unequal representation as the United States."

The democracy lesson may be a little out of place now, but there are a truckload of problems with our democracy these days, including the corporatized media being utterly without journalistic integrity. See my letter in the 12/26/04 "NY Times":

To the Editor:

"There are serious charges that voters in Ohio were systematically disenfranchised by violations of state and federal voting laws through, among other things, manipulation of the vote tabulator by a representative of the company that created the software.

Our American press, inexplicably, has been thunderously silent.

The Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee have been conducting hearings into many of these problems. There is a likelihood that the report of the presidential electors from Ohio, due on Jan. 6 to Congress, will be challenged.

The list of what should be blockbuster media stories is long and growing. But these stories are not out there. As a result, most Americans don't know as much about serious, credible charges of the theft of democracy as about what happened in Ukraine."

Sorry for the long post, but that's it for me for now. As to Kerry, he doesn't have the incredible heart he had when he testified in 1971:
(http://www.richmond.edu/~ebolt/history398/JohnKerryTestimony.html)

See ya tomorrow in D.C.

P.S. I've become a Brad Believer!

I stand behind Kerry 100%. I have faith in his decision making process beyond ANYTHING else.

In his letter, my only question was whether his attorneys knew what they were doing. (My take is a legal technicality that if you can't recount voter decisions one by one then a recount can't really take place, therefore, unlawful.) The advice he is taking is from his attorneys.

Anyway, if you look at the court decisions that came their way, how could they decide otherwise?

It's clear Kerry is not going to be fooled twice - they are not giving up the fight to have every vote counted. I surmise the R's might try the same election reform delay tactics that they did between 2000 and 2004, especially with the new lineup. It would probably be the best bet to have Kerry behind the reform 100% than to be President...think about that.

Our basic right is to vote and have it counted. Nothing happens if you don't have that. This right is worth saving and he's the man to do it. Bush was not. We know why.

So many people have said it's not a matter of overturning the election, it's a matter of the right to have your vote count. HE will get that done. And it WILL save us.

P.S. I am among the flock who want the election overturned AND for my vote to count - for Kerry.

I'm not feelin so good, I think the truth has been revealed at last. Mr. Kerry you are a coward
in your silence. Truth has exposed fraud, you know it, we all know it. Your silence has been heard by us all. You will not have my support ever again and neither will any other senator who does not protect and demand truth by objecting to the coranation of Bush the Horrible, part 2. Creeps, they are all a bunk of lying creeps. Hold on fellow middle classers, things are really going to sux.

PS.......got 2 selective service notices for my 2
18 year old sons today.....they want to count my sons as prospective warriors, but can not count my votes. Gotta go vomit again, my stomache hurts and my heart is broken. Thanks for nothin Mr. Kerry.

I agree. Kerry will do it. And our will must be known.
He is our servant. That's all.

atty jim sez:

Come on over and enjoy life
>>

The sentences for those crimes isn't quite that long jimmo ...

I got that Kerry e-mail too. It seems rather empty to be urging us to do all this when he's off someplace else. Why isn't he here? How does an absent leader lead when he's too busy elsewhere? We don't have the resources he has nor the contacts and we're not getting paid to lead as he is.
Good bye John Kerry!

Hey Rhonda,

Hang in there girl! Hopefully, the war and Bush will somehow vanish from our collective nightmare soon. I'll pray your sons never see war, especially an illegal one! When i received my Draft Card for Vietnam, when "lottery" was a dirty word, I got pretty sick too!

Life must go on and we must shape it into something better, for each other, for your sons, for our country and world. Once your stomach settles, join us!

Hello all, this was my reply to Kerry's email

Dear Senator Kerry,

November 2nd was my first time voting. You got my first vote for President of the United States.

Senator, when I gave you my vote, I trusted you and believed in you. I believed you when you said we were going in the wrong direction, when you claimed to have a solution to this country's economic problems, and finally when you promised that every vote would count.

The thing is , Senator, you did not lose this election on November 2nd or 3rd. You lost when Al Gore conceded in 2000. You, as a party, gave those people the chance to get away with everything they did.

And tomorrow is going to be the day this party will lose in 2008 because once again you let them get away with what they did.

Senator, towards the end of you campaign in Ohio, you pledged to us that you got our backs, you pledged when you gave your concession speech that every vote will count. But you failed to deliver on any of these promises. You let the people of Ohio down, and the others of course because you don't think there are enough problems to change the result. Who said anything about the result? I remember you pledged that every vote would count, period.

You probably do not want to sound like a "soar loser" and are scared that if you challenge, you will be out of the race in 2008. Well, if you cannot stand up against these people, how will you stand up against the terrorists. (I remember the president said something like that in one of the debates, and I hate to say it, but he was right.) You let us down for your own political gain. All those people who left their jobs and families and went to Ohio to "get your back" counting on your promise to " get theirs". How do you think they feel now ?

I really believe that there is no point in voting anymore if a few people control our electoral system. Trust me senator, if you don't make a big deal out of this now in front of everybody, you wont be able to with any petitions. Everything will be blocked by congress. This is your only chance to stand up for the people who believed and fought so hard for you.

But it seems you have more important things on your calender, running away on all of us.

Senator, I will NOT vote for you in 2008.

I am unsubscribing from your mailing list because I cant trust you anymore. Why ? Because not every vote counted, and because you did not "get our backs"

R

Good letter!

I remember Randi Rhodes saying one day on AA that we needed to have Kerry's back, because he'd have ours for the next 4 years. Whatever.

Anyway, I voted for Dean, should have voted for Kucinich, and settled on Kerry. I could care less about Kerry at this point, I just really want to know that my vote counts, and I can assure you, where I live, it does not. 3 times now.

Good response R, but don't be discouraged! Hang in there! There's more to fighting for our cause than following one personality like Kerry. It's for the country, not Kerry or any other politician.

Oh, for heaven's (or whatever's) sake! STOP dumping on John Kerry! He's doing that difficult tightrope-walk, "what needs to be done," to get this sick system fixed. I do believe subtlety is a thing of the past. No one can read beyond a headline. And absolutely no one trusts an opinion or a philosophical stance that can't be expressed in ten words or less!

The man has been an angels' advocate for longer than most of us have been around (I exclude myself out of honesty). Please hold your firebreathing horses!

This challenge would have been dead in the water had Kerry declared that he was behind it. Absolutely...dead...in...the...water. I'm ashamed that those of you who voted for him with such "conviction and sincerity" are so ready to turn on him when he is showing the prudence you admired him for. Come on, guys. Aren't we more intelligent than this?????

Oh, for heaven's (or whatever's) sake! STOP dumping on John Kerry! He's doing that difficult tightrope-walk, "what needs to be done," to get this sick system fixed. I do believe subtlety is a thing of the past. No one can read beyond a headline. And absolutely no one trusts an opinion or a philosophical stance that can't be expressed in ten words or less!

The man has been an angels' advocate for longer than most of us have been around (I exclude myself out of honesty). Please hold your firebreathing horses!

This challenge would have been dead in the water had Kerry declared that he was behind it. Absolutely...dead...in...the...water. I'm ashamed that those of you who voted for him with such "conviction and sincerity" are so ready to turn on him when he is showing the prudence you admired him for. Come on, guys. Aren't we more intelligent than this?????

Oh, for heaven's (or whatever's) sake! STOP dumping on John Kerry! He's doing that difficult tightrope-walk, "what needs to be done," to get this sick system fixed. I do believe subtlety is a thing of the past. No one can read beyond a headline. And absolutely no one trusts an opinion or a philosophical stance that can't be expressed in ten words or less!

The man has been an angels' advocate for longer than most of us have been around (I exclude myself out of honesty). Please hold your firebreathing horses!

This challenge would have been dead in the water had Kerry declared that he was behind it. Absolutely...dead...in...the...water. I'm ashamed that those of you who voted for him with such "conviction and sincerity" are so ready to turn on him when he is showing the prudence you admired him for. Come on, guys. Aren't we more intelligent than this?????

That triple-whammy thing was a mistake. I was talking to someone when I posted and unintentionally punctuated my comments with a reflexive jab of the right index finger. Sorry...

Instead of freaking and screaming about Kerry, I just think it would be wise to figure out how we can use him. We don't know all the facts that motivated his decision, and it really doesn't matter right now, as he has 4 more years in the Senate. We do not have to vote for him.
If he goes up against this administration with any success at all, we will benefit. There is a lot at stake, and we can use any ally we can get in the government.
He does have some talent as a politician, and why not bank on it? He owes us, after all.

While I enjoy reading your blog and generally support your efforts, I must disagree with your comments about Kerry. I agree with Peg that the challenge would be dead in the water if Kerry supported it publicly. In fact, I believe he is the last person we want to be on the front line on this one. Mainstream media, with the assistance of a blitz of GOP minions armed with talking points from Rove and company, would quickly pounce on him, painting him as simply a sore loser, thus minimizing and marginalizing legitimate issues with the 2004 election. I tend to believe that Kerry is still intimately and actively involved with the effort behind the scenes, the appropriate position at this point.

Well, like many, I am disappointed too. However, I think that Kerry may be playing "good cop." If other senators are already going to contest the election, he does not need to join them. Today, his colleagues will hopefully deliver the first of the 1-2 punch. He (and his grassroots supporters, what's left of them anyway) will be the guy to follow through with the demands for the investigation and legislative reform. Someone who hasn't made enemies contesting the election can do that more effectively. He has a few years to prove that he has a spine. I'll be waiting and watching. Meantime, why not go ahead and call those congressional leaders (Speaker Dennis Hastert: 1-202-225-0600 and Leader Bill Frist: 1-202-224-3135)? Republicans are going to look bad, even guilty, if they ignore this one!

I don't see how election reform is going to nullify another stolen election. If a leader is illegitimate, his continuation in office is illegitimate. And if we intend to seek redress through a legal and political process they so blatantly violate and corrupt, where will we get election reform from...a minority Democratic Party? A 5-4 Supreme Court that will soon be moving further to the right? A legal and political process that may take years to unfold? All as that smirking war criminal continues to hold his state dinners and flaunt his arrogance in our face.

I think Kerry has a good heart...somewhere...but I also feel he lost much of the fire and conviction of his youth over time, as do too many of us! He helped bring down BCCI and opposed the first Gulf War, but then swung right out of political convenience to get elected, running away from a "liberal" label that we have allowed people like Rush Limbaugh to get away with redefining.

When Saddam Hussein was captured, everybody ran from the anti-war Dean, believing that the poll boost George DUMBYA Bush got was going to get him re-elected. It was a mistake and a knee jerk reaction to public sentiment, which settled back down to a split over the war.

In all honesty, Kerry would have sounded more credible if he voted against the war and became the anti-war candidate. The choice between who was more right-wing in the last election left a bad taste in many of our mouths. So I also understand why people in here would not support him again because his support was tenuous to begin with.

Having said that, he still would have been far better than the fascistas we have now. Of course, those of you who already know how I feel know that I support two options...revote or revolution. It's 2005 Mr. & Mrs. Congressman! Do you know where your children are?

Peg,

I've no desire for flame throwing around here; I've participated in enough delicate political debate with conservatives and Repubs over the last several months ...

But this is the same John Kerry who, during the campaign, boldly challenged GW to "bring it on" regarding their respective service records in Viet Nam.

And when the Bush Swift Boat ads came out, Kerry was disasterously and lamely silent.

And now I have the same email from Kerry in my inbox others have mentioned here: "Counting On You to Make Sure Votes Get Counted."

I'm offended that Kerry asks me *twice* in the email to "let him know that I've made my call here" to his www.johnkerry.com.signup.electoralreform link.

Why?

Does he get credit for it?

And many, many of us who voted for Kerry are "ABB" ... I'm sure you know already that means "anyone but Bush" ... the conviction and sincerity of our vote was that we were supporting the better of two candidates (or the lesser of two evils).

(And, BTW, with sincerity and conviction that our votes would be fairly tabulated and recorded.)

Kerry could have proved to millions of us that he was more than a part of the same old political machine this week.

I cannot agree that his decision to leave the country and not even be present on the Hill today is motivated by prudence to preserve Conyers' challenge. Perhaps an ill-advised prudence to salvage Kerry's own political ambitions.

I do not agree that the Conyers challenge would have been doomed by Kerry coming on board to support it.

However, we have much yet to see unfold ... yes?

Peace.

You have to look at Kerry's whole picture, and if you do, it looks good.
It's also a good thing for Kerry to be in Iraq now. We had to face this situation alone and get aroused enough to get into serious action. We had to find our own power. He knew that the election could not be overturned, and that a solid case would take time to build . He is doing something highly productive ...communicating with those folks there, something that no other politician seems to want to do. Someone has to do it if we are ever going to end this tragedy. He is treating people with respect, something they sorely need... not being sent shoddily armed to their deaths.
It can't be fact that he is out for '08 with this, since he just angered and risked losing his whole Democratic base. He is most likely doing what he thinks is right, true to his nature.
He will be fighting hard for us in the Senate, and I think we should back his efforts.
We need this revolution to be waged on all fronts.

Regarding the velvet revolution....if all democrat voters decided to just not vote, the revolution would happen. Of the eligible voters, only approximately 50% bothered to vote, of those, a little more than half or 25+% voted for Bushco, 25+ percent does not constitute a democratic majority..... not enough to even classify as a democracy...thus if no democrat voters vote, and only the 20+ percent vote, the game will not have enough players to continue. Like in any other game, if the other team does not show up, the game is over. So you don't even have to leave your house to join the 50% who already do not bother to vote...to become 75%....let's all agree not to vote in rigged elections, the one party system will not be able to calim they are a democracy anymore without us....its so easy its amazing.....they all need us more than we need them.

re: #45

Whoa! There's no rule about needing a quorum to make our elections legitimate. If only one person votes, his candidate wins!

Aside from this being a very bad idea, I suspect that it's also the work of a troll.

So... please do not take this comment seriously.