(Blogged by Brad from the road…)
The Florida 2000 election was clearly an aberration of our Democracy on more levels than one may care to count. From the elderly Jews “voting” for Pat Buchanan on the butterfly ballot, to the grossly racist and inaccurate corporate purging of “felons” from the voter rolls, to the military absentee ballots postmarked days after the election but left unchallenged by a cowed Gore campaign, to the staged demonstrations of “angry” Republican campaign workers storming the vote counters meant to look like a voter uprising (as seen at Right, and published, without the identifying numbers in that “Liberal” paper the Washington Post – click it for more info!), to the Florida Secretary of State/Bush Campaign Co-Chair “confirming” the count of uncounted ballots, etc. etc. etc.
To put it bluntly, it was a debacle and a blight on our country’s record of free, fair, honest and open elections.
And yet, I was prepared to look back at it all it as a one-time anomaly of a bitterly divided country and a virtually tied state run by the brother of the Republican nominee as he was looking to find that one foot in the door to snatch the deciding edge in a nearly evenly divided national electorate.
In other words, it sucked, it was un-American, un-Democratic and un-seemly, but it was over and it could never happen again.
Am I naive, or what?
That “one-time anomaly” was likely nothing of the sort. And it looks like the Bush Bros. may be preparing to do it again. Seeking any and all opportunities to squeeze out just enough votes to put them over again. Or more appropriately perhaps; Squeeze out enough votes to make it look as though they’ve won yet again.
This column from Bob Herbert in Monday’s NY Times may be an ominous sign of who and what is at work in Florida again for this year’s crucial Presidential election.
The elderly black vote in Florida is crucial to a Kerry win, and so the piece is particularly ominous and frightening. Since you have to subscribe to the Times (it’s free, though!) to read the article, I’ll post more of the column here than I usually might. It’s a short piece though, and worth subscribing if only to read the whole thing:
The officers, from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which reports to Gov. Jeb Bush, say they are investigating allegations of voter fraud that came up during the Orlando mayoral election in March.
Officials refused to discuss details of the investigation, other than to say that absentee ballots are involved. They said they had no idea when the investigation might end, and acknowledged that it may continue right through the presidential election.
…
The state police officers, armed and in plain clothes, have questioned dozens of voters in their homes. Some of those questioned have been volunteers in get-out-the-vote campaigns.
I asked [Geo Morales, a spokesman for the Department of Law Enforcement] in a telephone conversation to tell me what criminal activity had taken place.
“I can’t talk about that,” he said.
I asked if all the people interrogated were black.
“Well, mainly it was a black neighborhood we were looking at – yes,” he said.
He also said, “Most of them were elderly.”
When I asked why, he said, “That’s just the people we selected out of a random sample to interview.”
Chilled yet?
One woman who was questioned is quoted in the column as asking “Am I going to go to jail now because I voted by absentee ballot?”
Joseph Egan, an attorney for one of the 73 year old vote workers being “investigated”, speaks of the blanket of fear and intimidation that is beginning to emanate through the community:
If this is the one story that has been picked up by the media about possible chicanery in the Sunshine State, imagine what may be going on that we don’t yet know about down there.
When I received an Email last night asking me to join as an “Election Protection Volunteer”, it seemed perhaps to be a bit of overkill. This morning however, I’m beginning to think differently. If the people won’t step up to ensure a free and fair election this time around, who will? Jeb’s thugs? James Baker? The Supreme Court?
And with the margin of victory as close as it could be, how na�ve would we be to make the assumption that BushCo won’t do anything and everything again this time to “win” the election once more.
As it’s been said…”Fool me once … shame on … shame on you … … … if ya fool me, ya can’t get fooled again.”
Pay attention.
I believe this was called the "Brooks Brothers Riot".
> In other words, it sucked, it was un-American, un-Democratic and un-seemly, but it was over and it could never happen again.
Yes it sucked because Gore sued instead of conceede. No one had ever sued before.
Gore was never ahead in any of the votes. He lost after the votes were counted, he lost after they were automatically recounted, he lost in 3 out of 4 counts by various meida organizations. Remember, I sent you an article about Demcorats who will count and count and count until they win by one vote. Gore did not win. Gore did not win his own state. Gore did not win Clinton’s state.
Have you stopped to think that perhaps these elderly people are involved in voter fraud?
Democrats are notorious for having tons of dead people vote – look at Chicago.
Kerry has supposedly hired a bunch of lawyers already. Let’s just sue all of our elections all of the time!!!!!!!!
"Fool me once … shame on … shame on you … … … if ya fool me, ya can’t get fooled again."
😀 😀 😀 😀
I find that so funny.
"Yes it sucked because Gore sued instead of conceede. No one had ever sued before."
Wrong. As usual.
Not to worry though, Gore rolled over for you guys (along with the Supreme Court, along with the Media) so your thugs got their way because the Left, as usual, chose Country unity instead of battling for what they should have.
BTW, I know what you’re parrotting when you say Bush won in “3 out of 4” counting standards. But whose counting standards — according to your parrot — would Gore have actually won under? Do you have a clue?
Bush V. Gore.
Bush brought the lawsuit, Paul. Remember? Irreparable harm?
Plaintiff V. Defendant.
Let me repeat that.
BUSH BROUGHT THE LAWSUIT
BUSH BROUGHT THE LAWSUIT
BUSH BROUGHT THE LAWSUIT
BUSH BROUGHT THE LAWSUIT
Perhaps if I open a hole in your skull and drill it into your Rush spot it may sink in.
In regards to the Hebert column, I don’t think this is an example of "voter intimidation", especially when you look at why the investigation is taking place.
Buddy Dyer recently won the mayorial election in Orlando with a hair over 50% of the vote (234 votes to be exact). That margain was provided by absentee ballots.
264 of those absentee ballots were witnessed by Ezzie Thomas, who is the President of the Orlando League of Voters, and is mentioned in the Hebert column. What he doesn’t tell you is that Thomas was paid 10K to collect those ballots and he has been investigated in the past for his handling of absentee ballots.
After the mayoral election, the losing candidate presented 42 signed affidavits swearing that Thomas had mishandled the ballots, in an attempt to get the ballots thrown out and create a runoff.
This complaint started the FDLE investigation which Hebert is decrying.
Sorry, but I don’t see this as a problem. If anything, the problem is Ezzie Thomas accepting cash to handle ballots.
And Florida was not the problem in 2000. It was Gore’s inability to win his home state. I can’t recall the last candidate to fail in that regard.
Once again, Teddy is right!
Mayor dyer has been suspended by jebbie.
Senator Mel Martinez and secretary of State Glenda Hood have both used the exact same man to do the exact same job for pay as did Buddy Dyer, Neither of which have been investigated. But then both are republicans so nothing will be done.
The poor black man involved will probably commit suicide within a couple of days to prevent any further investigation.