RAW STORY has just published an explosive and partisan letter from Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell in an EXCLUSIVE which reveals Blackwell's plans to run for Governor, and in which he credits himself for "delivering" Ohio to George W. Bush!
The written plea by Blackwell to supporters asking for funds for his gubernatorial bid --- composed even while the recount of votes in Ohio was still ongoing! --- should continue to rock the vote as Congress gathers on Thursday to determine whether Ohio Electors were legally seated.
Several phrases in particular are reminiscent of the controversial fundraising letter by Walden O'Dell, the CEO of voting machine manufacturer Ohio-based Diebold, Inc., sent to Republicans in the summer of 2003 when he promised his committment "to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."
Blackwell, proudly crows, on several occasions, about his role as Ohio's Co-Chair of Bush/Cheney '04 and refers to "helping deliver the great Buckeye State for George W. Bush."
In speaking of his personal role in keeping "an unapologetic liberal Democrat named John Kerry" from winning, Blackwell says, "you and I stopped that disaster from happening!"
More excerpts from the letter are now posted below.
The extraordinarily partisan and combative letter overfloweth with enough far-right Christian Republican buzzwords and phrases to make even Karl Rove's brain spin!
The letter even speaks --- presumably without irony --- of Blackwell's role in "preventing" voter-fraud in Ohio's 2004 election!
The following are some key excerpts from Blackwell's shameless five-page letter which RAW STORY now links to in-full in their EXCLUSIVE.
Most of our excerpts here refer to Blackwell's role in Election 2004, though a few are just thrown in for good Liberal-bashin', God-fearin' fun! [All emphasis replicates the original underscoring and footnotes added to appear as though the various items were underlined or checkmarked by hand.]...
Without your enthusiasm, generous support and vote, I'm afraid the President would have lost...
...And an unapologetic liberal Democrat named John Kerry would have won.
Thankfully, you and I stopped that disaster from happening!
[...]
That's why in the late hours of Election Night, I was truly pleased to announce President Bush had won a critical and clinching victory here in Ohio, on the belief that it was statistically improbably for Senatory Kerry to recover.
[...]
I have never shied away from giving the liberals fits. And I'm sure that with all of the potential voter-fraud we prevented during this last election, they will be looking to get even with me in my next political campaign.
...After much thought and prayer, I am asking for your personal support in my campaign to become the next Governor of Ohio.
As Secretary of State, I have been sued almost 30 times since this summer because I stood up for the rights of voters like you and against liberal trial laywers and activist judges who wanted to give this election to Senator Kerry.
I don't compromise for the sake of winning kudos from the media, and I have been accused on more than one occasion of having "rocked the boat" in Columbus against the express wishes of the liberal special interests.
[...]
My Christian parents taught me that if I did what was right, nobody could ever deny me the success I strived for.
When the ACLU and other members of the radical left worked to stop me from cracking down and prohibiting outrageous ways to commit voter fraud, I fought back and won.
** I never bowed to political pressure and stuck to my guns. I was completely vindicated when I prevailed before the Supreme Court and the federal appellate court.
[...]
I can assure you that John Kerry's liberal allies here in Ohio are hoping to throw my campaign under a bus as soon as they can, and I will need every penny I can to fight back.
So sayeth the man responsible for a free, fair, transparent and non-partisan Presidential Election in Ohio.
As of this evening, he is also still ducking all attempts by attorneys to take a deposition from him concerning the Election Fraud case filed with the Ohio Supreme Court.
UPDATE: It has been requested that we post the full text of Blackwell's letter. So here it is, courtesy of a BRAD BLOG reader...