That’s how I felt after reading this Christopher Hitchens piece from the March issue of Vanity Fair. No doubt many of you have seen this before; I had not.
Sure, I’ve heard bits and pieces of the various complaints about Ohio. But this article really piles them on. And I guess what is most chilling is that the author says he doesn’t believe Kerry “should be president of this or any country”, yet he can’t help but be appalled at what he is discovering about the shadiness of this election.
I think I had actually wanted to believe the election wasn’t fixed. Not because, heaven forfend, I wanted Bush to win! Just because I want to believe that our side has a chance, and is not just playing out our part in a fixed fight we can never win. Eight hour lines to vote are outrageous, and something has to be done about that. But at least this is a visible problem. At least it can be proven. At least people could still vote if they were dogged enough. If it only takes a small number of people to fix the electronic machines, and there is no “paper trail”, we could well be the victims of a coup that ended with a whimper rather than a bang.
Washington State’s gubernatorial election showed the value of a paper trail. If there are actual ballots, it is always possible to go back and recount (or for the media to do so, as after Bush v. Gore). So I think our #1 goal has to be to fight for this requirement. The “Count Every Vote Act” included this provision, but it was overly broad. Sure, I’d love to see each and every one of those reforms signed into law, but by packing it full of such goodies, the bill was automatically DOA.
On the other hand, if we pushed singlemindedly for a requirement that every vote produce some paper receipt or ballot that could be looked at in case of a recount, we might have a chance to win the war of public opinion (“why are they opposing this? hmmm…”) and then have the very basics we need to ensure that we can engage in all the myriad other aspects of political combat.
For myself, I’ve made a personal vow: if there is no paper trail by ’08, and the Republicans still have control of the government after that election, I’m going to get the hell out of here, any way I possibly can.
Ouch!
but better late than never..Hope you understand, now the OUTRAGE by the Dems and Independents…
I’d add that I think Democrats should offer whatever they need to (say, to allow all Bush’s judges to sail through) to get this accomplished. It might hurt in the short run, but it would be worth it.
Alan
Maverick Leftist
I too wanted to believe the election wasn’t fixed against every instinct that was telling me it was. Not to mention how completely screwed up the election in Ohio was from the get-go. Unbelievable and thats probably only what we know so far.
My sister’s whose judgement I value above all others, is someone who is always very calm and rational, someone who listens and observes more than she talks said that if bush won the election it was a fixed deal. Period.
“The powers of accurate observation is commonly called cynisism by those who do not have it.”- George Bernard Shaw.
I haven’t read this months Vanity Fair and Christopher Hitchens is a real asshole however he occasionally still does some decent reporting. I can’t stand to watch him tv however, he always looks greasy and kinda like a drunken sot.
He does have that look about him–but I actually kind of like it, LOL.
Hitchens and I both came from a perspective of a lifetime on the left (mine a shorter lifetime, though, I hasten to add!), and both went “against the grain” by backing the notion of going to war to oust Saddam from power in Iraq. I loved how he didn’t flinch from tearing into Reagan when he died and everyone else was heaping absurd praise on him. So he’d be my ideal political figure, except…he actually seemed to want Bush to win (maybe deep down, he’s having second thoughts? One can hope). That I can’t fathom, or stomach. So Bush invaded Iraq, all in all a good thing (Hitchens and I believe). He’s done way too many other fucked up things to ever deserve any thinking progressive’s vote!
Alan
Maverick Leftist
I feel you pain man,,,I do.
The sad thing is, nothing is going to be done, until we the people, hold our representatives accountable, and we cannot waiver one bit on that.
We’re going to have to get in their face, and be adamant about it.
If you don’t represent us, then you WON’T represent anybody. Plain and simple, so until this happens, it’s going to be business as usual.
It has to be a common message, above all others, ACCOUNTABILITY,
I wrote my reps and Senators, the DNC, DFA, etc. and let them know that until verifiable voting legislation was passed – they were not going to get anymore money from me.
After working so hard and mailing so many checks the last two years – I don’t want to go through the same heartbreak.
more than sticking seven needles in a woman’s cervix? 🙂