Don't allow the "Close Race" mantra

[Atman]

I have been on this one for nearly a year. The impending razor-close race we're about to witness in November 02. BULLSHIT! Don't buy into it. Diebold and Bush need desperately for us to believe it will be a tight race in order to steal the election. Think about this, please, and slap down anyone you hear saying it will be a tight race. Because if it is a LEGITIMATE election, it will be a monumental, historic blowout.

Think logically...the man LOST by over 500,000 votes and has since alienated much of his own party, and galvanized the left AND much of the middle against him. So please, ask the "tight racers" to explain how it will be tight? How can it possibly be a tight race? Sure, 98% of the people who support Bush will vote for him. But what number does that represent now? Remember, the party is bailing on him, too, and he started out 500,000 votes behind.

In order for the vote stealing to work, we need to believe it is a tight race. 48-52 is too tight...if/when they steal the election, with no paper trail or method of actual, real re-count, we will be forced to call the election based upon the polls leading up to 11-2-04. And with a little more help from the Bush courts.

Because, how will we know otherwise? You can practically hear McClelland at the podium right now..."Clearly the polls showed this was a tight race right up until the end, but ultimately, the margin was in the president's favor, and was within the margin of error of the polling we've been following all along." That will be all it takes to quell the Freepers and the Wal Marters. Those who continue to bitch will be labeled as spoil sports again.

I promise you, this is what they are counting on. Keep getting CNN and TIME and all their media partners to report the fake aggregate poll numbers as being "razor close" and we'll all buy it when they steal it.

But it is NOT razor close. There is NOTHING positive about Bush on the news. And I can find not one person...not one, even among my many republican friends...who still support Bush. Anecdotally, that should be enough to make you go "hmmm." Who, exactly, is making this a "razor close" race?

The media, who have the most to gain by a Bush victory. Don't let them get away with it. It is NOT close. The call to action, then, is to get the message out that in order to stop the wholesale Diebold theft of this election, we need such a massive voter turnout that the "razor close" lie won't work. You can't have exit polling showing 25% voting for Bush and him still winning 48-52. No one will buy it.

Turnout is key. Your car has four or five seats...make sure they're all filled when you go to the polls. Remember, Bush is a part of nefarious criminal cabal, and will stop at nothing to protect the billions they've invested in this presidency/business venture. We cannot make it even easier on them.

[phillybri]

1. Awesome post!

:kick:

[quispquake]

2. Yup...you hit it!

I agree completely...I am so damned worried about BBV...a company that makes ATM machines that give a printed receipt cannot make a voting machine that does the same...the ONLY REASON for this is illegal tampering of the ballot results...

[RedEagle]

3. Good Post- Now, Who is Going to Take Action?

Identify polling companies that can be counted on to be honest and not skew polls by asking the "right" questions or leading questions.

Who is going to do exit polling? The networks? We need exit polls set up and at this date, that probably needs to be a massive volunteer effort- unless someone has George Soros ear on this one. During the election, if you are doing exit polls, when you have information, update the local media, whether they ask for it or not. They are going to probably depend on their own "polls." Better yet, form an organization of volunteers and offer to do it for the local media for free.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, has to demand voter verified paper ballots from their county and state officials. If you have to, and you can, (some states you can't) vote absentee. It's not fool proof but better than DRE's.

But voter verified paper ballots are only the first step. Those ballots have to be audited- get on the laws now and find out your rights for audits in each state, then be prepared to use them. If your state has bad recourse for recounts, then start now to change state law, even if it's too late for 2004, because this problem is going to be with us for a while until we get the mess cleaned up. That starts with state law. Study it and change it if necessary. Lawmakers are supposed to work for you and protection of voting rights is the prime democratic principle.

VOLUNTEER. Get out there and work the polls, be an election worker and observer.

Get the national, state, and local Democratic, Green, and Libertarian parties committed to backing and paying for audits- lots of them. If they can't get Bush reelected, the next focus point is congress. State races for federal seats are extremely important. Ditto state legistures too.

Be ready to bring lawsuits against every race that can't be recounted-that means places where they use DRE's.

Make the election a different media event. Vote, then take to the streets with a visual, peaceful campaign, showing support for the candidate who opposes Bush.

What I've heard about the state demcoratic caucuses is "record turnouts." People don't want anymore of Bush, make sure they understand they have to VOTE him OUT of office. I think one of the reasons impeachment is not talked about more has to do with who we'd get next.

This thread has hit the nail on the head. They HAVE to maintain an image of a very close race.

Don't let them do that. Write your local newspapers and tell them about the masses of people planning to vote against Bush. USE the part of the media accessible to you. If you have talked to people and
it's running 90% against Bush, write the paper those figures. Get on radio talk shows, national and local, and tell them your stories about this.

We need: honest voting, honest election polls, and a way to counter-spin the media.

FYI- Ultimately, Bush hurts the media, too, because ad sales are going to drop off if people have no money to spend. Sooner or later, the media will eat its own to preserve itself. And the media is not scared of Kerry, he didn't promise to whittle them down like Dean did. Remember that when you see the mounds of positive press for Kerry now. Kerry is better than Bush, but he's been annointed as the least likely to damage the status quo. So the press is going to be more willing to skew his way, with the exception of the percentages.

Let's knock down that facade.

[Womblestuffer]

9. the race will be as close as diebold wants it to be

if he wins, and a recount is ordered, will you accept the results??

[Solomon]

4. Atman. I have been saying this over and over. They tell us who will

win in advance to hide the theft they will do. No one will question the results if they drum it into our heads that the race is close.

I too have been saying that this election should be the biggest landslide we've seen. I can't help but think that more democrats than ever will vote, and like you, I've said that Bush can't pick up anymore votes than he had in 2000, in fact, he should get less.

I get kind of frustrated when I hear our own people fret about how close this thing will be.

[LeahMira]

5. Not even close...

I too have been saying that this election should be the biggest landslide we've seen.

Good to keep that spirit coming on, especially since even though we don't know for sure who the Democratic candidate is, the polls still show him winning. Once the selection process is complete, every Democrat should be convinced of the fact that a landslide win is coming. Not complacent, mind you. But Democrats are already winning, and a positive outlook can only help widen that leading edge.

[Kazak]

6. Agree totally!

Tight...my ass. Of course I expect the turnout to be huge, they'll be exposed...I hope.

[Atman]

7. Kick...for morale

We're gonna destroy the GOP. But only if we show up at the polls!

[RedEagle]

8. The Largest Turn Out in History

Yep, let's let Bush be right on that one- uniting the country to be rid of HIM.

Large voter turnout.

Vote ON PAPER wherever and whenever possible. Not only is there some chance of a recount, it will drive home the message that no one wants machines that will not produce a voter-verified paper ballot.

Your election officials had a choice- Accupoll, Avante, Vogue.

They chose machines the cannot conduct a recount- easier for them, disastorous for democracy.

But do make sure of your state laws on mail-in or absentee ballots. They must be counted whether or not the race is close.

For counties that have paperless touch screens, demand a paper alternative. Demand your right to a recountable election.

[tinrobot]

10. Here's my theory....

Last election was a total snoozer and Gore won the popular by a good margin. This year, the Democrats are motivated.

Here's my math :

Everyone who voted for Gore votes Dem again...
Add in the votes of 3 million unemployed...
Add in votes of military families who are ticked off...
Plus another 10-20% for the lazy Dem voters who are now motivated

I doubt * will pick up any new votes, he'll probably lose some that he had. He's ticked off the fiscal conservatives and a lot of military folks, so his base is eroding. Even O'Reilly is dissing him.

If this keeps up, we win in a landslide.

[Wapsie B]

11. He's not brought in

any new voters into his fold. Who in the world is going to vote for him now that didn't last time?

[MissB]

12. Great message... one thing

November 04, not November 02.