Sum and Substance - Progressive Dems Respond to Concession

[Kevin Spidel]

Sum and Substance: PDA's Thoughts on the Meaning of Concession

The legitimacy of the American elections is under heavy scrutiny. Organizations such as http://www.BlackBoxVoting.org are making massive efforts to determine exactly what happened on Nov. 2nd, 2004. Will their research change the outcome of the elections? Not likely. Will it remove the sense of betrayal many of us felt on Nov. 3rd? Also not likely. How did John Kerry and his advisors miss the obvious fact that the one thing this country needed was a fair and fully counted election? There are many reasons to make sure every vote is counted, and only one of them is to determine the winner. An equally important reason is to demonstrate to every single voter that their voice and vote were recorded, respected, and heard.

By What Right?
A full vote count in Ohio would have taken 11 or 12 days. Less than 2 weeks to prove our democratic system was working, that standing in the rain for 6 hours to cast a provisional ballot means that ballot will be counted. Less than 2 weeks to prove to the electorate that the extraordinary effort they expended on Nov. 2 was meaningful and appreciated by those we put in power. Instead, Ohio was conceded to George W. Bush by John Kerry at 11 A.M. on Nov. 3. An entire state was given away after number-crunching revealed Kerry would come up short. What right did he have to do this in the people's name? And what does this action suggest about how Democratic Party leadership views its individual members?

Citizens' Election
The state of Ohio belongs to the citizens, not the candidates. It is theirs and theirs alone to award. Only by exercising their constitutional right to vote can the citizens of Ohio determine who will win their state. Refusing to legitimate the process by which all votes are counted amounts to stealing the core of what it means to be American. Not only were the actual vote counts ignored, but any activity on the part of the grassroots to demand all votes be counted was cast as crying over spilled milk. The Party leadership invalidated both our votes and our right to protest.

Message to Voters
Yes, the election was stolen. It was hijacked by those who forgot there are many reasons to count every vote, not the least of which is to give legitimacy to the outcome. This country needed a decisive election, where all votes were counted and there were no lingering suspicions. By conceding Ohio before all votes were even close to being counted, a mere 12 hours after many of us had arrived home from all day volunteer efforts, the leaders of the Democratic Party sent the message that individual voters are unimportant. It was they who stole the importance of the electoral process from the voters, merely because they didn't think they were going to get the outcome they wanted. The Party's ill-considered actions were a smack in the face of democracy.

Democrats, Stand Up!
We need a Democratic party that will stand up for all who voted and to make sure their votes count. Progressive Democrats of America is committed to creating such a Democratic Party, a party that understands the problems with the current electoral system and is willing to do the work necessary to make it possible for every American to register to vote, make it to the polls on election day and have their votes counted. Progressive Democrats of America supports election reforms including same-day voter registration, paper trial ballots and instant run-off voting as integral parts of our progressive agenda. Join your local progressive democratic caucus to help us with this important work: http://www.pdamerica.org/caucuses.php. If your state does not yet have a progressive caucus, contact us and help create one.

[Maat]

1. Thanks for the link.

I put this on my 'to do' list. I'm making a list of orgs I want to check out. If they jive with my goals, and this looks like one that does, I want to join them, help them, and donate to them.

Thanks again!

[Kevin Spidel]

2. Ohios response..

check out the website..www.neohioact.org/electionaudit it defines data we are seeking.. Never before has my ounties had to distingush in retreivable form.. why provisional ballots are discounted.. and have no real electronic record system in place for some of the Turnout Actual vote data specifics we are requesting...

[Kevin Spidel]

3. Dems Abroad Response

I read a piece by Donna Brazile that went around earlier called "In Rebuilding Party, Democrats Need to Start From Scratch". I liked the piece and I think it points in the right direction for the Party. I also feel however it does not go far enough if we are really serious about future success as a party. We must also be willing and able to say God and Country in the same breath, allow other who do not believe in God to say that too. The core values of the Democratic Party are really good ones but the more basic values for most "Red State Americans" start and end with a belief in God, no matter in what form that belief takes. How often have I heard some fellow Democrats speak with something approaching disgust whenever the words "faith-based programs" are mentioned. It is the Republicans vision for these programs that is the problem. It is the Rove vision of America that is behind most that is wrong with America today. The Republicans have learned how to all line up behind the message and move forward with real unity.

But how can we accomplish this task? We in the Democratic Party are the closest America comes to "coalition government" we try to hold together such divergent interests that there is great amounts of good old "horse trading" that goes on behind the scenes to make it all work. In the past there were the old style "leaders" who enforced a certain discipline and ensured the delivery of votes for the Party candidate. In those days it was the Big City bosses who bent the rules in order to deliver the necessary votes in November. We are all glad those days are over. Now it the other side who is delivering the votes - or withholding them as the case many be. They have their "leaders", now we need ours. We need leaders who will deliver for us - not by questionable means but with a moral value that plays well in Peoria. But first we need a leader who will truly fight for each vote. The leaders cannot give up before it is time, before each vote is accounted for. We cannot hear before the election not to speak of a recount before we know if a recount is going to be necessary. Given what we saw last time in Florida and how close this election was looking a recount was not only a possibility but now we know a recount is necessary.
Where are our leaders who vowed to fight for each and every vote.

In fact where is the leadership of the DNC in calling attention to the problem of voter fraud. Why do we have to rely on Bev or Michael or Greg to raise the alarm. Why didn't the Congressional leadership take on this issue with a vengeance instead of voting for a resolution to link 9/11 and Iraq. Sometimes we feel the American public is stupid or at best misinformed. How can our fellow Americans trust us if our leaders vote for nonsense just to get elected? Who are the stupid or misinformed ones here?

We need a leader who will address the real wars we face today if we will be secure - the wars of poverty and disease and better access to medical care, with more hope for the refugees, with financially sustainable environmental solutions and better educational, business and job opportunities for us all. We as a Party cannot afford another Rwanda to happen - ever.

We who call us Democrats and some of us who call ourselves Progressives need to believe it is not our elected Presidents, Senators, Congressional or Party leaders with their feet of clay that have the answers. The answers and real solutions lie within each one of us. So let us all join together, celebrate our freedom and commit ourselves to help solve the many problems we face - each and every day for the rest of our lives.

Back in July I founded the Progressive Caucus of Democrats Abroad to begin the task of forming issues that matter in ways that make sense. Now that the elections are over it is time to get to work on this task. If any of you want to be a part of that process follow this link and join our Global Think Tank within Democrats Abroad.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PCDA

Bill Quam
Founder, Progressive Caucus of Democrats Abroad