Parry reports that "One Kerry adviser told me the senator may be traveling outside the country on Jan. 6." That would be bad form on his part.
The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of Robert Byrd stepping up to the plate. Although if Edwards does the duty, he could capture some of the hard core support that Howard Dean now commands.
Kenny "the kapo" Konfesses: Raw Story editor John Byrne has uncovered an explosive letter in which Ken Blackwell, Ohio's controversial Secretary of State, reveals his true face. Before the votes were counted, he bragged about being "truly pleased" to "deliver" Ohio's votes to Bush. That phrasing will, of course, remind most people of Diebold CEO Walden O'Dell's infamous declaration, which used the exact same wording.
In apparent disregard for his nonpartisan role as Ohio's chief election official, the Republican Secretary and chairman of Bush's Ohio reelection campaign slammed Senator Kerry as a "disaster" who would have reaped "terrible" and "horrible" results on both Ohio and the United States.More:
"I have never shied away from giving the liberals fits," he remarked in the letter. "And I'm sure that with all the voter fraud we prevented during this last election, they will be looking to get even with me in my next political campaign."Uh...Kenny? There's a typo in your letter. The word "committed" was misspelled as "prevented." As for the "get even" remark: You bet your ass!
Recount challenged. What do David Cobb (Green), Michael Badnarik (Libertarian) and John Kerry (Democrat) have in common? Aside from the facts that they all ran for president in 2004 and all challenged various aspects of the Ohio vote count, they now have one further common denominator: They now also claim that the recount was highly dubious. Specifically, they allege tampering by Triad, based upon the affidavit of Sherole Eaton. (Is this the same affidavit that was tossed out by Moyer in the Arnebeck suit?)
The lawsuit appends an affidavit by computer specialist and voting consultant Douglas Jones, who addresses the issue of Triad's visits to various Boards of Elections. Jones claims that Triad's activities compromised the integrity of the process.
The recount of the presidential election in Ohio has been extremely well publicized, and certainly every county Board of Elections was aware of the pending recount. By allowing a representative of Triad GSI to unilaterally access the voting machines, without anyone notifying the candidates seeking the recount and providing them with the opportunity to be present for any modification in the tabulator, undermines the fundamental right of all parties involved in an election to observe the handling of the ballots...Moyer, of course, dismissed Eaton's affidavit as containing hearsay. Dig it: If I confess a murder to you, and you later report that confession to a judge, you are merely relaying "hearsay." The only testimony that counts is my recollection of what I said. That's first-hand stuff. So, how do you like the new rules of jurisprudence?
It may also be a violation of Ohio Revised Code 3505.32(c), which requires that such interaction with voting equipment be conducted in the presence of the Board of Election and anyone entitled to witness the official canvass of the ballots...
The Eaton affidavit states that the Triad representative stated that he could "put a patch on and fix it." This assertion, and its wording, are both troubling. The reported justification for working on the voting machine in the first place was a dead battery. If one is simply replacing a dead battery on a voting machine, there is no need to patch anything... In general, the word "patch" used in the context of computer systems refers to changes to the software, and it is generally the case that state election authorities must approve all such changes...
Clinton Curtis -- the fellow who claims to have been asked by his former employer (Yang inc. of Florida) to cobble together a prototype vote fraud program on behalf of congressman Tom Feeney -- will be on Alan Colmes' Fox News radio program at 11 p.m. tonight. (Wednesday night.)
When Brad Friedman first sent me this news, my first reaction to was to make a snide comment about Colmes. On his site, Friedman informs us "Alan is a regular BRAD BLOG reader, so be nice! ;-)"
Well, all right. I'll try.
Incidentally, yesterday's LAT carried an op-ed piece about Feeney. It seems the Floridian -- who has a reputation for language so harsh as to make even a blogger blush -- wants to do away with the hoary rule prohibiting members of one house of Congress from saying insulting things about members in the other house.
Obviously, the GOP hopes to turn all political discourse in this country into something resembling the "debate" available on the Free Republic web site. What's next -- "three minute hates," a la Orwell?
We need a senator. According to Brad Friedman, staffers working for Bill Nelson of Florida (a Democrat) intimated that Nelson might join congressman Conyers in challenging the Ohio slate of electors. No such luck, alas. Will Robert Byrd step up to the plate tomorrow?
Talking Points. Howard Dean supporters have compiled a list of talking points which we can use to counter commonly-heard misperceptions about the election controversy. This paper demonstrates some good, original thinking -- it presents arguments that don't just retrace those previously heard.
It's never too early for polls! According to the recent Ipsos poll, if the presidential election were held today, a generic Republican would lose handily to a generic Democrat.
Republicans may do that which Democrats may not. In Texas, three unsuccessful Republican state legislature aspirants are challenging their defeats. Whiners! Sore losermen! Conspiracy theorists! Tin foil hats! Black helicopters! Oliver Stone! Get over it! The time has come for the nation to move on...
(Did I miss any of the major cliches?)
More to come soon (check for updates)
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