Predisposing our precriminations

dr. elsewhere here

Regarding Joe's post just below this one (apologies for repeating the theme; no intention to steal thunder, just to emphasize the importance of this issue):

I don't think it will be enough to be ready on the 7th to respond, though Joe is right that the general situation will be better than it was two years ago and certainly than it was in 2002 and 2000.

We should be writing all those blogs in that list persistently and relentlessly, demanding that they address the problem, demanding that they list links to sites devoted to these issues, demanding that they set up fraud watches on their sites, and demanding that they alert the public to the dangers and what each of us can do about them.

We should also be encouraging Keith to anticipate these issues. We should also be writing CNN, first thanking Lou Dobbs for taking the electronic voting problems so seriously, but asking why they're not also covering the many other systematic dirty tricks that have been implemented to keep the "riff-raff" voters away (e.g., purge lists, push polling, provisional ballots, voter ID cards, reduced machinery at high democratic polls, republican secretaries of state, etc. ad nauseam). The problems with the machines are bad enough to be sexy TV, but the rest of it would of course risk accusations of picking on the Republicans at best, and the easy 'conspiracy theories' at worst.

In addition to Brad Friedman, Greg Palast, and American Blackout, folks should spend some time with Velvet Revolution and their Election Protection Strike Force. The Strike Force is offering a reward for reports of election fraud, lists hotlines for voter fraud and voting "incidents," and has spent a great deal of effort working toward a return to paper ballots.

There are tons of questions, not least among them, what is the current status of the National Election Polls, especially now that Mitofsky (notorious of 2004) has passed away. I am currently composing a set of questions for statistician Mark Blumenthal, particularly about exit polls. In 2004, I posed this question to John Zogby: Why is it considered standard for exit pollsters to inject some of the "official" count into their numbers? How does this keep the exit poll numbers clean? Especially when we have so many reasons to suspect foul play. His answer was simply that this is the way it's done. Hunh??

Another question I have is, what is the general standing of secretaries of state this year, particularly with regard to their partisanship and their politicking. Ken Blackwell is surely the most egregious example of the system turned on its head, though California's Bruce McPherson comes in a close second. Anyone out there have those numbers?

Any other questions, please post in the comments. And ACT!! If you're not driving folks to the polls, then watch at the polls, and better yet, VIDEO!! Check to see if it's too late to sign up as an official poll watcher; if it is, find out what you can do to help as a volunteer, especially if you have computer skills.

These issues are utterly crucial. But we should be concerned about why Rove is so smug and confident (just why is no one voicing concern or suspicions about that?), and be prepared to launch a huge stink about anything that defies the current trends.

These criminals will NOT give up power, period. And for anyone to think that they'd let the American voter kick them out of office, well how gullible can you get? I'd like to hear Josh answer that one.