Mosh, b*tches!
With just 4 days before the election, I've gained a tenuous sense of optimism about Kerry winning this thing. I think things have shaped up to where it's his to win and we just have to hope it doesn't get stolen out from under his feet. I sort of have that feeling I had in 1992--there's change in the air. The air is thick with it. But things are different now because we know that elections can be stolen and that the other side will do absolutely anything (no matter how heinous) to save its political hide. This is the key thing. Will the vote count be rigged? Has it already been rigged? Will there be mass lawsuits contesting new voter registrations? What shenanigans will happen in poor minority districts? Will there be violence? Will it go to the Supreme Court?
What follows is my rambling. It's not meant to be coherent, though it may come across that way in parts.
A high turnout helps Kerry and finishes Bush. I just hope all the talk of record levels of new registrations means higher voter turnout.
The polls are meaningless. They don't reflect the new registrations. They vary widely from poll to poll. And, because of the electoral college, polls are important in swing states because who needs to win the popular vote to be President? The best the conservative media can do with these polls is say that the race is a statistical tie. This, to me, means that Bush is in trouble. And there's something antiquated about the polling process anyway. Calling people on the phone--how can this still work in 2004? With caller ID, I don't even answer the phone unless I recognize the number. If somehow I answer and somehow is trying to get information from me, I hang up. Howard Dean's campaign using the Internet for fundraising demonstrated the way to do things has changed. This election won't show it, but I think the next one will with regards to the polling world (though I can't say how it has).
The news is coming out bad for Bush. The Al Qaqaa explosives story. Halliburton being investigated by the FBI. Drudge and co. are throwing out the "liberal media" conspiracy excuse. That, to me, reflects a high level of desperation. After everything, they're coming back to the "liberal media" which has done everything to prop up this train wreck because they're run out of excuses and they've got no one left but their old standby. The Al Qaqaa story, no matter how they spin it, is bad news for Bush. I think the best you can say is they overlooked the sight or got there too late, which raises questions about planning and troop numbers and shows overwhelming incompetence. Based on info from the inspectors, they should've know where everything was or should've been. If Hussein and his arsenal--real or fictitious--were so dangerous to the US and the world, shouldn't that have been the first thing secured regardless of the number of casualties we would've suffered? If they couldn't spare troops, the Pentagon was wrong and we needed a bigger force. The worst you can say is that they knew WMD's were fictitious so they didn't bother to look and just didn't care about any sort of weapons, explosives, or munitions because it was going to be a cakewalk, Iraq was ours, and there wasn't going to be a potent insurgency.
The Red Sox winning the World Series gives everyone everywhere hope. It's ridiculous to draw parallels between sporting events and politics but their victory shows that, with appropriate determination, anything is possible. It's also nice that the Red Sox come from Kerry's home state of Massachusetts.Voting irregularities are happening out in the open. It's not a secret anymore, which means the word is out. The thing is, what will we do? Will we say, oh well, there's nothing we can do, or even champion voter suppression because it helps a particular candidate, or do we stand up and say, enough, this is the last straw?
Anything can happen and the Democrats need to be prepared. If we have a repeat of 2000, do not go quietly and concede when the truth is on your side. If Kerry wins, and Bush declares martial law or some such trick and refuses to vacate, fight. Remember--this crowd in the White House will do anything to keep power. Since they're been office, this is what they've done repeatedly. They will not go quietly. Remember they have all 3 branches of government, a majority of the state governorships, the media, and big corporations. Be prepared for a fight, even if it's a Kerry landslide.
And, if Kerry does win and makes it in the White House doors, be prepared for a conservative assault worse than what was thrown at Bill Clinton. They've consolidated their power even further the last 4 years and will not take lightly to being tossed out on their ears. Impeachment will be just the beginning. And expect the conservatives to do a complete about face and do everything they villified the opposition with--not supporting the President during a time of war, calling for peace rather than war, not kissing the ring on his pinky finger--and developing complete amnesia about the Bush administration when they do so. If they lose the electoral vote but win the popular vote (what sweet justice that would be), expect them to ram through a Constitutional amendment abolishing the Electoral College.
And one last thing--if Kerry does get the White House, hang these bastards dead if you get the chance. Clinton had the chance to do this with Bush I and the Iran Contra shit, but, in the name of goodwill, he let it go and you can see what that got him. If there's an opportunity to bring Ashcroft or Cheney or any of these crooks up on charges, do it. Otherwise, they will be back to kill you another day. There's going to be a lot of shit to do if Kerry wins. The celebration will be short because he's got to get to work fixing everything Bush broke. He'll be doing it, most likely, with a bitter Republican Congress fighting back. But take the time, if the opportunity arises, to make sure they're dead.
What follows is my rambling. It's not meant to be coherent, though it may come across that way in parts.
A high turnout helps Kerry and finishes Bush. I just hope all the talk of record levels of new registrations means higher voter turnout.
The polls are meaningless. They don't reflect the new registrations. They vary widely from poll to poll. And, because of the electoral college, polls are important in swing states because who needs to win the popular vote to be President? The best the conservative media can do with these polls is say that the race is a statistical tie. This, to me, means that Bush is in trouble. And there's something antiquated about the polling process anyway. Calling people on the phone--how can this still work in 2004? With caller ID, I don't even answer the phone unless I recognize the number. If somehow I answer and somehow is trying to get information from me, I hang up. Howard Dean's campaign using the Internet for fundraising demonstrated the way to do things has changed. This election won't show it, but I think the next one will with regards to the polling world (though I can't say how it has).
The news is coming out bad for Bush. The Al Qaqaa explosives story. Halliburton being investigated by the FBI. Drudge and co. are throwing out the "liberal media" conspiracy excuse. That, to me, reflects a high level of desperation. After everything, they're coming back to the "liberal media" which has done everything to prop up this train wreck because they're run out of excuses and they've got no one left but their old standby. The Al Qaqaa story, no matter how they spin it, is bad news for Bush. I think the best you can say is they overlooked the sight or got there too late, which raises questions about planning and troop numbers and shows overwhelming incompetence. Based on info from the inspectors, they should've know where everything was or should've been. If Hussein and his arsenal--real or fictitious--were so dangerous to the US and the world, shouldn't that have been the first thing secured regardless of the number of casualties we would've suffered? If they couldn't spare troops, the Pentagon was wrong and we needed a bigger force. The worst you can say is that they knew WMD's were fictitious so they didn't bother to look and just didn't care about any sort of weapons, explosives, or munitions because it was going to be a cakewalk, Iraq was ours, and there wasn't going to be a potent insurgency.
The Red Sox winning the World Series gives everyone everywhere hope. It's ridiculous to draw parallels between sporting events and politics but their victory shows that, with appropriate determination, anything is possible. It's also nice that the Red Sox come from Kerry's home state of Massachusetts.Voting irregularities are happening out in the open. It's not a secret anymore, which means the word is out. The thing is, what will we do? Will we say, oh well, there's nothing we can do, or even champion voter suppression because it helps a particular candidate, or do we stand up and say, enough, this is the last straw?
Anything can happen and the Democrats need to be prepared. If we have a repeat of 2000, do not go quietly and concede when the truth is on your side. If Kerry wins, and Bush declares martial law or some such trick and refuses to vacate, fight. Remember--this crowd in the White House will do anything to keep power. Since they're been office, this is what they've done repeatedly. They will not go quietly. Remember they have all 3 branches of government, a majority of the state governorships, the media, and big corporations. Be prepared for a fight, even if it's a Kerry landslide.
And, if Kerry does win and makes it in the White House doors, be prepared for a conservative assault worse than what was thrown at Bill Clinton. They've consolidated their power even further the last 4 years and will not take lightly to being tossed out on their ears. Impeachment will be just the beginning. And expect the conservatives to do a complete about face and do everything they villified the opposition with--not supporting the President during a time of war, calling for peace rather than war, not kissing the ring on his pinky finger--and developing complete amnesia about the Bush administration when they do so. If they lose the electoral vote but win the popular vote (what sweet justice that would be), expect them to ram through a Constitutional amendment abolishing the Electoral College.
And one last thing--if Kerry does get the White House, hang these bastards dead if you get the chance. Clinton had the chance to do this with Bush I and the Iran Contra shit, but, in the name of goodwill, he let it go and you can see what that got him. If there's an opportunity to bring Ashcroft or Cheney or any of these crooks up on charges, do it. Otherwise, they will be back to kill you another day. There's going to be a lot of shit to do if Kerry wins. The celebration will be short because he's got to get to work fixing everything Bush broke. He'll be doing it, most likely, with a bitter Republican Congress fighting back. But take the time, if the opportunity arises, to make sure they're dead.
