Departments
Carter/Baker Report can't face how the GOP stole America's 2004 election & is rigging 2008
by Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
September 20, 2005
The stolen elections of 2000, 2002 and 2004 are nowhere to be found in the milquetoast Carter-Baker Report now passing for wisdom on America's broken electoral system.
And unless the public is ready to face the reality that we no longer live in a nation with credible elections, the 2008 balloting is all but over.
As investigative reporters and registered voters living in central Ohio, we witnessed firsthand the outright theft of the 2004 election. We also endured the unwillingness of the Democratic Party to face up to a carefully choreographed "do everything" strategy that gave the presidency to George W. Bush for a second time, and which could make all elections to come virtually moot.
The just-issued report of a special commission headed by former President Jimmy Carter and Bush family consigliore Jim Baker is of little real value.
The report warns that public confidence in the electoral system is disappearing. But it fails to point out the most obvious cause: in both 2000 and 2004, the presidency was stolen, and the Republican Party made a mockery of those who took the time and effort to vote. It did the same in Georgia in 2002, when it overrode the public will to install a Republican US Senator and Governor. The US Senate races that year in Minnesota and Colorado are also suspect, to say the least.
Much controversy surrounds the Carter-Baker report over its recommendation that photo IDs be required of all voters. This is the electoral equivalent of blaming the people of New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina (which, of course, this administration has essentially done).
A wide range of critics have pointed out that this requirement is racist and repressive. It is the equivalent of a poll tax and discriminates against people of color, the poor, the elderly, and civil libertarians who object on principle to a national identification card.
The report also recommends that officials who run elections should not be aggressive partisans. But the horse is already out of the barn on that one. Florida 2000 and Ohio 2004 were administered by co-chairs of the state Bush-Cheney campaigns. Secretaries of State Katherine Harris and J. Kenneth Blackwell were both extremely outspoken Republican advocates allegedly running non-partisan elections. It's now clear that their fraudulent, illegal vote fixing twice gave George W. Bush the White House.
Among the panel's 87 recommendations is also a warning that electronic voting machines must have verifiable paper trails. On paper this is important. But there are many ways to use electronic voting machines to steal elections, even with a paper trail, if the likes of Karl Rove and Dick Cheney are running the show.
In the most laughable Carter/Baker punch line, the commission warns that "had the margin of victory for the [2004] presidential contest been narrower, the lengthy dispute that followed the 2000 election could have been repeated."
In fact, in our own preliminary report, we have unearthed more than 180 bullet points dealing with exactly how the GOP did steal the presidency in Ohio. A "do everything" Republican assault on democracy used intimidation, fraud, vote theft, computer rigging, machine distribution manipulation, a fake Homeland security alert, trashing of provisional ballots, denial of a recount and dozens more "dirty tricks" to produce a 118,775 "official" margin for Bush that was an utter fiction.
Exit polls in nine swing states showed Kerry a clear winner as late as 12:21 am on election night. Nationwide exit polls showed him with a 1.5 million vote margin in the popular vote.
But somehow, against all statistical probability, Bush wound up with a popular vote victory of nearly 3.5 million. And somehow, against all statistical probability, he carried Ohio and three other states (Iowa, Nevada and New Mexico) where he had been the clear loser in the exit polls. Ohio alone was sufficient to give him a second term, just as Florida had been in 2000.
Such an outcome is beyond implausible -- unless you saw how the Rove-Blackwell machine stole the vote.
The tactics the GOP perfected in Ohio 2004 are now being honed for re-use in 2008. Neither Al Gore nor John Kerry nor the core of the Democratic Party has been willing to face the reality that elections in the United States are all but over. This latest wimp report from the Carter-Baker whitewash commission does no better.
Unless our electoral system gets a total top-to-bottom revamp by an informed public willing to deal with the systematic poisoning of American democracy, there is no reason to bother printing the ballots or plugging in the voting machines in 2008.
--
Harvey Wasserman & Bob Fitrakis are co-authors of HOW THE GOP STOLE AMERICA'S 2004 ELECTION & IS RIGGING 2008, now available in a special release at http://freepress.org and http://harveywasserman.com.
|
 |
Recent Election Issues Articles
An open letter to the Election Assistance Commission December 25, 2005 John Gideon, Executive Director of VotersUnite.Org and Information Manager for VoteTrustUSA.Org
Diebold hack proven in county test! December 17, 2005 Glenn Yeagley
Diebold Inc. in a tailspin after resignation of CEO and filing of a class action fraud lawsuit December 17, 2005 VelvetRevolution.us
Orr thinks machines make voting simpler, more secure December 17, 2005 Mario Bartoletti
Diebold "hack test" - Sec. State / Black Box Lawyer square off December 10, 2005 Black Box Voting
With new legislation, Ohio Republicans plan holiday burial for American Democracy December 6, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
Important daily voting news December 4, 2005 John Gideon
Poll shock November 24, 2005 Robert C. Koehler, Tribune Media Services
Ohio's Diebold Debacle: New machines call election results into question November 24, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
Diebold attempts to evade election transparency laws November 20, 2005 Matt Zimmerman
Supreme Court stabs another GOP knife into US democracy by upholding ex-felon vote ban November 16, 2005 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
Has American Democracy died an electronic death in Ohio 2005's referenda defeats? November 11, 2005 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
What John Kerry definitely said about 2004’s stolen election and why it's killing American democracy November 10, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
Scrap the "secret" ballot - return to open voting November 5, 2005 Lynn Landes
Clarification of NEDA's withdrawal of Ohio exit poll paper November 5, 2005 Kathy Dopp
Clarification of NEDA's withdrawal of Ohio exit poll paper November 3, 2005 Kathy Dopp, National Election Data Archive
Watergate-style money laundering indictments stoke Ohio's stolen election fires October 28, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
Powerful Government Accountability Office report confirms key 2004 stolen election findings October 26, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
Did you erase your own vote? October 25, 2005 Warren Stewart, Director of Legislative Issues and Policy, www.VoteTrustUSA.org
Why can't the left face the Stolen Elections of 2004 & 2008? October 18, 2005 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
Carter/Baker Report can't face how the GOP stole America's 2004 election & is rigging 2008 September 20, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back September 20, 2005 Warren Stewart, Director of Legislative Issues and Policy, VoteTrustUSA
FEMA Chief Brown Paid Millions in False Claims to Help Bush Win Fla. Votes September 19, 2005 Jason Leopold
Ohio recount lawsuit set for trial; election workers indicted September 4, 2005 Blair Bobier
Ohio Governor's ethics violations expose money trail to stolen 2004 election August 30, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
Diebold's failure in California August 7, 2005 John Gideon, Information Manager, www.VotersUnite.Org and www.VoteTrustUSA.Org
Did the GOP steal another Ohio Election? August 5, 2005 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
Conyers-Kaptur seek special counsel for Noe probe August 4, 2005 John Conyers, Jr. and Marcy Kaptur
Dramatic new charges deepen link between Ohio's "Coingate," Voinovich mob connections, and the theft of the 2004 election July 29, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
None dare call it stolen - Ohio, the election, and America's servile press July 24, 2005 Mark Crispin Miller, summarized by Mary Anne Saucier, Columbus, Ohio
Civic Engagement and the Restoration of Community from a voter activist’s view July 19, 2005 Terri Zins
My report from Hocking County, July 5, 2005: An update on Sherole Eaton's unfolding Story July 7, 2005 Victoria Parks, Ohio Backbone Campaign
Handbook for Ohio Voter Activists, Version 2.0 July 7, 2005 Various activists
Direct testimony: Presented to Election Assessment Hearing July 4, 2005 Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D.
Log Cabin Republicans in Ohio July 4, 2005 Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D.
With a limp election theft report, Dems prove why they're unworthy June 28, 2005 Harvey Wasserman and Bob Fitrakis
Voting problems and uncounted votes in Lucas County, Ohio June 28, 2005 Justine Smith
The DNC 2004 Election Report: An indictment of incompetence June 25, 2005 Steven Rosenfeld and Bob Fitrakis
Corporate control of the election process June 22, 2005 John Gideon
Introduction: Did George W. Bush steal America's 2004 election? June 16, 2005 Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
Voter Confidence Committee Calls For Rejection of CA Special Election June 16, 2005 Dave Berman
Activists from 25 states lobby for paper ballots on June 9 and 10 June 10, 2005 VoteTrustUSA.org
Fear of riffraff June 10, 2005 Robert C. Koehler, Tribune Media Services
Electoral Politics and the War: Lessons from 2004 and What the Anti-War Movement Should do in 2006 June 8, 2005 Kevin Zeese
Optical scan machines hacked in Florida June 2, 2005 Black Box Voting
Does ES&S really want to sell the Automark machines? May 28, 2005 John Gideon
Attack on election board whistleblower and leaked Blackwell threats re-fire Ohio's election theft scandal May 23, 2005 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
Franklin County, Ohio Election Procedures – April and May 2005 May 6, 2005 Paddy Shaffer
Carter Gets It – But Will His Electoral Commission? April 24, 2005 Kevin Zeese and Linda Schade
Voter Perceptions and Political Deceptions: Federal, Ohio and Knox April 24, 2005 Mike Swinford
Electoral reform groups call for James Baker's resignation from electoral reform commission April 17, 2005 Ilene Proctor
National Conference on Election Reform Opens with Civil Rights Panel April 13, 2005 Abigail Thorton
View from Another Planet April 13, 2005 Josh Mitteldorf
Democrats! Paper “Trails” Aren’t Good Enough. Count The Damn Ballots! April 12, 2005 Lynn Landes
Democrats, Paper ‘Trails’ Aren’t Good Enough; Count The Damn Ballots! April 1, 2005 Lynn Landes, Online Journal Contributing Writer
Scientific Analysis Suggests Presidential Vote Counts May Have Been Altered March 30, 2005 US Vote Counts
As Blackwell Says, Ohio’s in 2004 was a National Model March 24, 2005 Steve Rosenfeld, Bob Fitrakis, and Harvey Wasserman
Understanding the difference between paper ballots and paper audit trails March 20, 2005 Gary Beckwith
Save Our Democracy March 16, 2005 John Irwin
Republicans maneuvering to get Voting Rights Act killed March 10, 2005 Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
Legal filing highlights Blackwell's hypocrisy in Ohio recount case March 7, 2005 Blair Bobier
Selma 40 Years Later March 6, 2005 Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
Exit Poll Madness - Analyst Steve Freeman & Company Offer False Choice March 4, 2005 Lynn Landes
Libertarians To Testify in Ohio House: Modernize Ohio's Election Laws March 3, 2005 Robert Butler
The New Voting Rights Movement Begins Here Today March 2, 2005 Steven Rosenfeld
Voting in America February 28, 2005 Bob Babson
The Mighty Texas Strike Force February 28, 2005 Nick Mottern - Documentary News Service
Blackwell presidential election sanctions briefs February 22, 2005 Various individuals
Representative Conyers and others file amicus brief in Ohio Supreme Court February 17, 2005 Dena Graziano
Congresswoman Tubbs Jones Outraged at Blackwell's Failure to Appear During House Administration Hearing February 12, 2005 Office of Rep. Tubbs Jones
Ohio Attorney-General's attack on election protection attorneys draws mountain of documentation on state's stolen election, including new study on exit polls February 3, 2005 Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
Prominent Statisticians Refute 'Explanation' of 2004 U.S. Exit Poll Discrepancies in New Edison/Mitofsky Report and Urge Investigation of U.S. Presidential Election Results January 31, 2005 Bruce O'Dell
The last man to concede... January 29, 2005 Sheila Samples
Report on Washington DC, January 6, 2005 January 25, 2005 Avram Friedman
Arkansas in 2004: Did Bush Really Win? January 24, 2005 Max Standridge
New links January 23, 2005 Free Press staff
Voting Problems and Uncounted Votes in Lucas County, Ohio January 23, 2005 Justine Smith
Plan B: Parallel Elections & Signed Ballots January 20, 2005 Lynn Landes
Open Letter to Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro from Representative John Conyers, Jr. January 20, 2005 Representative John Conyers, Jr.
Open Letter to Warren Mitofsky and Larry Rosin from Representative John Conyers, Jr. January 20, 2005 Representative John Conyers, Jr.
Ohio's GOP Attorney General launches revenge attack on Election Protection legal team January 19, 2005 Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
What are they hiding in New Mexico? January 18, 2005 Warren Stewart, National Ballot Integrity Project
In the Shadow of Dr. King, counting the vote remains a civil rights issue January 17, 2005 Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
Did the “Liberal Media” Get the 2004 Election All Wrong?
January 16, 2005 Gene C. Gerard
'COUNT EVERY VOTE. EVERY VOTE COUNTS' January 16, 2005 Mary Anne Saucier
Moss v. Bush moves on and movement continues January 13, 2005 Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
Rally Continues Drive for Democracy January 9, 2005 Mark Huntress
Estimated vote count in Ohio January 8, 2005 Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D.
January 6 Washington, D.C. rally report January 8, 2005 Nick Mottern
Together, we moved three mountains January 8, 2005 Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
What the election challenge means January 8, 2005 David Swanson, ILCA
Progressive Democrats lead historic voting rights protest as Congress ratifies flawed 2004 Electoral College tally January 7, 2005 Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
Arnebeck letter to Congress re Presidential Electoral Challenge January 6, 2005 Clifford O. Arnebeck, Jr.
Senator Barbara Boxer, D-CA and Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-OH contested the election January 6, 2005 Free Press staff
The "Crime of November 2": The human side of how Bush stole Ohio, and why Congress must investigate rather than ratify the Electoral College (Part Two of Two) January 5, 2005 Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
Status Report of the House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff January 5, 2005 U.S. Rep. John Conyers and staff
Seven key reasons why the vote must be challenged at the electoral college January 3, 2005 Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition
Ten preliminary reasons why the Bush vote does not compute, and why Congress must investigate rather than certify the Electoral College (Part One of Two) January 3, 2005 Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
Verified election contest petitions and documents in Ohio Supreme Court January 2, 2005 The undersigned
Distribution of voting machines by county in Ohio January 1, 2005 Andy Shifflette
Did We Bounce An Election? January 1, 2005 Warren Stewart, votersunite.org
Presidential election congressional hearing transcript January 1, 2005 Congresspeople Waters, Tubbs-Jones and Conyers and others
Read Election Issues Articles by Year: 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 |