Sun May 26 2013
Departments
Election Issues

The 2008 election will be stolen
by David Swanson
April 19, 2008

A new collection of essays edited by Mark Crispin Miller called "Loser Take All: Election Fraud and the Subversion of Democracy, 2000 - 2008," tells the story better than any single source I've seen yet.

The Supreme Court stopped a recount in Florida in 2000 that would have made Al Gore president. This is not speculation. The recount was later done.

Numerous elections were stolen in 2002, in Colorado, New Hampshire, Minnesota, and elsewhere, including Senate, Governor, and House races in Georgia that were practically openly swiped by Diebold's elections unit president flying in at the last minute and altering the election machines. The theft of Don Siegelman's 2002 election as governor of Alabama was almost as transparent. One county reported a set of results from electronic machines that made Siegelman governor, then recalculated and reported a different set of results. The new results were statistically impossible, and the pair of reports strongly suggested exactly how the machines were rigged, first mistakenly and later as intended.

John Kerry and John Edwards won the presidential election in 2004. The evidence of specific fraud in Ohio and elsewhere is overwhelming, but so is the evidence of the exit polls. The unadjusted exit polls show Kerry and Edwards winning. When the results are "adjusted" to conform to the official results, we are asked to believe that Bush and Cheney increased their big city voters from 2.3 million in 2000 to 5.4 million in 2004, a 153 percent increase. While support for Cheney-Bush dropped off in rural areas, small towns, medium sized cities, etc., it skyrocketed in the Democratic strongholds of big cities. Let me be clear: that's the official story of what happened, not the wild conspiracy theory of ordinary people who allow themselves to be influenced by facts, logic, or memory of actual events.

Election fraud was not limited to Ohio or to the presidential race in 2004, but was widespread and systematic. This was also true in 2006. In many cases, Democratic turnout overwhelmed Republican fraud in 2006, and the Democrats picked up 30 new seats. But those victories were by larger margins than people believe. In other races, Republican fraud won out, and was immediately hushed up. Read the evidence in "Loser Take All," and then think about how the current Congress would have been different with 40 or 50 new Democrats rather than 30. The 2006 elections saw the most widespread and sophisticated election fraud our country has yet seen, combined with the greatest public confidence since 2000 that elections were honest and verifiable. That combination does not bode well for 2008.

The views of Senator John McCain are so far from those of most Americans, that Miller rightly refers to the Republicans as a fringe party. But that fringe party is perfecting election theft. The only way to prevent John McCain from being the next president would be to hand him such a whopping defeat that he could not plausibly claim to have honestly won. Sadly, Senator Obama (the Democratic nominee, barring an antidemocratic coup by super delegates) appears intent on avoiding a landslide at all costs and aiming, rather, for a tight victory of 1 or 2 percent. (And Senator Clinton appears intent on losing the election should she be miraculously nominated.)

Obama is sitting on a number of keys to a landslide if he would only pull them out of his pocket and use them. Thus far it appears he will not. The 20 percent of Americans who support the occupation of Iraq are not potential Obama voters. There is nothing to be gained by appealing to them. But when I talk to people in the peace movement, they are increasingly telling me they plan to stay home or vote for a third party candidate such as Ralph Nader or Cynthia McKinney. None of them are potential McCain voters. They are, in fact, what Senator Hillary Clinton disdainfully refers to as "the activist base of the Democratic Party." According to Clinton, these people:

"turn out in great numbers. And they are very driven by their view of [my] positions, and it's primarily national security and foreign policy that drives them. I don't agree with them. They know I don't agree with them."

Well, guess what, we don't agree with Obama either. We appreciate the credit Clinton gives us for her defeat. For his own good, Obama needs to understand that he's next, that those of us who actively represent the 80 percent of the nation opposed to the occupation will direct our activism at him until he agrees to a speedy and complete withdrawal from Iraq. And we will mobilize millions to guarantee a landslide if Obama stands up this week and leads a filibuster of the next $170 billion for the occupation. If he continues to claim that he opposes the occupation while funding it with our grandchildren's borrowed treasure, his criticism of McCain will fall flat. If he continues to speak of reducing the U.S. presence in Iraq to "non-combat troops" while soldiers get their heads blown off deep within the Green Zone, he will lose all credibility. A "non-combat troop" in Iraq is another name for John McCain's fantasy that the Iraqis will someday stop resisting. If Obama votes No on the $170 billion without actively lobbying his colleagues to vote No, he will not be seen as sincere.

Obama was asked last week in Philadelphia about impeachment, indictment, and accountability for Bush and Cheney. He suggested that he MIGHT investigate their crimes AFTER we elect him president, and that he MIGHT prosecute them "if" they were found to have committed crimes. "If"? "If"? That word may become as famous as Dick Cheney's "So?" At every stop Obama makes on this endless campaign, people should hand him copies of John Conyers' "The Constitution in Crisis," a book you can buy in most bookstores which documents a long list of criminal offenses committed by Bush and Cheney. Does Obama disagree with the book's conclusions? Does he have a response to Bush's public confession to violating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act? Does he question the two Government Accountability Office studies that have found that in a significant percentage of cases, when Bush has announced his right to violate laws through signing statements, he has proceeded to violate those laws? Does Obama now believe the invasion of Iraq and everything that came with it was possibly legal? Was the February 7, 2002, order from Bush allowing the torture of detainees a legal act? "If?" "If?"

(You can find Conyers' whole book for free here: http://afterdowningstreet.org/constitutionincrisis Just click on "Summary," print out that short section, and send it to Obama.)

If Obama were to quietly allow impeachment hearings on Cheney or Bush to proceed on such subjects as torture and signing statements, he could put McCain on the defensive and force him to defend each crime while promising not to commit it. Impeachment hearings could squeeze out all coverage of nonsense spats and scandals. And if the American public understood that voting for Obama would put Bush and Cheney behind bars, we would see a landslide that could not be denied.

Sadly, it looks like we're going to see a tight race. During this tight race, good citizens will avoid all other political activism and devote their energies to the race. And not just their energies. We will transfer enough wealth to build a real populist movement for justice or a legitimate source of news into the hands of corporate television networks in the form of campaign ads. And, as a reward for our efforts, the election will be stolen.

Unless we interrupt this script and make some changes.




Recent Election Issues Articles

Why Al Franken should NOT be riding private planes
  December 23, 2008
  Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman

The suspicious, disturbing death of election rigger Michael Connell
  December 20, 2008
  Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman

Last US House seat filled on grave of stolen 2004 election
  December 9, 2008
  Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman

What happened this year in Ohio
  December 1, 2008
  Pete Johnson

Imaginary numbers persist in our presidential elections
  November 22, 2008
  Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D.

The GOP attack on democracy continues in Ohio
  November 19, 2008
  Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman

The 2008 Presidential election: a preliminary analysis
  November 19, 2008
  Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D.

Election protection in Ohio (and America) isn't over
  November 17, 2008
  Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman

Recount fictions in Virginia's Fifth
  November 9, 2008
  David Swanson

The Pits: Georgia's GOP swipes the Peach State
  November 6, 2008
  Greg Palast

Grant Park on Election Night
  November 5, 2008
  Joan Brunwasser

Can the grassroots Internet-based election protection movement win the White House?
  November 3, 2008
  Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman

How and why I just voted
  November 2, 2008
  David Swanson

No time for Nader: A letter to Nader McKinney voters
  November 2, 2008
  Paul Rogat Loeb

'Vote stealing imperils democracy': former Montague resident charges election manipulation
  November 2, 2008
  Richie Davis

Will this Presidential election be stolen? It didn’t happen by chance...
  November 2, 2008
  Channing Redditt and Amy Maldonado

The time has come
  October 30, 2008
  Robert C. Koehler

Beware the Twin Towers of electronic election theft
  October 30, 2008
  Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman

Sarah Palin and the new Apostolic reformation
  October 28, 2008
  Russ Bellant

Antidotes to complacency: four reasons to act
  October 28, 2008
  Paul Rogat Loeb

Redesigning democracy
  October 22, 2008
  Robert C. Koehler

A McCain "win" will be theft: resistance is planned
  October 21, 2008
  David Swanson

Critical US Supreme Court ruling against Rovian GOP vote meddling may prove temporary
  October 20, 2008
  Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman

Our national juncture
  October 17, 2008
  Robert C. Koehler

Suppression
  October 17, 2008
  Joe Rothstein

Cuyahoga's witch hunt
  October 13, 2008
  Victoria Lovegren, Ph.D.

Videos from Ohio Election Protection Conference
  October 12, 2008
  Free Press Staff

The Palin-Biden debate: high time to move beyond clichés
  October 11, 2008
  Ramzy Baroud

Struggle: A Documentary
  October 10, 2008
  Roger Hill

GOP attacks on American voters turn desperate, ugly and dangerous
  October 10, 2008
  Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman

Warming to Palin
  October 8, 2008
  David Swanson

Brace yourself
  October 8, 2008
  Robert C. Koehler

Cindy, Charlotte, and our Constitution
  October 8, 2008
  David Swanson

Rainbow PUSH Coalition registers 2090 new voters this week
  October 6, 2008
  Lauren Love

Big presidential vote count error found and fixed in New Mexico
  October 6, 2008
  Steven Rosenfeld

Ohio 2008 opens with a subpoena, a surge and calls for election protection
  October 1, 2008
  Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman

North Carolina: The new Ohio?
  September 30, 2008
  Christopher Bifani

Foreign policy debate all about war
  September 29, 2008
  David Swanson

Be a poll worker and save American democracy
  September 26, 2008
  Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman

Why hurricane Ike demands paper ballots on November 4
  September 17, 2008
  Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman

Death becomes her: let's make her our president
  September 15, 2008
  Jason Miller

Ten ways the McCain/Palin GOP is now stealing the Ohio vote
  September 9, 2008
  Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman

John McCain: Morally, mentally, and emotionally unfit
  September 8, 2008
  Jim Fetzer

Logical consequences
  September 4, 2008
  Robert C. Koehler

Rovian politics chose Sarah Palin
  September 3, 2008
  Paul Rogat Loeb

Shocking choice by John McCain
  August 31, 2008
  Robert Dewey

Ron Paul endorsement of Don Young "shocking and disappointing"
  August 27, 2008
  Richard A. Viguerie

The DNC platform: belief you can change in
  August 10, 2008
  David Swanson

Obama doesn't sweat. He should.
  July 29, 2008
  Greg Palast

Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. applauds Sen. Obama’s speech before the NAACP
  July 16, 2008
  Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.

Three key ways YOU can help protect the 2008 election
  July 3, 2008
  Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman

Colleges, voter registration, and a historic opportunity: a more detailed proposal
  June 19, 2008
  Paul Rogat Loeb

Obama must learn from Kucinich's election theft impeachment
  June 11, 2008
  Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman

Clinton only needs 153% of remaining delegates
  June 1, 2008
  David Swanson

The buried Florida story: why campaigning matters
  May 31, 2008
  Paul Rogat Loeb

The myth of Clinton's popular vote lead
  May 29, 2008
  Paul Rogat Loeb

Did the Limbaugh effect also flip Michigan?
  May 29, 2008
  Paul Rogat Loeb

Edwards just put Obama over the top
  May 15, 2008
  David Swanson

Did the Limbaugh effect also flip Michigan?
  May 14, 2008
  Paul Rogat Loeb

Obama-Clinton funny math: Guam update
  May 4, 2008
  David Swanson

Did the US Supreme Court deliver the Indiana Primary to Hillary Clinton?
  May 2, 2008
  Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman

Did the US Supreme Court just elect John McCain?
  April 30, 2008
  Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman

The 2008 election will be stolen
  April 19, 2008
  David Swanson

The done deal
  April 18, 2008
  Robert C. Koehler

Letter to Hillary: remember when John McCain slimed your daughter
  April 17, 2008
  Paul Rogat Loeb

Fire and race
  April 3, 2008
  Robert C. Koehler

Keep the Republic
  March 27, 2008
  Robert C. Koehler

What it's all about...
  March 25, 2008
  Sheila Samples

Can SuperDelegates stop the scorched earth campaigning?
  March 24, 2008
  Paul Rogat Loeb

An election without meaning
  March 23, 2008
  Peter Phillips

We have a dream
  March 23, 2008
  Phil Tajitsu Nash

Hope, change, and pissing in the wind: "Of Obama, Democrats, and the Power Elite"
  March 19, 2008
  Patrice Greanville and Jason Miller

Ohio's voting machines are now an official crime scene
  March 17, 2008
  Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman

Did Republicans give Hillary her victory in Ohio?
  March 8, 2008
  Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman

Primary day at the polls in Columbus, Ohio
  March 5, 2008
  David S. Lewis, National Affairs Editor

Obama & Clinton: who's more likely to confront global warming?
  March 4, 2008
  Paul Rogat Loeb

If you think Karl Rove is evil, make phone calls today
  March 4, 2008
  Paul Rogat Loeb

Obama's talking points
  March 1, 2008
  Gregg Gordon

Adventures in inaudible audio with Senator Barack Obama
  February 27, 2008
  David S. Lewis, National Affairs Editor

Attention all voters: this is a must-see video
  February 26, 2008
  Free Press staff

On the campaign trail in the Buckeye State stalking the candidates: John McCain
  February 24, 2008
  David S. Lewis, National Affairs Editor

Will Clinton's advisors tell her the hard truths?
  February 22, 2008
  Paul Rogat Loeb

How much damage will Clinton do before she folds?
  February 22, 2008
  Paul Rogat Loeb

The Hillary nutcracker
  February 21, 2008
  Robert C. Koehler

Behind Obama's wave of victories: the more they know him…..
  February 17, 2008
  Paul Rogat Loeb

Hillary's hawks -- How Obama's and Clinton's advisors mirror their stands on the war
  February 11, 2008
  Paul Rogat Loeb, introducing a Stephen Zunes article

Poll shows John McCain faces tough road in gaining conservative support
  February 11, 2008
  Richard A. Viguerie

The Obama Factors
  February 11, 2008
  Todd Huffman

Vote against Clinton
  February 4, 2008
  David Swanson

Why this Edwards voter Is now backing Obama
  February 2, 2008
  Paul Rogat Loeb

Liveblogging Obama v. Clinton v. CNN
  February 1, 2008
  David Swanson

It's all about Hillary, not her party
  January 29, 2008
  Paul Rogat Loeb

The South Carolina you won't see on CNN - South Carolina primary colors: black and white?
  January 26, 2008
  Greg Palast

The South Carolina you won't see on CNN - South Carolina primary colors: black and white?
  January 26, 2008
  Greg Palast

Conspiracy theorist
  January 24, 2008
  Robert C. Koehler

Hillary Clinton's sleaze parade
  January 20, 2008
  Paul Rogat Loeb

Bob & Harvey's 3-Step "Ohio Plan" for fair and reliable voting and vote counts
  January 16, 2008
  Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman

Media misses story: Obedwards wins New Hampshire
  January 11, 2008
  Paul Rogat Loeb

Primary concerns
  January 10, 2008
  Robert C. Koehler

Clear evidence of widespread vote fraud in New Hampshire
  January 10, 2008
  Paul Joseph Watson

The Kudzu Effect: The Voting-Industrial Complex chokes our democracy
  January 6, 2008
  Sheri Myers, Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman

Still true to ObEdwards: Why I keep donating to both Edwards and Obama
  January 6, 2008
  Paul Rogat Loeb

Clinton campaign office re-occupied by peace activists on day of Iowa voting
  January 4, 2008
  Mike Ferner




Read Election Issues Articles by Year:
2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000



FREE PRESS EMAIL UPDATE


Donate to the Free Press Election Protection Fund to help us investigate and monitor election fraud in this year's election.


Donate to The Free Press The Free Press Store

FOLLOW US ON
twitter
facebook


SEARCH THE FREEPRESS




1021 E. Broad St. Columbus, OH 43205 | 614.253.2571 | truth@freepress.org
All content © 1970-2012 The Columbus Free Press
Disclaimer