DEPARTMENTS
ANTI-WAR
DEATH PENALTY
ELECTIONS
ENVIRONMENT
GLBT ISSUES
HEMP
INTERNATIONAL
NATIONAL
REVIEWS
|
Departments Election Issues Our national juncture The former is a complex, internal problem of democracy, the acknowledgment of which requires us to face our national contradictions and inner demons, and, applying informed intelligence, demand changes in our system so it restrains our worst impulses and truly serves our ideals; the latter is a simple, mythical problem, a variation of the familiar “us vs. them” scenario that allows “us” to feel righteously threatened and strike at “them” (and their allies) with passion and force. The two issues — one real and deeply troubling, the other false yet familiar and compelling — define, with what I would call barbed irony, our national juncture, which is headed toward a profound resolution on Election Day, less than three weeks hence. Will we continue on as the United States of George Bush, arrogant, reckless and scared of our own shadow? This is increasingly the tenor of the desperate, fact-challenged McCain-Palin campaign, which is going all out to stoke its base into a frenzy of us vs. the terrorists, us vs. the Muslims, us vs. the elitists, us vs. the ’60s radicals,. . . us vs. “them” (shhhh, you know who I mean, Michelle’s his baby mama). What it comes down to is us vs. anybody. This is the language of war. It’s the only language spoken by McCain, the hijacked Republican Party and the media blather-machine that serves them. So consider the sudden enemy status accorded the national community organization ACORN, which has helped some 1.3 million people — low-income, young and minority — register to vote this year. For its trouble, the organization was raided by police in Las Vegas and seriously challenged in Missouri, Ohio and elsewhere by the very officials who ought to be thanking them for expanding the reach of democracy. At issue were a small number of duplicate or improperly filled out registration forms, inevitable in any operation on such a large scale, which the organization flagged when it submitted the forms to state boards of election. “In nearly every case that has been reported , it was ACORN that discovered the bad forms, and called them to the attention of election authorities,” the organization notes in a press release. Furthermore: “There has never been a single reported instance in which bogus registration forms have led to anyone voting improperly,” the organization points out. “To do that, they would have to show up at the polls, prove their identity as all first-time registrants must, and risk jail.” Could a “national threat” possibly be less plausible? Yet vilifying ACORN and other voter registration groups that seek to enfranchise and empower the socially marginalized serves several purposes. (Vilifying them again, I should say; the “attorney-gate” scandal that led to Alberto Gonzales’ disgraced departure from the Justice Department a year ago was about the firing of U.S. attorneys who refused to prosecute such organizations on trumped up voter-fraud charges in 2004 and 2006.) Doing so not only stokes the Republican base the same way calling Barack Obama a terrorist does, setting real Americans against the riffraff who would try to breach our electoral process the same way they’re sneaking across our borders; it also creates a “false equivalence,” as Kenneth Anderson put it, with the vote fraud and suppression tactics the GOP is in fact using — by purging voter rolls and many other means — to keep as many Democrats as possible from voting this year, and at the same time serves the cause of vote suppression by creating a voting climate of chaos and duress. “The strategy,” writes Anderson for OpEd News, “is set: purge voters, sow confusion, and stomp up and down about ‘voter fraud’ emanating from a grass roots community organization most Americans have never heard of.” He adds: “In the event that GOP election rigging, voter disenfranchisement and the expected waves of confusion, failing machines and voter challenges at the polls on election night fail to deliver John McCain a win in November, ‘voter fraud’ will be the first thing to ring out from Republicans across the country.” Thus as we head toward a historic showdown on Nov. 4, let us do so with our eyes wide open. The vote totals announced that night on the tube will only be part of the story and, almost certainly, only a partial reflection of the national will. How many legitimate voters will be denied the right to vote? How many will be discouraged by long lines caused by equipment breakdown or a deliberately insufficient number of machines in their precinct? Will all the votes be recorded and counted correctly? Wanting every eligible voter to cast a vote and have it counted is not a partisan position, yet in a nation that is at war with itself it becomes one. --- Robert Koehler, an award-winning, Chicago-based journalist, is an editor at Tribune Media Services and nationally syndicated writer. You can respond to this column at bkoehler@tribune.com or visit his Web site at commonwonders.com. © 2008 Tribune Media Services, Inc. |
|
Recent Election Issues Articles Why Al Franken should NOT be riding private planes The suspicious, disturbing death of election rigger Michael Connell Last US House seat filled on grave of stolen 2004 election What happened this year in Ohio Imaginary numbers persist in our presidential elections The GOP attack on democracy continues in Ohio The 2008 Presidential election: a preliminary analysis Election protection in Ohio (and America) isn't over Recount fictions in Virginia's Fifth The Pits: Georgia's GOP swipes the Peach State Grant Park on Election Night Can the grassroots Internet-based election protection movement win the White House? How and why I just voted No time for Nader: A letter to Nader McKinney voters 'Vote stealing imperils democracy': former Montague resident charges election manipulation Will this Presidential election be stolen? It didn’t happen by chance... The time has come Beware the Twin Towers of electronic election theft Sarah Palin and the new Apostolic reformation Antidotes to complacency: four reasons to act Redesigning democracy A McCain "win" will be theft: resistance is planned Critical US Supreme Court ruling against Rovian GOP vote meddling may prove temporary Our national juncture Suppression Cuyahoga's witch hunt Videos from Ohio Election Protection Conference The Palin-Biden debate: high time to move beyond clichés Struggle: A Documentary GOP attacks on American voters turn desperate, ugly and dangerous Warming to Palin Brace yourself Cindy, Charlotte, and our Constitution Rainbow PUSH Coalition registers 2090 new voters this week Big presidential vote count error found and fixed in New Mexico Ohio 2008 opens with a subpoena, a surge and calls for election protection North Carolina: The new Ohio? Foreign policy debate all about war Be a poll worker and save American democracy Why hurricane Ike demands paper ballots on November 4 Death becomes her: let's make her our president Ten ways the McCain/Palin GOP is now stealing the Ohio vote John McCain: Morally, mentally, and emotionally unfit Logical consequences Rovian politics chose Sarah Palin Shocking choice by John McCain Ron Paul endorsement of Don Young "shocking and disappointing" The DNC platform: belief you can change in Obama doesn't sweat. He should. Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. applauds Sen. Obama’s speech before the NAACP Three key ways YOU can help protect the 2008 election Colleges, voter registration, and a historic opportunity: a more detailed proposal Obama must learn from Kucinich's election theft impeachment Clinton only needs 153% of remaining delegates The buried Florida story: why campaigning matters The myth of Clinton's popular vote lead Did the Limbaugh effect also flip Michigan? Edwards just put Obama over the top Did the Limbaugh effect also flip Michigan? Obama-Clinton funny math: Guam update Did the US Supreme Court deliver the Indiana Primary to Hillary Clinton? Did the US Supreme Court just elect John McCain? The 2008 election will be stolen The done deal Letter to Hillary: remember when John McCain slimed your daughter Fire and race Keep the Republic What it's all about... Can SuperDelegates stop the scorched earth campaigning? An election without meaning We have a dream Hope, change, and pissing in the wind: "Of Obama, Democrats, and the Power Elite" Ohio's voting machines are now an official crime scene Did Republicans give Hillary her victory in Ohio? Primary day at the polls in Columbus, Ohio Obama & Clinton: who's more likely to confront global warming? If you think Karl Rove is evil, make phone calls today Obama's talking points Adventures in inaudible audio with Senator Barack Obama Attention all voters: this is a must-see video On the campaign trail in the Buckeye State stalking the candidates: John McCain Will Clinton's advisors tell her the hard truths? How much damage will Clinton do before she folds? The Hillary nutcracker Behind Obama's wave of victories: the more they know him….. Hillary's hawks -- How Obama's and Clinton's advisors mirror their stands on the war Poll shows John McCain faces tough road in gaining conservative support The Obama Factors Vote against Clinton Why this Edwards voter Is now backing Obama Liveblogging Obama v. Clinton v. CNN It's all about Hillary, not her party The South Carolina you won't see on CNN - South Carolina primary colors: black and white? The South Carolina you won't see on CNN - South Carolina primary colors: black and white? Conspiracy theorist Hillary Clinton's sleaze parade Bob & Harvey's 3-Step "Ohio Plan" for fair and reliable voting and vote counts Media misses story: Obedwards wins New Hampshire Primary concerns Clear evidence of widespread vote fraud in New Hampshire The Kudzu Effect: The Voting-Industrial Complex chokes our democracy Still true to ObEdwards: Why I keep donating to both Edwards and Obama Clinton campaign office re-occupied by peace activists on day of Iowa voting Read Election Issues Articles by Year: |
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.
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