November 03, 2004
Updated: Emotions Running High
Yes, it has already begun. The gloating by my conservative friends and colleagues...celebratory/concession lunches...talk of a conservative mandate from the election (even though Ohio was won by a mere 100,000 odd votes).
In reply I can say this: Get ready for high interest rates, national debt that will bury us, and the loss of our civil liberties...Patriot Act II comes to mind as an example.
Paraphrasing Jeff Veen...
To my friends and family around the world
America has lost its way in the world.
The Agony of Defeat
John Kerry concedes the election. Losing Ohio by 100K votes, while no majority or mandate for Bush, it is a loss for the Democrats. The Democratic Party is now truly in the same wilderness that the Republicans were in back in the 60's. Ouch.
4 Days to the Election
October 29, 2004
Pictured above, John Kerry with Bruce Springstreen in Wisconsin in front of a crowd numbering above 100,000 people.
Thanks to absentee balloting I went ahead and voted. I decided to vote absentee due to the lack of protection of secret balloting at my polling place in Tracy during the last election. That little item made me feel almost like my vote was being monitored and "bought."
Both items coupled with a secret ballot are items that are guaranteed by Federal Election laws. Unfortunately the folks in one Tracy polling place did not follow the law.
Those are some of the very big reasons why the Justice Department is deploying Federal Election Observers in record numbers to the states of Ohio, Florida, and Arizona.
This is guaranteed to be the closest Presidential Election in history. For a political and international relations wonk, it is fun to watch.
Lessons From A Loser
September 29, 2004
Al Gore's advice on how to debate W (NY Times). One of the lines of attack he recommends: "...if the Bush administration has been so thoroughly wrong on absolutely everything it predicted about Iraq, with the horrible consequences that have followed, should it be trusted with another four years?"
(Link courtesy of Signal vs. Noise)
Political Machine In Action: Kerry Swiftboat Contraversy
August 12, 2004
Well, as Dan indicated in his post, there is a lot of political banter about Kerry's military service. The conservative view of the whole situation is rather interesting. No matter how you slice it, both sides of the political machine (RNC and DNC) are in hyperdrive to either fan the flames or put them out with the whole Swiftboat thing.
Since I am on the Kerry list serve, I got their end of their defense, which is really designed to rally the Democratic party faithful. I am sure there is a similar campaign in opposition...Rhonda will let me know about that as she is a registered Republican.
Ah, election year politics...it almost makes me want to run for office.
I'm interrupting John Kerry's dispatches from the road to tell you about something that will make you angry, but which is important for you to hear.
We knew it was coming: the Bush campaign and several allied right-wing groups are using August to launch a vicious smear attack against John Kerry. They think we're vulnerable this month because while George Bush is still able to raise money for attack ads, Kerry had to stop fundraising at the Democratic convention last week. They're taking this opportunity to go for the jugular.
We need you to join us in this fight today by supporting the Democratic Party.
https://www.democrats.org/support/kerry.html
The worst of the current wave of attacks is coming from a Republican-funded group called "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth." (I'll call them by a more accurate name: Swift Boat Veterans for Bush.) The group is led by a longtime Republican operative and financed by GOP contributors with strong ties to George Bush. Its function in the overall Republican strategy is this: tear down John Kerry since Bush has no record or vision to run on.
The swift boat ad is full of lies. Thirteen men who never served with John Kerry lie about knowing him and viciously attack his record. It is a new low for the Republicans.
Every time they have attacked us like this, it has only made us stronger. When they ran dishonest attack ads (like the unbelievable new one on the air right now), thousands of new supporters flocked to our campaign to give us the resources we need to fight back on the airwaves.
Now that the general election has begun, they're hoping things are different. They're going to be sorely disappointed because we are not alone. The Democratic National Committee is well prepared to take on this fight.
And therefore I'm asking you: everything you did for our campaign, please do now for our Democratic Party. Give the party the resources it needs to fight against these right-wing attacks:
https://www.democrats.org/support/kerry.html
The Democratic Party is responsible for putting organizers and volunteers into the field and turning out the millions of votes we need to win. We literally cannot win this election without the party.
https://www.democrats.org/support/kerry.html
You and I know that if we so much as yield an inch to George Bush and the Republicans this month, we'll live to regret it. In fact, we may live to regret it for four long years. Join with me in supporting the Democratic Party today.
Thank you,
Mary Beth Cahill
Campaign Manager
From a non-partisan perspective it is an effective way to rally the supporters...
Campaign Moments
August 11, 2004
A photographer's journal of moments from the past few Presidential campaigns
We Never Learn from History
1966 speech by Robert McNamara on national and international security:
"The decisive factor for a powerful nation already adequately armed is the character of its relationships with the world."
I find it ironic that we are in the same position today with respects to our attitude towards our realtionships with international powers and alliances in our quest to preserve our security and fight the war on terror.