Jimmy Carter to Chair Election Reform Commission

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former President Jimmy Carter will lead a bipartisan commission to examine problems with the U.S. election system, American University's Center for Democracy and Election Management said on Thursday.

Carter, a Democrat whose Carter Center has monitored more than 50 elections around the world, will co-chair the private commission with Republican James Baker, who served as Secretary of State under President George H. W. Bush.

Former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, a Democrat who lost his seat in the 2004 election, will also participate.

"I am concerned about the state of our electoral system and believe we need to improve it," Carter said in a statement. He said the group will assess "issues of inclusion" in federal voting and propose recommendations to improve the process.

"We will try to define an electoral system for the 21st century that will make Americans proud again," he said.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/03/25/jimmy_carter_to_chair_election_reform_commission/

With Baker as co-chair, I am NOT hopeful.

Sue

Daschle should understand the need for reform, that's for damn sure.

I am curious to see what comes of this. Wish I could be more optimistic about it

Good luck, folks. They don't call him "the fixer" for nothing.

Jimmy Carter may be one of the most just presidents America has ever had.

Clinton was orders of magnitude more interesting and effective. Jimmy brought us Reagan.

.. they wanted a republican president before they released the hostages. The Iran-contra scandal was most likely a kickback for helping Saint Ronnie get into the White House.

Clinton brought us Dubya. :(

Carter did.

Jimmy Carter is a great man

I wonder if they will look into it?

....but I've always had a sneaking suspicion that the reason the Corporate Dems didn't 'push' the 'Repug 2004 election irregularities', was because if they forced the Repug election 'scamming' under the microscope, they'd find their own 'scamming' under the microscope also....

....if we are ever going to get free elections in this country we need to have a neutral and fair electoral system, something we haven't got today....a system favoring no one, especially the two major parties....

....maybe a meaningful commission with heavy-weights will do for the electoral process, what the 911 Commission did for intellgence....what that was, I'm not sure, but it did make congress and bush move....

....the one thing I think we CAN count on, from both the Repug and Dem leadership is that 'we don't need no up-start third parties forming to confuse the electorate' and they will both join hands together, so that doesn't happen....

Why not throw in Katherine Harris and the Diebold gang, too!

I have no faith in James Baker though. Interesting to see what comes of this. We need electoral reform pretty badly. But allowing more people to vote in crowded urban precincts would help the Democrats so Baker will try to screw that up.

Finally Carter is involved but ....

Maybe you all remember him, the one who asked during the Watergate hearings,

"What did the President know, and when did he know it?"

At least he was holding a fellow Republican accountable...

and strong enough to deliver. Dascle is great too. This is more like it. America desperately needs to learn how to trust again.

Bush should go on trial for that alone. Imagine hiring people who play with the intent of laws and try every dirty trick in the book to get what they want. I hope the commission nails Bush. * is responsible for the people who work under him.

It is a start.

political party as well.

Watch the documentary, "Invisible Ballots". They showed Baker singing the mantra, "punch cards baaad, electronic voting goood".

This is like having the fox investigate the suspicious murders in the hen house!

I lobbied him on the issue. His staff didn't understand it, so he couldn't have either. Very low technology skills, so he'll probably believe anything the R's tell him for fear of looking dumb.

So we're choosing the main spokesperson for *'s stealing of the 2000 presidential election as the co-chair on a committee studying electoral reform

Why am I not optimistic?

And I couldn't imagine anyone better to do this job.:shrug:

James Baker on this commission (this is the man that headed the Recount efforts here in Florida in 2000) but I suppose that his appointment is the only way this commission would go through. Hope it is called "The Carter Commission". Jimmy Carter will go down as one of our most honest presidents.

But I also hope that this is called the Carter Commission. Maybe he can keep things honest. I agree that he is certainly one of our most honest presidents, which may have led to his downfall. But I have every faith that history will treat him very well.:-)

Sure Carter "understands" the corruption and the concerns about a wide range of voting abuses. But he is decidedly fixed in his ways by now and we have seen how insufficient are his assumptions. He is NOT alone as all the observers and voting watch organizations have let the end run around democracy simply scurry around their noble tunnel vision without even a nervous twist or revision of their fruitful and long struggle. The esteemed resumee marches on into the ovens of GOP crime.

There is a long list including MOST major Democratic leaders past and present who can hear of the problems without ever changing their ways. If it was sitting down with the criminal opponents of democracy like Baker to work for more real reform that at least would be realistic and like their reconciling role in the past. But on the contrary, this is lauding the wolf in sheep's clothing as you sit down together to plan the architecture of the new chicken coop.

Us chickens say "No thanks, but thanks, President Carter." We'll be better off designing and building our own.

Jimmy Carter has been proven to be the most honest of statesmen and James Baker, the least.EOM:grr:

...he helped to usher in this nightmare...

We had just better hope that Mr. Carter will keep him honest, this time.:shrug:

to off him....

I guess I'm just feeling very cynical tonight...

:grr:

:kick:

I trust Carter and Daschle, but Baker's close ties to daddy Bush only insure that GW (along with Diebolt, Corp. etc.)will receive a steady stream of updates on the commission's progress and potential recommendations. This will be critical if they are to work their preemption magic on the final product.

They know that the rigged voting machines in Ohio and other critical states were critical for Bush to win and will be even more important to them in 2006 when I believe there is the possibility for Democrats to make significant gains in Congress ahead of the 2008 Presidential elections.