There is ample precedent in Texas for doing elections over

Web Posted: 04/09/2004 12:00 AM CDT


San Antonio Express-News

Long before U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez raised questions about possible voting irregularities in Webb and Zapata counties, judges found compelling evidence of voter fraud in the South Texas counties and ordered new elections.

In 1994, state District Judge Solomon Casseb Jr. called for a new county judge election in Zapata because of illegal voting in the Democratic primary.

Also in 1994, state District Judge James F. Clawson ordered a new election in a Webb County court-at-law race because of fraudulent mail-in ballots during the Democratic primary.

Angered by uncounted votes that have appeared in Webb and Zapata, Rodriguez feels as wronged as those who secured new elections there 10 years ago.

more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA09.03A.Rodriguez_0409.f3c6b39.html

This is probably going to get a lot uglier before it is over.

Did you watch the election night results of Henry Bonilla's reelection against (I forget but I think it was) Cuellar?

CNN called the race from the very beginning for Bonilla. With only the early votes counted, Bonilla was LOSING with about ten percent of the vote, yet CNN called it for him. This was the night they claimed they couldn't use exit polling, too.

All night the votes poured in, and Bonilla was behind with a fraction of the votes of his opponent, yet CNN never touched their calling of the race. Not until about 60% of the vote had been counted did Bonilla start closing on his opponent, and not until 99% of the votes were counted did Bonilla-- according to the count-- pass him. The final result was within a point or two, with Bonilla winning.

No way they could have accurately predicted that close a margin from the exit polls, or from the early votes, which generally go Republican anyway. I wrote to CNN half a dozen times asking how this could happen. I asked politely, not accusing, and as someone simply interested in knowing what methods they used. Finally, after about the fourth letter, they wrote back and told me it was based on exit polling, and no more. I wrote several more times, but no one responded again.

That's another race that needs to be looked at, but no one did.

Here in PA, the urban area (Philadelphia and Pittsburgh) almost always report their results earlier in the evening than the rural center of the state. Philly and Pittsburgh are Democratic, and the rural areas are Republican. Therefore, the Democrat is almost always leading during the early returns.

Someone who is an experienced in observing elections can tell fairly early in the evening who is going to win a state-wide race by the turn-out and percentages from these early precincts (except in races that are very close).

Back in 1994 I was but a young pup just getting involved in politics I observed this phenomenon. CNN had declared Rick Santorum the winner, despite the fact that he was slightly behind his Democratic opponent Harris Wofford. Sure enough, as the evening progress, Santorum gained the lead and increased that lead.

Another occurrence was in 1996, when the AP mistakenly declared the Democratic nominee the winner for Attorney General. He went to bed thinking that he had won, only to be awoken in the middle of the night by a campaign aid with the new that his opponent had squeaked by him.

I realize that in these urban/rural districts the Democrat votes get counted first, but the final result was so thin that the election wasn't even decided that night, nor for a couple of days, as I recall.

Maybe CNN just expected Bonilla to win, called the election, then didn't bother following it, since it was a congressional race. It was a very key race, though. Bonilla is a big Bush guy, and Bush has tapped him for statewide or national office, and the race was predicted to be close.

Texas politics. Makes Florida look amateur. Remember Lanslide Lyndon?

Henry Cuellar. He ran against Bonilla, losing by the slimmest of margins, in 2002, then he ran against Rodriguez, the man who had helped him campaign against Bonilla.

Cuellar was Secretary of State under Republican Governor Perry, then ran as a moderate Democrat against Republican Bonilla. Now, he has run against the liberal Ciro Rodriguez.

Looks like Cuellar got caught cheating in this race. Or someone cheated for him. There was a story recently that Rodriguez was thinking of becoming a Republican, so there is something odd going on here. He's the more liberal of the two.

Or was it just something that his opponents were throwing at him. I find it hard to believe that a liberal Democrat would condider switching parties.

Cueller was the one suspected of switching.

My bad.

Cueller is DINO to the core. He even endorsed Bush in 2000. We need a liberal Democrat like Rodriguez, not that worthless traitor fuck.