The Free Press: Crime of Nov. 2 -- The Human Side of How Bush Stole Ohio

The "Crime of November 2": The human side of how Bush stole Ohio, and why Congress must investigate rather than ratify the Electoral College (Part Two of Two)

by Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
The Free Press
January 5, 2005

Tomorrow (Thursday, January 6) Congress will host an unprecedented Constitutional showdown over the future of American democracy.

It rises from a catalog of abuses that poisoned the November 2 presidential balloting in Ohio. Taken together, these attacks on the democratic process shifted Ohio's vote from John Kerry to George W. Bush, giving him the presidency.

Other states, most notably New Mexico and Florida, suffered similar problems, casting a dark shadow of doubt over the alleged 3.5 million-vote nationwide edge claimed by Bush.

By virtue of an 1887 law passed in response to the contested election of 1876, Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Rep. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (D-OH) and others will challenge the seating of Ohio's electors. If joined by a single Senator, Congress for the first time will debate the outcome of a presidential election as determined by the Electoral College.

The right-wing media assault on those who would mount this challenge has been withering. The Ohio Republican Party says Rep. Tubbs-Jones will "make a fool of herself" if she supports the effort. GOP functionaries have filled the major media with charges of "conspiracy theories" and "irresponsibility" among those who would question the vote.

But all Americans committed to real democracy must stand in awe of this challenge...

Rest of story --

http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2005/1067