An Overwhelming Victory

If the machines stole votes, it wasn't enough. Four years of agonizing about this election is now over. The last four years of working to effect election reform may have paid off. At the very least we have a leg up, finally.

Let's not cease our efforts, but for now let us rejoice in a measure of success and later re-dedicate ourselves to complete reform.

To those who shared in this effort I offer my greatest appreciation and undying gratitude.

We overcame those damned machines!

I am wondering a bit about the popular vote figures. Looks like McCain is going to get more votes that Bush did in 2004. 83% reporting and he has 51 million votes already. I think that is rather extraordinary. Is this what a landslide really looks like?

I'm dismayed at the near-total silence on this VERY important aspect. It took a monumental effort to overcome the machines, which we may not always be able to muster; and we prolly lost some races we shouldn't have.

I hope someone will again be scrutinizing reported vote totals vs. exit polls.

The numbers aren't going anywhere. Can I please take a few weeks off to bask in the change that has come rising like a warm sun on a cold morning? I don't want to go to work today. I just want to play.

But you're right, of course. The numbers do look funny, as we knew they would.

Good work, Althecat. You are a good 'un. Pat yourself on the back. Do some bragging, I got your back, as soon as I'm done playing.

With that said.....

Say my name, Say my name... :woohoo: :applause:

1. Vote suppression. A lot of it seemed like a successful push back where one and all can take credit. Yet it was still there and that is way too much too tolerate, including ominous government interference in partisan ways. Nor does it appear at first glance that this alone could have beaten Barack anyway.

2. The usual bag of tricks had plenty of reprisals, but it too appeared greatly diminished thanks to wins in 2006 for state control and general GOP discouragement. No way could those precinct riggings or suppressions have beaten Barack or even changed many states.

3. Touchscreen machines etc. It seems the theory of a low percentage of manipulation- in general- is correct though there were more than enough incidents of the "glitch" factor, breakdowns to junk these horrors and get the invisible third hands out of American voting. No way could these have beaten Barack without a mass uprising and total world disbelief.

4. Local races. And here I can only surmise from our own local race that the main problems continue to be corporate media and FUNDING by corporations. Just maybe there was dirty tricks in the defender's home territory but that could not prevent a win. What we did see was still a stubborn adherence to the GOP and incumbents in upstate NY that by projection makes McCain's high numbers(undeserved certainly) unfortunately believable.


I come to the conclusion that the entire picture justifies Biden's emphasis that public funding of campaigns is the foremost key issue. Next comes the media that is still(as in Chavez's Venezuela) the constant, demonizing, partisan, non-journalistic roadblock to democracy. There is a wide swath of voters still to emerge from the fog and the poison of ignorance and hate that we cut into THIS time. I think it is imperative not to get lost on "the paper trail" single issue ever again. Comprehensive election reform is something that the GOP has ironically formed in these long years of wide fought research and struggles. There is a long and flexible list list for discussion and it should not be lost
in a Dem majority busy on other things. In Albany the Dems barely capitalized on this year but are likely too content with the status quo to get reforms that are really needed for the health of state and party. If that presages the national Dem majority it will be a shameful waste.

I think the vote theft happened in the states that had the senate races and arizona, they didn't want to have mccain lose arizona.