Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Action Alert! OhmyGod, They've Started Voting
So, it begins. Feel confused, a bit desperate, wonder how we're going to keep track of it all? Republican Dirty Tricks, I mean. Have any doubts that there will be such things, yes, more dirty tricks than on the Democratic side? Remember, it is the Republican position that a large Democratic turnout always means that someone who shoudn't be voting probably is.(see Lambert's vivisection of how one of the "good" conservatives views Mis-Election 2000).
Remember you are not alone. Of course, being at the barricades is only half the battle; getting organized to defend our democratic (note small "d") republic is the other half.
And ready to help you: The ever valuable, and to my mind, gallant folks, folk at Eriposte, after taking it upon his/her/themselves, (Hey, all I have are the initials "TR" which I assume do not connote Teddy Roosevelt, though I have no hesitation in saying that he would be with us on this one if he could) to become criticalwatch central on the miasma of lies being told by the SwiftBoat Vets Who Hate John Kerry, have/has now decided to become one of the keepers of the flame for a fair presidential election this time around: Behold: Vote Watch 2004 And here is what the site means to cover:
Do indeed. Visit often. And then help out. The site depends to a great extent on tips, and that doesn't only mean you have to have first-hand knowledge of some monkey-business in your neck of the woods. As important is keeping track of reporting in local media about brewing vote problems.
Because its ambitions are large, the site is a complicated one. So take a moment to familiarize yourself with out how it's organized. And for those of you who might have something to report, which could be any of us, check out this advice to potential tipsters.
I return to blogging today, my organizer's hat tucked securely away in the attic (of the mighty Corrente building, of course), but just a glance at this site gets that old itch going again. And the wonderful thing is that Eriposte's Vote2004 makes you your own organizer. For instance, there is already material up about both Florida and Ohio, increasingly the two most key states; Kerry probably must win at least one of them to win in the electoral college. Read, and if anything amiss is happening where you are, instantly get in touch with your local Democratic Party office to see if they are on it. And if they need help to get on it, consider volunteering. And if you're not needed for that, ask how else you can help. Poll watching is going to be vital. Not everybody is cut out for it; if you are and there is a need in your precinct, or any precinct, consider volunteering now; that'll be one less problem party workers will have to worry about.
Somewhat farther afield, we recently received an interesting heads-up about a group of independent Greens who, though not officeial representatives of the party, want stay loyal, and yet to make sure Kerry, not Bush, is elected. Greens For Impact insist defeating Bush and building their party are compatible goals. I agree and so should you. Their strategy: to get Greens and other independents to vote for Cobb in the Kerry states, vote for Kerry in the swing states, and not to vote for Nader in any state. Works for me. Check them out here to see if there is anything they can do for you, and anything you can do to help them. You can also find out about IRV, which is quite interesting. They strike me as the kind of good folks any Democrat should be happy to invite to the party (note he small "p"). In fact, if I believed the Greens on their own could get us to public financing of elections, I'd switch parties tomorrow. We're never going to fully heal our democracy until we get public financing and get rid of all that dirty money, which Republicans view as not a problem, and the Democratic Party knows is a problem, but can't do without it if they are going to be competitive. And we aren't going to get public financing unless the Greens and the Democrats and all other like-minded independents start working together. We need to repair the chasm Nader opened up between Democrats and Greens. We're on the same side, guys, and even if Kerry wins, we need to work together so that he can govern with a progressive agenda. And if, heaven forfend, that other guy worms his way into office again, we're really going to have to work together to defend the beloved republic. Start now; visit the website. There, I made it easy for you.
Okay, now get busy. November 2nd approaches post-haste.
Remember you are not alone. Of course, being at the barricades is only half the battle; getting organized to defend our democratic (note small "d") republic is the other half.
And ready to help you: The ever valuable, and to my mind, gallant folks, folk at Eriposte, after taking it upon his/her/themselves, (Hey, all I have are the initials "TR" which I assume do not connote Teddy Roosevelt, though I have no hesitation in saying that he would be with us on this one if he could) to become criticalwatch central on the miasma of lies being told by the SwiftBoat Vets Who Hate John Kerry, have/has now decided to become one of the keepers of the flame for a fair presidential election this time around: Behold: Vote Watch 2004 And here is what the site means to cover:
Vote/Election fraud, vote suppression, voting irregularities, voter intimidation in Election 2004
The goal of this site is to be Vote Watch Central in Election 2004 - so, do bookmark and visit this site over the next few weeks.
Do indeed. Visit often. And then help out. The site depends to a great extent on tips, and that doesn't only mean you have to have first-hand knowledge of some monkey-business in your neck of the woods. As important is keeping track of reporting in local media about brewing vote problems.
Because its ambitions are large, the site is a complicated one. So take a moment to familiarize yourself with out how it's organized. And for those of you who might have something to report, which could be any of us, check out this advice to potential tipsters.
I return to blogging today, my organizer's hat tucked securely away in the attic (of the mighty Corrente building, of course), but just a glance at this site gets that old itch going again. And the wonderful thing is that Eriposte's Vote2004 makes you your own organizer. For instance, there is already material up about both Florida and Ohio, increasingly the two most key states; Kerry probably must win at least one of them to win in the electoral college. Read, and if anything amiss is happening where you are, instantly get in touch with your local Democratic Party office to see if they are on it. And if they need help to get on it, consider volunteering. And if you're not needed for that, ask how else you can help. Poll watching is going to be vital. Not everybody is cut out for it; if you are and there is a need in your precinct, or any precinct, consider volunteering now; that'll be one less problem party workers will have to worry about.
Somewhat farther afield, we recently received an interesting heads-up about a group of independent Greens who, though not officeial representatives of the party, want stay loyal, and yet to make sure Kerry, not Bush, is elected. Greens For Impact insist defeating Bush and building their party are compatible goals. I agree and so should you. Their strategy: to get Greens and other independents to vote for Cobb in the Kerry states, vote for Kerry in the swing states, and not to vote for Nader in any state. Works for me. Check them out here to see if there is anything they can do for you, and anything you can do to help them. You can also find out about IRV, which is quite interesting. They strike me as the kind of good folks any Democrat should be happy to invite to the party (note he small "p"). In fact, if I believed the Greens on their own could get us to public financing of elections, I'd switch parties tomorrow. We're never going to fully heal our democracy until we get public financing and get rid of all that dirty money, which Republicans view as not a problem, and the Democratic Party knows is a problem, but can't do without it if they are going to be competitive. And we aren't going to get public financing unless the Greens and the Democrats and all other like-minded independents start working together. We need to repair the chasm Nader opened up between Democrats and Greens. We're on the same side, guys, and even if Kerry wins, we need to work together so that he can govern with a progressive agenda. And if, heaven forfend, that other guy worms his way into office again, we're really going to have to work together to defend the beloved republic. Start now; visit the website. There, I made it easy for you.
Okay, now get busy. November 2nd approaches post-haste.
