Voter Outreach We Can Do Without
It seems that some non-Heinz-Kerrian scumbags have been collecting registration cards destroying the ones filled out by Democrats. If this story pans out, someone should end up behind bars for a long time. Hat tip: Chris Lawrence.
October 13th, 2004 at 2:11 pm
Xrlq, thanks for posting this. The acts of a few can be too easily translated to the larger organization. And frankly, who wants to win unfairly? Well, to be honest, plenty of folks…
On another note, one of my favorite topics is the false Kerry/liberal spin (I don’t consider him to be a liberal). Bush twice in the last debate said that the National Journal ranked Kerry the #1 liberal in the senate. Wrong! He’s not even in the top ten. Check out http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh101204.shtml, yesterday’s Daily Howler, for the real list. I’m sure Bush will bring up similar anti-liberal comments tonight.
Congratulations on your new bundle o’ joy! I’m amazed you can blog and have a baby simultaneously. Also, thanks for the Rush covers album tip—I’m really curious to hear their version of “7 and 7 is”. The original’s long been one of my favorites.
October 13th, 2004 at 2:20 pm
An addendum to the voter disinfranchisement: check out
theleftcoaster.com, under the post “we’ve got bigger problems now”:
“…these same shenanigans, involving this same operation, have been occurring in other swing states, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, West Virginia, Arizona, and Oregon.”
Great.
October 13th, 2004 at 2:55 pm
His recent senate record did place him at the top.
I think it was “last ten years” as opposed to “entire senate record” or something like that.
October 13th, 2004 at 3:02 pm
You’re probably right that many are willing to win ugly. Not me. I want Bush to win, but only if he can do so legitimately. [Though I must admit there is a perverse side of me that would appreciate the irony if Bush, having previously been falsely accused of stealing one election, were to turn around and actually steal another.]
I’m not sure I buy leftcoaster’s assumption that the other registration drives are fraudulent, however. Based on what we know so far, Nevada is an isolated case, and one which wasn’t going to do Bush all that much good anyway, as the polls all show Bush with a solid lead in Nevada. If there is anything to the allegations of fraudulent drives in the other states, which I assume do not use this company, then I’m sure they’ll come to light soon enough.
As to Kerry’s liberal record, I think this may be a case of apples and oranges. The source for Kerry as most liberal Senator was indeed the National Journal, but only for the year 2003, not their lifelong records. I don’t know how Kerry’s lifetime voting record stacks up, but I’m sure it’s closer to liberal than moderate. Not so for his running mate, who began his term as a moderate, then ran far to the left just in time for the primaries. IIRC, the 2003 figure puts him very close behind Kerry, and still above Kennedy.
Whether we’re discussing 2003 in a vacuum or looking at lifetime records, I’m not sure what definition of “liberal” there can be that doesn’t include Kerry.
October 13th, 2004 at 3:58 pm
From the Progressive magazine article, “When Kerry was Liberal” http://www.progressive.org/may04/conn0504.html
“He endorsed the idea of campaign finance reform but spent heavily to drive away potential opponents in his reelection campaigns. And he annoyed progressives in Massachusetts with his opposition to single-payer health care and his unenthusiastic support for raising the minimum wage–a major cause of his colleague Ted Kennedy. Kerry also supported the welfare reform bill that did away with Aid to Families with Dependent Children–a vote that more than anything divided the Wellstone liberals from the Clinton New Democrats.”
And, to follow with what you wrote Xrlq:
“A couple of things to know about the National Journal rankings: Kerry rated number one last year for the first time in more than a decade. Not coincidentally, 2003 was also the year he missed thirty-seven of the sixty-two votes tallied in the ranking process because he was out on the campaign trail. “
A pretty damning article (about Kerry) from a truly liberal perspective.
Also, check out politicalcompass.org, and see (based on their system) where the democratic candidates stand on the political spectrum. Mr.Clam, the center has shifted to the right in recent years, and Kerry is on the right as well. The site’s pretty interesting, as it puts political positions on a graph, not just a line. You can also take the test and see where you place. I obviously like it, but I’m curious to know what you think.
October 13th, 2004 at 6:11 pm
Please keep in mind that the political compass is tuned to European notions of “left” and “right.”
John Kerry, at least according to his campaign statements, probably would qualify as centre-right under such standards.
However, this is America, which is far more conservative as a whole than Europe.