Friday, October 31, 2008
BREAKING: Federal Judge Compels GOP IT Guru Mike Connell To Give Deposition in Ohio '04 Election Case The Day Before Election 2008 (And In Ohio!)
Contentious Hearing Today Results in Order For Republican 'High-Tech Forrest Gump' to Testify Under Oath on Monday
Appearance to Answer Questions on 2004 Election Scheduled Just 24 Hours Prior to Election 2008...
FREE FOR ALL!: The High-Tech HighJack of Ohio
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6600
http://www.velvetrevolution.us/
Coming Into The Home Stretch: Election 2008. All The Stops Are Being Pulled and a Lot Of Voter Suppression Holes Are Being Plugged
0 comments Posted by ed. dickau at 6:29 PM
Coming Into The Home Stretch: Election 2008. All The Stops Are Being Pulled and a Lot Of Voter Suppression Holes Are Being Plugged As It Has Become Obvious That There Are Armies Of Citizen Watchers On Patrol.
Contentious Hearing Today Results in Order For Republican 'High-Tech Forrest Gump' to Testify Under Oath on Monday
Appearance to Answer Questions on 2004 Election Scheduled Just 24 Hours Prior to Election 2008...
http://www.velvetrevolution.us/
We cannot let up on any effort to deal with voting procedure break downs, but never before in the history of this nation has there be a policing apparatus of the people to ensure the integrity of this election. The biggest problem we have been having in the last 48 hours is the sane coordination of the variety of organizations involved. This is no time for ego and turf battles; it is time for common sense cooperation. On the scene locals need to guide the way and aid and professionals need clearly defined responsibilities. In most states that is being accomplished. Being most familiar with Ohio and North Carolina at the moment I can say that both of these states have potentials for Election Day problems, but the resources to cope with them are in place.
There will be reported flash points and no one should go off the deep end; they will be attended to. North Carolina, more so than Ohio has some real vitriol and deep seated elements of division that have to be watched. The Dole Hagan Ad conflict, if it backfires, as it appears to be doing at this moment should just about turn North Carolina Blue in a big way.
The media will prowling around all weekend for any scavenger trash limited index model poll to declare a closing gap and preparing their sound bit lines for a close and exciting night Tuesday night. Exciting I want, but the best defense for the integrity of this election is to drive out the vote and deliver this election in 350 plus Electoral Vote victory. There are plenty of coattails in play that are helping Democrat candidates in House, Senate and Gubernatorial races in play. There are some personal heroes that people are pulling for, under dogs that unfortunately thing do not look good for as they are being overwhelmed by the stigma of Independent candidacies and money! Minnesota and Al Franken is an example…just too close to call; keep your fingers crossed! These are the election where voter turnout will be the deciding factor.
The info widget below are probably the best for your breaking news updates.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/senate/nc/north_carolina_senate-910.html
Rep. Price: Dole ad 'pathetic'
"It's a deeply offensive ad. It is an untruthful ad. It's a slanderous ad," Price said in an interview on MSNBC. "I think it's pathetic and it's a sign of desperation."
"All the major newspapers in the state today have editorialized against this, and I think it's more in sadness as well as in anger, I guess you might say, that Elizabeth Dole would stoop to this here at the end of a long career just to save her seat, implying that her opponent is not a woman of faith. It's just over the line, way over the line," Price continued.
"It's the worst I've ever seen in North Carolina, and that's saying something."
The ad is centered on Hagan's attendance at a Boston fundraiser where some of other guests were members of the atheist group Godless Americans.
The narrator of the ad suggests that Hagan, a Christian, is aligned with the group.
"Godless Americans and Kay Hagan. She hid from cameras. Took Godless money. What did Hagan promise in return?" the narrator asks. As the ad ends Hagan's photo is shown as a voice cries "there is no god."
Hagan has responded with her own ad chiding Dole for "bearing false witness against fellow Christians."
Dole meanwhile has doubled down on the attack, releasing a second ad Friday linking Hagan to the group.
The North Carolina Republican's campaign manager Marty Ryall defended the ad in an earlier appearance on MSNBC, claiming the ad has "nothing to do with [Hagan's] faith."
"It's never been an attack on her faith. It's all about who she went up and associated with, and now she's trying to deny it," Ryall said. "It has everything to do about associating with a group that wants to take 'under God' out of the Pledge of Allegiance, they want to take 'in God we trust' off of money."
Charlotte Observer Editorial: Dole's desperate turn to Big Lie advertising
Somewhere, Jesse Helms is laughing and clapping in glee
Charlotte Observer
October 30, 2008
North Carolina knows from sad experience about negative election campaigns and misleading, untruthful advertising. In the 1950 campaign, opponents of the late UNC President Frank Porter Graham used a doctored photo of his wife with a black man to inject race into a Senate campaign and help defeat the revered educator. In 1990, Sen. Jesse Helms used the infamous “white hands” ad, blaming the failure of a white person to get a job on a minority and “a racial quota” to help defeat former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt.
When Helms retired in 2002 and Salisbury native Elizabeth Dole was elected to take his place, voters here breathed a sigh of relief. Surely Dole would not stoop to the racial appeals that marked too many N.C. elections and soured so many people on politics. It just wasn’t her way. While she might be every bit as conservative as Helms, her style was not divisive. She did not demonize her opponents.
Until now. In a new TV ad that must have the late Sen. Helms smiling and cheering from the great beyond, the Dole campaign has attacked her opponent, Democratic state Sen. Kay Hagan of Greensboro, as “godless.” Hagan attended a September fundraiser in Boston sponsored by dozens of people and co-hosted by two persons associated with a group called Godless Americans PAC. Dole’s ad says Hagan took “godless” money. Hagan’s campaign says she did not receive money from the PAC, though she did get money from one of the co-hosts. She has demanded Dole halt the ad.
Hagan’s attendance at any fundraiser and acceptance of a contribution is a fair topic for comment. Yet Dole has resorted to the Big Lie technique, morphing a kernel of truth into a monumental fiction.
How so? The Dole campaign stepped across a broad line, portraying Hagan as not Christian and suggesting she does not believe in God. The Dole ad shows a picture of Hagan while a woman’s voice, not Hagan’s, intones, “There is no God.”
This is indecent. It is the modern-day version of the “white hands” ad, a lie born of Dole’s desperation in a race in which she has trailed for weeks. It is also a deliberate attempt by Dole’s campaign not just to distort the truth, but to shatter Hagan’s admirable record as an elder for more than a decade in Greensboro’s First Presbyterian Church, as a Sunday School teacher and a volunteer in her church’s fundraising campaigns, worship services and community service programs.
Political campaigns in this state are often hard-fought, with bitter, overwrought accusations that stretch the truth, embellish the facts and attempt to confuse voters. Hagan has hit Dole hard. Dole has hit Hagan hard. That is par for the course.
This ad is something else, an attack on a Christian woman’s faith against all evidence to the contrary. It is wrong. It may well backfire on Dole.
It has no place in N.C. politics. Unless she admits this egregious, shameful mistake and acts appropriately, Elizabeth Dole has no place in N.C. politics, either.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Grandfather’s Apology
by Robert Barkley Jr.
Published on Friday, October 24, 2008 by CommonDreams.org
Dear Spencer, Sarah, and Brooke:
First, I must tell you once again that I love you dearly. And the same was and is true of my two children who are, with their spouses, your parents. But in their case, I was fairly confident I would be there to protect and guide them through tough times – as well as to celebrate the many good times. And luckily, so far, there have been far more good times than bad.
But, alas, unfortunately, I fear some very bad times ahead. And I suspect I will not be here for much of those times – although they coming so fast and luckily I am in such good health that I may see more of these bad times than I had hoped to. The upside of that is that I will be able to see each of you some more -- despite the hard times.
Now let me get to the real reason for my letter.
And that reason is that I want to apologize to you. I want to apologize for what I, and my generation, have left you to clean up. You cannot help but do a better job than we have. I guess we did some good things along the way, but it sure doesn’t feel that way now as we approach one of the most important and negative presidential campaigns I have ever experienced. And no matter which candidates win that election, I am not confident we can get our mess cleaned up soon enough and well enough to make the difference I had always envisioned for you and your generation.
First, there’s the environment. What a beautiful world we live in – still despite all we have done and are continuing to do that is destroying it. We have allowed our worship of cars and energy and fancy buildings and animal slaughter and uncontrolled population growth and chemically manufactured foods and drugs and easy living to go on so long that we have literally plundered our land. Now we are threatened with an irreversible change in our planet. I sure hope that you can all survive and be happy here and that your friends will also, but the prognosis sure isn’t very good. I apologize for leaving you with all that. It isn’t fair.
Second, irresponsibly we have even done many of the things I just mentioned beyond our means to pay for them. So we have built up this awful thing called debt. It means that we spend money we don’t really have and don’t even see our way to getting. It’s silly I know, but our government has done it, our businesses have done it, and many of us have done it personally. It was stupid and greedy and horribly unfair to you, but it’s done. I apologize for leaving you with all that. It isn’t fair.
Third, as mentioned already, we have grown our population to such an extent that we apparently will not have the water, food, and employment opportunities to handle all those people. This means that the already extremely high levels of poverty and starvation now present in our world will only grow larger – even among people who came from decent families and are reasonably well educated. How could we allow this to happen? It’s sad and very depressing. I apologize for leaving you with all that. It isn’t fair.
Fourth, I spent my entire life working in public education. In many ways the system we have has failed us. Too many people tried to use the system to push their sordid ideas on you rather than to preserve and nurture in you and your friends an abiding love of learning. No matter what, always pursue greater learning. Don’t think that when formal school ends, like so many of my generation have done, that you can ride out the rest of your life.
Doing so produces huge numbers of uninformed voters who are ill equipped to lead our society or even to pick those who should. Also, learning is not about all those crazy subjects you take in school. It’s about making sense of the reality you face, making connections between all that’s going on around you, learning how to survive AND help others to do so as well. It’s not about competing and winning against others. It’s about growing and winning for everyone. Many will tell you what I just said is naïve. Don’t believe them. I apologize for leaving you with all that. It isn’t fair.
Fifth, and maybe worst of all, there is this thing called war. It is stupid, almost always unnecessary, and can be avoided only by engaging with others not just like you. I use the word “engage” very purposefully while many would use the term “tolerance of others” instead. Being tolerant is not enough. We must engage with others so that we really get to know them and they get to know us. Anything short of full and ongoing engagement will prove inadequate and will eventually lead back to competition and that leads to wars.
You see, we are part of a worldwide community, and being a community means accepting that we all belong together. A whole lot of people can’t accept that concept – particularly when it comes to religion. This all means that we have to engage with others, not just tolerate them. We celebrate those who have sacrificed for our country’s interests in times of war, and most assuredly they have done what they felt was right and necessary at the time. But I celebrate even more those who did their utmost to engage with others and avoid war and avoid killing and objected strenuously to war and tried desperately to bring wars to quick and peaceful conclusions. I apologize for leaving you with all that. It isn’t fair.
Sixth, there is the horrendous amount of greed that is present in our society. Greed is a terrible thing. It means we want too much for ourselves without regard for what others need and deserve. We see it most in our economic system. That’s the system we have put together to allow people to work and earn money. Some people – like your parents – do very well in that system, but some do not. Some try very hard and are good people but they still don’t do well. Some are simply born into poverty. You are each very lucky. Why should a poor child born to poverty get less than you?
They did not pick their families or their country. Did you get to pick the great parents and homes and schools you have – oh, and your great grandparents? Heck no. It just happened. Don’t ever forget your good luck and the bad luck of many others. Try not to become greedy. Try hard not to want too much when others have so little. There is far too much of that in our world. And if you continue to be lucky, please remember to share freely what you have. I apologize for leaving you with all that. It isn’t fair.
Seventh, much of what I have talked about is caused by bad habits. Habits are hard to break. But we have to do it sometimes. And doing it means we have to embrace change and growth. I say change AND growth because change is pretty much inevitable but growth is not. You will find when you study the world of politics that change and growth take on very odd dimensions. A very smart man, about a hundred years ago, pointed out that conservatives (those who tend to resist change) would rather live with what is already wrong as opposed to progressives (those who tend to pursue change) who would like to replace what we do now with something that will also probably be wrong.
I guess the point there is that change isn’t the issue, growth is – but growth can only occur when we accept change. Don’t be closed to change. Most of our problems today are caused by our unwillingness to change and our comfort with old habits. I apologize for leaving you with all that. It isn’t fair.
Eighth, and last for this little sermon, I have always been fascinated with what it takes to be a leader. We have not done very well in providing you good leaders. I have come to understand that leadership requires humility. And humility requires having and listening to your conscience. Always be humble. It will serve you much better than being boastful and too full of yourself no matter what you accomplish. Leadership requires that a person surround themselves with people who will challenge their thinking rather than endorse it.
Leadership includes making and admitting mistakes. Leadership requires establishing meaningful relationships, and this requires the ability to project into the lives and feelings of others—particularly those quite different than you. There we are back to that concept of engaging with others. Leadership requires engaging with others – not just telling them what to do. Your best teachers are not those who tell you what to do but those who you become friends with, who understand you and engage with you on a very personal level.
Good leaders are good teachers. We don’t have many good political leaders in our country right now. I hope some emerge shortly, but I am worried they will not – or if they do that they will not be able to truly lead because of those around them who are greedy and have no conscience. I apologize for leaving you with all that. It isn’t fair.
Well, that’s it for now. There are lots of other topics I could write about, but I just get sadder and more apologetic all the time. I love you very much and I’m sorry to leave you with so much of this to figure out. But then I also inherited a bit of a mess that my parents and grandparents left to my generation, and somehow we survived and much of the time we have been very happy. I hope you are at least as lucky as I was. While I’m still around I’m going to still try to make sure I leave you with the best possible world. And please do the same for your children and grandchildren. We are all in this together. It’s all about making things better for ALL of us. Please don’t forget that part.
Again, I apologize. I better stop now because I’m crying. (Yes, we old people cry too when we’re hurt, or sad or worried.) Please forgive me and my generation. I hope you’ll do better and cry a lot less.
Love,
Papa
Robert Barkley, Jr., is a counselor in Systemic Education Reform, retired Executive Director of the Ohio Education Association, served as Interim Executive Director of the Maine Education Association, is a thirty-five year veteran of NEA and NEA affiliate staff work, long-term consultant to the KnowledgeWorks Foundation of Cincinnati, Ohio, one time teacher, coach, and local union president. He is the author of Quality in Education: A Primer for Collaborative Visionary Educational Leaders and Leadership In Education: A Handbook for School Superintendents and Teacher Union Presidents.
Updating The Political-Election-Voting Issues Of The Day. Progress In Ohio, Problems Elsewhere, And North Carolina Is Likely To Have An Election Day
0 comments Posted by ed. dickau at 12:03 PM
BUT FIRST VERMONT
Charlotte Dennett Radio Broadcast BBS Last Night For Attorney General Vermont
http://www.thepeoplespeakradio.net/archives/mp3/The_People_Speak_2008-10-29.mp3
National Briefing | Midwest Ohio: Flagged Voters Remain Nameless
New York Times - United States
By IAN URBINA The Department of Justice will not require Ohio to disclose the names of voters whose registration applications did not match government ...See all stories on this topic
The Department of Justice will not require Ohio to disclose the names of voters whose registration applications did not match government databases, two people familiar with discussions between state and federal lawyers said. The decision comes about a week after a request from President Bush asking the department to investigate the matter.
Lawyers for the Justice Department have determined that
they will not pursue litigation before the election.
Law Enforcement Used to Suppress the Vote
MarketWatch - USA
In a second letter to Mukasey and Mueller, Conyers said "it is troubling to repeatedly learn of repeated federal involvement in apparently dubious ...See all stories on this topic (There Other Serious matters here)
Lawsuits, Machine Malfunctions, and Missing Absentee Ballots Among ...
Democracy Now - New York,NY,USA
Ohio Democratic leaders as well as the ACLU have sent letters to Attorney General Michael Mukaseyurging him not to intervene in the election dispute in ...
North Carolinians Matter for Presidential Race
Overall registration had increased by more than half a million people since the beginning of the year, a phenomenon that can be attributed to overall excitement about the election and also at North Carolina's chance -- for the first time in decades -- to affect the outcome of the presidential election. READ MORE
Election 2008: Democrats Set to Counter Any GOP Gains in South
The Democrats' best shots for such pickups appear to be against a pair of incumbents in Florida and an incumbent in North Carolina, along with an open seat in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington.READ MORE
Lieberman Likely to be Demoted
A Few Congressional Races Could Tell A Lot About the GOP
By Katherine Rizzo
As election results roll in Tuesday night, watch these canary-in-the-coal mine contests to gauge whether the bad-for-Republicans atmosphere is blowing the Grand Old Party down to the ground or just knocking it back a couple of steps.
Charlotte Dennett Radio Broadcast BBS Last Night For Attorney General Vermont
http://www.thepeoplespeakradio.net/archives/mp3/The_People_Speak_2008-10-29.mp3
Linguistic Analysis of Obama/McCain Websites Revealing
Linguistic Analysis of Obama/McCain Websites Reveals Missed Opportunities
Candidates' websites communicate campaign messages in language that speaks to base - potentially ignores independents.
(PRWEB) October 28, 2008 -- 7 Billion People, a company that provides insight and behavioral analysis for websites, today announced results from a linguistic analysis of the websites of Senators Obama and McCain, the democratic and republican candidates for the 2008 presidential race. The analysis reveals that the candidates' websites take very different approaches in communicating their messages to voters - potentially missing the opportunity to communicate effectively to those with different communication preferences.
Obama's website uses language that appeals to visitors that are typically goal-driven, optimistic and feel affinity with others as members of a group. It encourages social interaction and works best for those looking for peer discussions and references. The behavior of the website encourages access to many choices and options. In contrast, the McCain website is geared towards visitors that are driven by risk and problem avoidance and who primarily make decisions as individuals based upon "gut feel" and personal choice. McCain's site speaks best to those voters that are comfortable with process and orderly information presentation.
These distinct approaches target the personalities of voters that are solidly in their respective camps and do not take into account independent voters that may have other communication preferences, a key segment of the population that will likely determine the outcome of the election.
7 Billion People has proven technology that analyzes website language and behavior and provides insight to website owners on how to effectively communicate to their audience. In many cases, website designers unwittingly build sites with content that is inherently biased toward a fraction of the potential audience by using language that appeals only to some. Experience with e-commerce websites on developing rapport and aligning content with customers has resulted in over 40% increases in sales on some sites.
Analysis of the language, messaging, and information presentation on both candidates' websites yields telling information about the mindsets of the political strategists behind the communications and how the candidates wish to be perceived during the race.
Key findings include:
- The McCain website uses language that emphasizes risk and problem avoidance - such as the section on the Homeownership Resurgence Plan featured prominently on the home page during mid-October 2008 in the final weeks before the presidential election.
- By comparison, the Obama website offers voters key language on hope and opportunity as the primary focus, with risk items still present but secondary in nature.
- Democratic candidate Barack Obama's website is designed to appeal to people that use peer opinions and other references in their decision-making process. Obama's website speaks to those that see themselves as part of a group. (For example, the Obama Everywhere section on the home page includes links to popular social networking sites).
- Conversely, rival John McCain's website appeals to those people who make decisions based on gut-feeling, information and personal choice. McCain's website primarily speaks to the individual, not the group.
- Senator McCain's website presents information in a procedural, step-by-step fashion that appeals to analytical voters that feel comfortable with process and order - there is a clear path from the initial landing page that features Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin to the center panel of the website home page presenting topical videos denouncing his competitor. McCain's website may feel constrictive to some voters.
- By contrast, Senator Obama's website appeals to voters that prefer choice and exploration of all of the options available to them. The website contains a wide array of menu items and clickable section headings representing numerous choices for visitors that need to feel that they have explored all the options - including a Learn menu section providing backgrounds on the wives of Senators Obama and Biden, texting for campaign updates, Obama Mobile for ringtones and an official iPhone application for the Obama campaign. Obama may be missing the opportunity to talk to voters that prefer order and process on the site.
Mark Nagaitis, CEO of 7 Billion People, said "This analysis demonstrates how the design of a website and the use of language can influence the effectiveness of that site in communicating the desired message. Too many web designers underestimate the power of language in reaching the complete audience, not just their base."
About 7 Billion People
7 Billion People provides software for e-retailers so they can more effectively personalize individuals' online shopping experiences to increase customer loyalty and close rates. 7 Billion People uniquely determines consumers' psychological profiles by analyzing search terms, click patterns and online behaviors, and then provides analysis and recommendations that allow marketers to more effectively understand customers' buying behavior to optimize all forms of marketing communications. 7 Billion People was founded in 2006 and is located in Austin, Texas. http://www.7bpeople.com
Evangelicals and Rural Americans Are Breaking Big for Obama
By Robert S. Eshelman, Tomdispatch.com
A mass defection from the Republican Party may be underway in counties that were once GOP strongholds. Call it the reverse Bradley Effect. Read more
How Much Damage Has Eight Years of Conservative Rule Done to Americans' Psyches?
By Mark Klempner, AlterNet
The Bush administration used a politics of fear to diminish our ability to think critically and to erode our capacity to love. Read more
Breaking! Columbus Man Admits Planning Attacks On Secretary of State Brunner
http://www.progressohio.org/page/community/post/daveharding/CLDZ
http://feed1.news-24h.us/conference-ohio-planning24h/#
The Top 21 And It Could Be Over!
These Polling Numbers Will Undate Daily
2) Texas – 34
4) Florida – 27
5) Ohio – 20
10) Indiana – 11
10) Missouri – 11
10) Tennessee – 11
10) Washington - 11
11) Arizona – 10
11) Maryland – 10
11) Minnesota - 10
11) Wisconsin – 10
