Can we ever forgive the Democratic leadership for getting us into this hellish state?

A man who is OK with using nuclear weapons now resides in the White House. A 5-4 Corporatist Supreme Court can twist and turn the Constitution to say whatever the Koch Brothers, Exxon and the GOP want it to say. Both houses of Congress are dominated by rabid Republicans eager to dismantle everything good in our government, while ramping up the military, destroying our health care, and dishing out more tax breaks to crazy billionaires.

EPA—gut it! Home heat for the poor—nope! Meals on Wheels—Nyet! Massive new spending on the bloated war machine–yes!

Where was Democrats’ outrage over uncounted votes? While Trump screamed about a rigged election; Hillary, who had reason to scream, was silent.

   

 Journalist Greg Palast, who has been investigating US vote fraud for many years, alleged that many thousands of votes were uncounted in key states like Wisconsin, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Why uncounted? Because the old, decrepit voting machines that are sent to minority neighborhoods (read Democrat) don’t work so well. But human beings usually can discern the intent of the voter. A hand count of the votes might have turned the election around.

This didn’t happen. WHY? Hillary wasn’t interested in a recount. REALLY. After campaigning for many months…after she told us repeatedly that Donald Trump is a despicable man…after she took our hard-earned cash and countless hours of volunteer time…after promising she would fight for us…Hillary and the Democrats just walked away without a fight.

 In my former home state of Wisconsin, Republicans scurried around like cockroaches, prepared to battle to keep those ballots from seeing the light of day. But they needn’t have worried. The Dems just shrugged and went home.

Senate races in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania were also tossups. The Republican candidate received 51% in both states. Might a couple of Senate seats have swung the other way if the Democrats had demanded a hand count? We’ll never know.

It wasn’t just 2016 either.

Remember Al Gore, the guy who won the popular vote in 2000?  Well, it turns out that Florida Governor Jeb Bush and his Secretary of State, Kathryn Harris, stole the election in that key state. They illegally purged the voter lists, first of people who were convicted felons (that much is technically legal), but then continued by purging those with names similar to convicted felons. Since John Brown is a convicted felon, why not remove Jon Brown, John Braun, and Jack Brown? Probably, they are the same person. So they said. And it isn’t just nutjob conspiracy theorists who say the election was stolen. The US Commission on Civil Rights says so too.

Inexcusable conflict of interest  At the same time Ms. Harris was Secretary of State, entrusted with ensuring a free and fair election, she was also the state chair of the Bush campaign. Was there ever more reason to scream “election fraud” than this inexcusable conflict of interest? How is this allowed to happen?

One of Most Disgraceful Scenes In US History     Fast forward to the floor of the Congress. In this excerpt from Michael Moore’s movie, Farenheit 911, you can relive one of the most disgraceful scenes in US history.  A joint session of Congress is about to vote to certify the election for George Bush. The Congressional Black Caucus, hopping mad over the election fraud committed in Florida, tried to object. However, the rules require an objection have the support of a member of both houses. But no Democrat in the Senate was willing to stand with their African American House colleagues. NOT ONE. One after another, members of the Black Caucus went to the podium to object, only to be gavelled down by Vice President Al Gore, acting in his dual role of Vice President and President of the Senate.

Had the Democrats not rolled over and played dead, one or both Bush brothers might have been sent to prison, Al Gore could have been President, and the Democrats could have sent a strong signal that voting rights are sacred. We might have avoided 9/11, the Iraq War, the Bush tax cuts, and the rightward turn of the Supreme Court that came with the appointments of John Roberts and Samuel Alito. No Citizens United and no attacks on the Voting Rights Act.

Did the Democrats learn anything from the 2000 election? Apparently not. In 2004, another close Presidential race hinged on the results of one key state. This time it was Ohio, where a man named Ken Blackwell was the Secretary of State. Again, the official entrusted with overseeing the voting in his state was also the head of the state campaign to re-elect George W. Bush.

Excuse me whilst I scream. AGAIN? How is this allowed to happen?

According to Democracynow.org, odd things happened in Ohio in that election.  There were widespread reports of voter intimidation; suspiciously long lines in heavily-Democratic areas; faulty voting machines; mishandled absentee and provisional ballots; election results that contradicted exit polls, and there were major issues with the electronic voting machines.

Who could blame the Democrats for screaming and demanding an investigation – maybe even prosecution of key members of the Republican Party? Instead, John Kerry and the Democrats meekly walked away, allowing Bush/Cheney another four years in the White House–and two Supreme Court appointments.

Why did this happen? Could it be that people at the highest levels of the Democratic Party prefer to let utterly incompetent and despicable men like Bush/Cheney and Donald Trump into the White House, rather than stand up for minority voting rights?

Have you another explanation?

Thunderbolt

[TOPIC FOR ANOTHER DAY: VOTING RIGHTS OF PRISONERS: A number of states have lifetime bans on voting for convicted felons. Why deny people their rights AFTER they’ve served their time? What is the rationale for denying any prisoners the right to vote?  Some nations allow and even encourage prisoners to vote. After all, as Mother Jones once said about prisons, “Many that are in should be out; many that are out should be in.” A man comes to mind who defrauded students at his sham university, then “contributed” to the election campaign of the woman who should have prosecuted him.]