(via Oliver Willis)
News and Politics
Republicans pushing for Jewish vote
Over the past week I’ve received several flyers from the Republican Party endorsing Bush as a friend of Jewish people and Israel, even though I’m a registered Democrat. They must be sending it to everyone with a Jewish name. Well, I have news for them – I don’t care about Israel and I consider myself atheist or agnostic, not Jewish. I don’t vote as a Jew; I vote as a gay man.
Eminem's new video
Via Oliver Willis: Don’t miss Eminem’s new video. For once, I actually like something he’s done.
Computer problems reported at some early voting sites
A first sign of trouble on Nov. 2 (via the Sun-Sentinel):
Problems were being reported at nine of 14 early voting sites in Broward County on Monday morning.
Gisela Salas, of the Broward Elections Office, said workers were having problems with a live database connection that is used to verify that a voter is properly registered.
The sites, Salas said, that were unaffected were at satellite offices in Deerfield Beach, Hollywood, Lauderhill, Pembroke Pines and Plantation.
All the branch offices were reported having problems with the database connection. Many of the sites had voters lined up to cast their ballots.
Voters at several sites said poll workers told them the problems started 20 minutes to 30 minutes after the early polling stations opened at 8:30 a.m. The stations close at 6 p.m.
At the Tamarac branch public library, where voting stopped after the computer glitch, Sally Zwanger, a poll watcher for the Kerry campaign, claimed the problems reflected on the inability of Gov. Jeb Bush’s administration to fix voting problems left over from the 2000 election.
“The worst thing to hear was, ‘I support Kerry, but I can’t wait in this line,'” she said. “We are having a repeat of 2000, and it’s only in Florida that this could happen. This administration would do anything to ensure that he [Bush] stays in office.”
Zwanger said at one point there were 63 people in line, most of whom had gone home without voting by 11 a.m.
She also said waiting voters were told at 8:30 a.m. that every voting location in Broward County was was closed. But she found out after calling the Broward County Elections Office headquarters that the Plantation location and four others were still open.
Susan Emert waited for two hours – starting at 8:20 a.m. before she finally had to leave for work.
“They had all the time from when they said the voting machines will be used, all the time to perfect them, and here we are, up the creek,” she said, throwing her arms wildly up in the air. “This is really another black eye for the county. I’m so fed up.”
Before leaving, however, Emert was able to get a number from an elections official. It will allow her to receive priority placement in the line when she returns.
Most of the voters waiting in the line were seniors, and many shared Emert’s frustration. They repeatedly uttered phrases such as, “This is ridiculous,” and “This is so frustrating.”
In Palm Beach County, the center of the madness during the recount four years ago, a Democratic state legislator said she wasn’t given a complete absentee ballot when she asked to opt for paper instead of the electronic touch-screen machines. And in Orange County, the touch-screen system briefly crashed, paralyzing voting in Orlando and its immediate suburbs.
A steady flow had turned out Monday morning at more than a dozen sites in Palm Beach County. Patrick Flanagan, who went to the county’s election headquarters to cast his ballot, said he voted early because he wanted to avoid the long lines expected on Election Day. He said he’s voted on the touch-screen machines once before, and both times have gone “very smoothly.”
“I’m a computer-phobe, and it seemed easy enough to me,” said Flanagan, who added that he had no concerns about his vote being counted.
Also coming out of the polls on Monday, Steve Perez, 44, said he came early to cast a “protest vote” for Ralph Nader.
“What’s important is that you vote. I didn’t want to get in all the hoopla with all the turnout in Election Day,” said Perez, a substitute teacher.
State Rep. Shelley Vana was not so happy. She said the paper absentee ballot she was given at a Palm Beach County site was missing one of its two pages, including the proposed amendments to the state constitution. She said election workers were indifferent when she pointed out the oversight.
“There was absolutely no concern on the part of the folks at the Supervisor of Elections Office that this page was missing. This is not a good start. If there are incomplete ballots out there, I can’t imagine I would be the only one getting it,” she said.
County elections supervisor Theresa LePore did not immediately return a call for comment.
Early voting also gets under way Monday in Texas, Colorado and Arkansas. Other key states this year have already begun in-person voting, including Wisconsin, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, New Mexico and Pennsylvania. Balloting by mail is under way in Oregon, the only state in the nation that has done away with polling booths altogether.
Early voting and touch-screen equipment were introduced in Florida after the 2000 election, in which this crucial state decided the result by only 537 votes and introduced topics such as butterfly ballots and hanging chads to the national debate. The early voting continues at a limited number of sites in each county until Election Day, when regular polling places will be open.
In Miami-Dade County, about 150 people gathered Monday morning for a rally led by the Rev. Al Sharpton and former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno. Some people were carrying homemade signs that said “Early Voting Counts” and “Every Vote Matters.”
Both President Bush and Sen. John Kerry arranged campaign swings through the Sunshine State over the weekend.
“There are probably a lot of people in Florida who are ready to cast their ballot,” said Mindy Tucker Fletcher, senior adviser for the Bush campaign in Florida.
Some groups are urging voters to ask for paper absentee ballots, as Vana did, because of concerns over the state’s new touch-screen voting machines and any potential recounts. Voters Monday morning could choose either method.
Even as voters turned out, lawyers were going to court in Fort Lauderdale to argue a lawsuit over the lack of paper backup on the electronic machines.
Other groups are touting early voting as a chance for busy voters to avoid waiting in line Nov. 2. Some have criticized the concept, saying it increases opportunities for fraud without significantly boosting participation. Still, most states offer the option.
“It’s going to be changing the way candidates campaign because they have to get their message out to people two to three weeks earlier than in the past,” LePore said earlier.
Cheney's Hypocrisy
Isn’t it funny that Dick & Lynne Cheney are making such a stink about Kerry mentioning their daughter in the debate, yet they didn’t say a word when Alan Keyes called her a selfish hedonist:
Expressing support for a proposed amendment to the Constitution that would ban same-sex marriage — an issue that the vice president has said is best left to the states to legislate, Keyes said: “The essence of … family life remains procreation. If we embrace homosexuality as a proper basis for marriage, we are saying that it’s possible to have a marriage state that in principle excludes procreation and is based simply on the premise of selfish hedonism.”
Asked whether that meant Mary Cheney was “a selfish hedonist,” Keyes said: “That goes by definition. Of course she is.”
Don’t forget that in August, Cheney himself acknowledged that his daughter is gay:
Asked his position on the subject at a town hall meeting in Davenport, Iowa, Cheney replied: “Lynne and I have a gay daughter, so it’s an issue that our family is very familiar with. … With respect to the question of relationships, my general view is that freedom means freedom for everyone. People ought to be able to free — ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to.”
New political weblog
I recently discovered minipundit, an intelligent, well-written political blog.
Of, by, and for
Mitch Kapor has a new political blog.
W's False pride
Via A Whole Lotta Nothing: Republicans for Humility presents a conservative case against Bush.
Some contend the President utilizes the rhetoric of traditional, limited government, free enterprise American values, which are hostile to the concept of empire, but consistently has advanced policies better described as “corporate cronyism” and international adventurism which undermine traditional conservative values. These Bush Administration policies have paradoxically resulted in a higher rate of growth of domestic discretionary federal spending than under Democratic administrations, have been lax in avoidance of pork-barrel favoritism and overly cozy relationships with particular corporate interests, and have resulted in a reckless foreign policy which has isolated us from traditional allies, inflamed the passions of terrorist enemies, and embroiled us in an ill-advised, nation building war without a discernable end. The constitutional provision of Congressional authority to declare was was subverted by the selective use of cherry-picked “intelligence” (which post invasion findings showed to be inaccurate or exagerrated) cynically presented to Congress and the public to present a public justification for invasion (weapons of mass destruction) which differed from the real motive for war. This real reason was kept from the public and Congress, not only because planning for war with Iraq had begun within the first 10 days of inauguration (8 months before 9/11), not only because the grandiose goals of Administration hawks to forcibly restructure the Middle East and increase American military presence and bases throughout the world offends the American hostility to the concepts of empire and global domination, but because these goals directly contradicted the principles elucidated by presidential candidate Bush in his campaign for the Presidency. Such policies of fiscal and foreign policy recklessness, and abuse of constitutional principles, are contrary to traditional American and conservative values.
I’ve always felt that Bush was not a true conservative. He’s increased government spending and increased the size & power of the government, which are exactly the opposite of true conservativism. I think it’s time for the libertarian-leaning conservatives & groups like the LCR who are disappointed to Bush to split from the republican party and either join the Libertarian party or form a new, real conservative party without the religious rhetoric and social conservatism. Let the republican party push itself further to the fringe with all of the religious wackos.
Yahoo! News – Singer Cat Stevens Denied U.S. Entry, Flight Diverted
The former pop singer Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam, was denied entry to the United States and his flight from London was diverted to Maine, after his name turned up on a watch list, a U.S. transportation security official said.
This shows the stupidity of the ‘no fly list’ and current security practices. It should be a matter of judgment and discretion rather than blindly following a list. Despite Islam’s views and statements, he is no danger to the flight or this country.
Islam recently performed his hit “Wild World” with Peter Gabriel at the 46664 concert in South Africa.
Jim Stork withdraws from race
Jim Stork has announced his withdrawal from the race for congressional district 22.
September 17, 2004
As many of you know, I discontinued campaigning a few weeks ago due to illness and to undergo medical testing. I have decided to withdraw from the race effective today. I have a heart related condition that will not allow me to campaign effectively. Hopefully, with treatment and rest I should be okay.ÂThis decision is frustrating because I was deeply committed to this campaign and grateful to the thousands of financial contributors and volunteers. But I cannot shortchange them by not being able to campaign. I have made the decision that my health is the number one priority right now. I will close out the campaign as quickly as possible in accordance with Federal Election Commission regulations. After the next reporting period, I will place a link on our website which will show all of our expenditures year to date.
I also plan to spend time contacting the many donors and volunteers to thank them personally, as they were the stars of this campaign, not me. To say that I am disappointed is an understatement, so I will leave it at that.
PS I’d like to thank some incredible online supporters such as the DailyKos.com , Howard Dean’s DemocracyForAmerica.com, VictoryFund.org and of course, MoveOnPAC.org. These organizations are leveling the playing field against the special interests currently dominating our public policy.