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Electoral Politics

"Democrats in End Time:

Republicans Gain Shattering Victory; Who to Blame This Time?"

Alexander Cockburn
and Jeffrey St. Clair, Counterpunch

The crusade that George Bush called for in 2001 against terrorism from abroad came to fruition yesterday in a more homely context as Christians flocked to the polls in stronger numbers than in 2000 to battle against such manifestations of post-modernity as gay marriage.

"Why Kerry Lost"

Doug Ireland, Z-Net

John Kerry has definitively lost the popular vote by some three and a half million votes. That makes an all-out lawyers’ war in Ohio devoid of moral force (and I doubt that in the end there’ll be one).


Kerry ran a tactical campaign, devoid of vision or explicable alternatives, utterly lacking in message discipline, and riddled with misjudgments--it was one of the most incompetently run presidential campaigns by a Democrat in my lifetime. In addition, the voters just didn't like the rich stiff--and, as I've often observed, Americans don't want a president thay can't like. (In the exit polls, 76% said the one candidate quality which mattered most in how they voted for president was "he cares about people like me," which is the way pollsters determine likeability).

Bush Campaign Convinced of President's Reelection

Prensa Latina

Washington, Nov 3 (Prensa Latina) — White House Chief of
Staff Andrew Card said early Wednesday that President
George W. Bush has won re-election, according to CNN.


George W. Bush and John Kerry are waiting for presidential
election projections in just three states, but Bush Chief
of Staff Andy Card told supporters of the Republican
campaign he is convinced the president has won re-election.


Republicans are projected to retain control of the House
and Senate, adding to their majorities in both chambers
with strong showings in Southern states.


Ohio is too close to call, and results also are delayed in
Iowa and New Mexico. Democratic vice presidential candidate
John Edwards said, "We´ve waited four years for this
victory. We can wait one more night."


Bush is expected to have won 28 states, with 254 electoral
votes, and a win in Ohio would assure him of at least 274
votes, more than the 270 he needs for a majority Electoral
College.


Bush would become the 12th of the 17 incumbent presidents
who have sought re-election since 1900 to win a second
term.


But the John Kerry Campaign has refused to concede defeat,
insisting that 250,000 provisional and absentee ballots
cast in the Buckeye State might change the outcome.


The US and the world will know the final results after 11
days of the election. Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell
said that by law provisional and absentee ballots will not
be counted until 11 days after the election.

"Deputy Tackles, Arrests Journalist for Photographing Voters"

Jane Daugherty, Palm Beach Post

A widely published investigative journalist was tackled, punched and
arrested Sunday afternoon by a Palm Beach County sheriff's deputy who
tried to confiscate his camera outside the elections supervisor's
headquarters.

"Political Trick Or Treat in Hartford, CT:
Author Gore Vidal Skewers Bush, The Press"

Frank Rizzo, Hartford Courant


It was a bit of a Gorefest Saturday afternoon at Hartford Stage when
the noted author, playwright and wit Gore Vidal talked politics
following a reading of his new play, "On the March to the Sea."

The onetime political candidate — he ran for Congress in New York in
the 1960s and the Senate in California in the '80s — was serious,
playful and outspoken when "interviewed" by actress Estelle Parsons,
who was part of the original "Today" show in the 1950s before her
acting career.

League of Pissed Off Voters Guide to New York City Candidates

Complacent


Here we are in the eye of the storm. After an epic and
endless weekend living loud on the streets of New York City,
we pause and prepare for the coming election day. Tuesday
will be historic and you get to be in the thick of it. But
who will mislead this country for the next four years is
only one of the decisions we need to make as we step into
the voting booth tomorrow.

"Don't Let Problems at the Polls
Take Away Your Right to Vote"

Andrew Greenblat, True Majority

We've read news reports about plans to challenge voters at polling places around the country. Don't let some political hack deny you your most fundamental right as an American citizen — your right to vote. Below, we've created a short guide to protect your rights and advise what to do if someone tries to take them away from you. I encourage you to do two things:

"The Price of a Voter Database"

Jurriaan Bendien, Marxmail

In brief, it's expensive, although possibly a university might get a license
at a discount. Some options listed here.


Caliper's Maptitude for Redistricting is said to cost about four thousand
dollars per copy. The software permits mapmakers to analyze a large amount
of data-party registration, voting patterns, ethnic makeup from census data,
property-tax records, roads, railways, old district lines.

Maptitude

ESRI's ArcView geographic information system has an extension that automates
the redistricting process. The Districting Extension lets you manually move
boundaries, and instantly see the statistical result in table or chart
format. A redistricting wizard can automate the process even further. You
can set target values for quantities such as population for the software to
optimize, and then view statistics of the results. This lets you create
alternative redistricting scenarios.

Arc

ArcView

There's also Voter Vault, used by the Republicans.

Voter Vault

More news here.

Some other possibilities:

VotersOnLine

Voter Access

Adjutant

AlphaSoft

Esit

"Politics For Dummies"

Guillermo C. Jimenez

On the eve of Election Day, the suspense of an uncertain outcome gives the waning American presidential campaign a certain gravitas, a certain ominous majesty — which, unfortunately, it does not deserve. While it is true that the stakes in this election are enormous, when it comes to content this campaign has been as pathetically vacuous as any in history.

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