General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: the "OMG they are going to steal it!!1!!" posts drive down enthusiasm and are counterproductive [View all]Tom Rinaldo
(22,912 posts)It makes me want to work harder to increase the margin of an Obama victory. I'm pretty pragmatic about potential election theft. For starters I don't think the Republicans or anyone else are willing to take great risks to steal an election, BUT that risk shrinks the tighter a race becomes. Vice versa, the risk of getting caught trying to steal an election increases the wider the actual spread between the candidates. I do not believe Romney can beat Obama fair and square. I am highly motivated to move the vote spread beyond the tiny margin that makes election theft a tempting proposition, and yes that means GOTV efforts and all the rest of it.
On the other hand, the more everyone allows concerns over electoral theft to be perceived as mere left wing lunacy, the easier it becomes to actually attempt it because those so inclined become convinced that no one will consider any accusations regarding it as credible. It's like a criminal feeling emboldened to victimize prostitutes or homeless alcoholics in the belief that those who witness such crimes will be dismissed as unreliable witnesses.
What do you think holds back anyone form attempting to manipulate vote totals today? Once upon a time the threat was centered on stuffing the ballot box or throwing away uncounted votes from precincts that leaned toward the adversary. Over time the public demanded adequate safeguards against that. That didn't stop the motivation to steal elections, it just changed the risk to benefit equation. Do you think that contemporary political parties are simply more ethical than they used to be? Do you think that the advantages of winning elections rather than losing them are not as important nowadays as they used to be? Or do you think that it just is too hard for anyone today to manipulate vote tallies due to the fool proof technology currently in use, including e-voting machines with proven security flaws and proven track records of having flipped elections in the past?