The fix is in; CNN reports every state is a razor-thin margin

[Atman]

I've been saying this for as long as I can remember, as have many others here. More are awakening to it every day. And these new polling numbers offer more proof.

Often in the same broadcast as these poll stories, CNN will report on another pissed off, disenfranchised demographic, another segment of the American population turning on Bush. You name it, unless you're an extremely wealthy white CEO, just about every segment of the population is expressing -- and POLLING -- very negatively regarding Bush. Yet these "razor-thin" margins persist, and in fact even widen in Bush's favor even after some of the worst "rough weeks" any president has ever faced, PR wise.

Anecdotally, Bush supporters in public have become almost like a cult of some sort, and any who question him are blasphemers, but in general it is difficult to find many willing to express kind words for Bush.

And yet, the razor thin margin in Bush's "overall" approval rating persists. And of course, the whole point of this rant is that a razor thin margin, real or imagined, is the final ingredient in a perfect storm of vote theft and four more years of George Bush. With electronic voting machines in disarray all over the place, some being decertified with no replacements, some having been shown to have been tampered with, some just plain not working on election day...and still no way to recount any races where these machines exist...is it really any question at all what we are being set up for? Bush's SCOTUS friends and Cheney's duck hunting buddy will be forced to rely upon the only reasonable measurement available, and which is in fact pretty well accepted in our modern media culture...the public opinion poll. After all, isn't an election just a big, glorified public opinion poll anyway? It will be the ONLY numbers they'll have to go on!

Backing up a sec...maybe they make up that "overall" approval number themselves based upon an average; if you poll five groups of people, and one of those groups are GOP or "Registered Republicans Likely To Vote Bush" or some such pushy category, wouldn't it skew the whole damn average up to the 50% level? I mean really, there must be SOME explanation. Or maybe they just don't care anymore. We've trained the spoiled children in office that we'll just give them more cookies no matter who badly they misbehave. I gotta say, I'm not feeling the most optimistic today. These guys are nasty when they're getting their way. There is no reason to suspect they won't be that much nastier now that they are backed into a corner fighting for their very survival.

[Joanne98]

1. Exactly.

There will be protestors at the Diebold shareholder meeting in Canton Ohio today. we'll see if that helps.

[nostamj]

6. will the shareholders be aware of this....

http://www.trivalleyherald.com/Stories/0,1413,86~10669~2100333,00.html

"We were caught. We apologize for that," Urosevich said of the mass failures of devices needed to call up digital ballots. Poll-workers in Alameda and San Diego counties hadn't been trained on ways around their failure, and San Diego County chose not to supply polls with backup paper ballots, crippling the largest rollout of e-voting in the nation on March 2. Unknown thousands of voters were turned away at the polls.

[Ripley]

2. Maybe this Perfect Storm is what's needed...

to bring on the New Revolution. If Florida happens again, I think there will be massive protests in the streets this time.

Sometimes you have to hit the rank bottom of the barrel before you can make the climb upward.

[madmax]

3. I hope you're right

but, I think the majority of Americans will just roll over - AGAIN. Are there any groups organizing now - just in case. Is there a plan for Florida?

On edit: The repugs seemed to have a plan in 2000. Sending congressinal aids to riot. Or, they're extremely well organized and can turn on a dime.

[notadmblnd]

8. I read somewhere on here that there will be

a international church group monitoring the Fla election this year

[madmax]

11. Why doesn't the idea

of a church group monitoring elections comfort me? x(

[notadmblnd]

12. oh, we'll need to monitor the monitors...

I plan to take the day off and work and volunteer as a poll worker. Lots of us should.

[LynzM]

4. Nice....

That would certainly give the public the impression that it was close all along, and Bush just squeaked by....

We need to get S.1980 and HR2239 through Congress, and implemented!! Call your reps and senators- go to www.verifiedvoting.org, select your state, and call toll-free or email. I just did it, for all three I am a constituent of, and it took less than 15 minutes. Can you give 15 minutes of your time to help make your voice heard? Call 'em!

[peacetalksforall]

5. Just remember, every parrot mouth you listen to is really

the mouth of the CEOs of General Electric, Time-Warner (AOL?), the Murdoch Empire, and these conglomerations of movies, publishing, and networks whose CEO's have sold their soul to the right wing.

The CEO's speak and it comes out of the mouths of the little parrot performing propagandists.

This morning on MSNBC...today is Earth Day and President Defecit it going to speak in the NE about environment. And they said there was a plan to clean up the streams, but now PDefecit is not going to do it - all with a lilt and a smile on their face. SO why is he going to speak about the environment?

Man was not meant to destroy the earth and all its inhabitants.

[gasperc]

7. sure, keep the polls close enough to steal it

and then deliver a snowjob so no one pick up on the theft!

[Kazak]

9. I only hope...

If they even try anything funny in November, they get busted and it blows up in their face.

[cosmicdot]

10. setting the stage for a race "tight as a botox smile”

I'm sure Dan Rather is already working on the script ...

It wouldn't be election night without some wacky “Ratherisms” or, if you prefer, “Danisms.” Here are the ones we observed from the CBS Evening News through the end of CBS's 10pm EST hour. MRC analyst Patrick Gregory tracked down most of them:

> Opening the November 5 CBS Evening News: “CBS News has assembled an experienced team of correspondents to bring you the returns and analysis tonight. And we could be in for a long night with the Senate battle as tight as a botox smile.”

> During 9pm EST two minute update before Judging Amy.
-- “Two hands worth of white knucklers still hanging ten.”
-- And, on the Arkansas Senate race: “Polls closed one half hour ago in Arkansas. We can tell you that race is crackling like a hickory fire.”

> During CBS's EST/CST prime time hour at 10pm EST:
-- “Georgia now is colored red. What a big win for the Republicans. And they’ll be breaking out the longnecks in Republican headquarters in Texas and elsewhere, not to mention the White House itself, although Lesley says they pop the caps only on Doctor Pepper ten two and four there.”

-- “Well Bob certainly as recently as a week or ten days ago, the Republicans would have considered this kind of win in Georgia as a situation somewhat like the cat that finds a mouse in the milk: unexpected but very much appreciated.”

-- “Now, we’ll be back with more of our election coverage, and it’s beginning to get exciting as the Democrats’ fingernails are beginning to sweat now, so stick in here with us, we’ll have more after this break.”

-- “If, Bob, if it turns out that Republicans regain control of the Senate, and thus President Bush has the White House, both houses of Congress, and a very substantial majority on the U.S. Supreme Court, would or would it not be too strong to say that this night has been the 'Bushification’ of America?” Schieffer gave in: “You could say that.”

http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2002/cyb20021106.asp

What's the Frequency, Dan?

Election-night quotes of CBS anchor Dan Rather: "This presidential race is crackling like a hickory fire." "Bush has had a lead since the very start, but his lead is now shakier than cafeteria jello." " Al Gore may be as cross as a snapping turtle." "This thing is so wild, wacky and wooly, nobody knows how it's going to come out." "Now that will have the Bush people in Austin jumping out of their seats like they were stabbed with hatpins." "This much tension you can't cut with a saw, it requires a blowtorch." "The presidential race is still hotter than a Laredo parking lot." "It's spandex tight." "You'd have to say this thing is as tight as rusted lugnuts on a '55 Ford." "Al Gore's...got his back to the wall, his shirttail on fire and a bill collector's at the door, but he's not finished yet."

http://www.campaignline.com/news/index.cfm?id=20

[loudsue]

13. You called it right, Atman -- we saw it on the California recall, too

They declared the gropenator the victor starting 2 weeks ahead of the election. And we saw what Diebold did -- and now they're getting their little hands slapped. They don't need their hands slapped: they need their hands in handcuffs.

IF it happens again in November and the Dems don't take to the streets, and take it to the repuke "victory parties", I'm going to :puke:! It's time to get this country back on track, and you can't do it with a dictatorship, or a fascist/corporatist/totalitarian state.

How come the masses don't REALIZE what's going on????? That's what boggles my mind. This country is in AWFUL shape! What don't they understand?

:kick:

[LibertyorDeath]

14. Yes they are getting their ducks in a row & waiting.

We Have to keep calling them on this. Letting them know WE Know what they are up to.

http://www.cnn.com/feedback/cnntv/

[West Coast Democrat]

15. Here's part of the Gallup poll that didn't make the headlines....

Even Gallup found the toss-up states to be a toss-up. There is no huge Bush lead, even where he's been airing attack ads 24/7.