If you were the GOP, and it looked like you weren't gong to have

[Dover]

the votes come November......what would you be doing to secure a win? And I'm not just referring to legitimate/lawful solutions. I'm talking about a 'win at any cost' directive.

Given how things are right now, and given that you have NO INTENTION OF LOSING, what would you do to guarantee a win (again...assuming you have decided already that you don't and won't have the votes)?

The GOP is good at influenicng perceptions via the media and playing with intangibles, but if the REAL and TANGIBLE truth is that you don't have the votes based on the results of your own internal polling.......what do you do?

[Gildor Inglorion]

1. They have already done it, and not in secret, either...

Rigged Diebold voting machines are already in place in many states. The president of that company has stated publicly that it is his mission to deliver Ohio's electoral votes to Bushit*. The Georgia governor's office and Senator Max Cleland's seat were stolen by these machines in 2002, in a kind of dress rehearsal. Maybe they will do other things, too, but really nothing new. Intimidation of black voters in the south has long been a popular method of diluting the Democratic vote (they have their GOP "observers" at most polling places to glower and interfere in every way possible).

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. Do you have a reference for this statement?

Gildor Inglorion writes: The president of Diebold has stated publicly that it is his mission to deliver Ohio's electoral votes to Bush*.

Do you have a reference for this statement? I'd like to see it, please.

[Nimrod]

2. This is kind of out there, but

If I foresaw a loss in November I might try playing off some previous failures of mine. If, for example, a large percentage of the populace perceived me as stealing a previous election, I'd turn that to my advantage - maybe by introducing electronic voting or something. Knowing people wouldn't trust me, I'd go ahead and let the machines be successfully protested in solidly blue states (if I skewed those results it would be a dead giveaway anyhow), but manage to leave them in place in certain key swing states. If a family member of mine is a governor or some such in one of those states, that would be even better. I wouldn't want to win by a landslide, that would expose me, so just a little nudge here and a little nudge there would put me over the top.

Even though the vast majority of the populace opposed my administration, I'd use the polls and maybe even the media (another family member there would be REALLY usefull) to make my position not look quite as bad as it is. It's not like every American talks to every other American, so I just have to make members of the other party think they have larger opposition than they do. Then when my electronic voting machines squeak me past my opponent, there will be a minimum of fuss. I'll have to make sure there's no recount possible, but that's easy enough, and I'm planning a BIG terror event for the week afterward anyway to distract everyone from looking too close at the election.


Yeah, I know this idea is really out in the ozone, but IF I were the GOP I could see how something like this might wor...

Oh wait...

Crap!

[Dover]

3. But of course.......

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x751726


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x751832

Keep an eye on the electoral votes as well between Nov. 2 and December's official count.

[Dover]

4. Case in Point

Besides the efforts to take down Sec. of State Shelley in Ca., who has stood in the way of Diebold and voting machine use....now this:


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/16/opinion/16herbert.htm...

Suppress the Vote?
By BOB HERBERT

Published: August 16, 2004
<snip>

State police officers have gone into the homes of elderly black voters in Orlando and interrogated them as part of an odd "investigation" that has frightened many voters, intimidated elderly volunteers and thrown a chill over efforts to get out the black vote in November.

<snip>

The vile smell of voter suppression is all over this so-called investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Joseph Egan, an Orlando lawyer who represents Mr. Thomas, said: "The Voters League has workers who go into the community to do voter registration, drive people to the polls and help with absentee ballots. They are elderly women mostly. They get paid like $100 for four or five months' work, just to offset things like the cost of their gas. They see this political activity as an important contribution to their community. Some of the people in the community had never cast a ballot until the league came to their door and encouraged them to vote."

Now, said Mr. Egan, the fear generated by state police officers going into people's homes as part of an ongoing criminal investigation related to voting is threatening to undo much of the good work of the league. He said, "One woman asked me, 'Am I going to go to jail now because I voted by absentee ballot?' "

[Bernardo de La Paz]

7. Good catch, Dover . . . nt

[grasswire]

5. I'd be...

...finding someone to mount a challenge to George at the convention. A dark horse. Seriously. I'm sure there's been some talk of it.

[bklyncowgirl]

8. I'd do pretty much what they're doing if I was amoral enough to do it

1. Simultaneously energize my base and destroy my opponent's soft support through a carefully choreographed series of attacks designed to weaken his credibility and appeal to the average apolitical moderate voter.

2. Do everything I can to make sure that my people get out to vote while at the same time doing everything I can to intimidate, harass and prevent people who are likely to vote for my opponent from getting out to the polls--that is if they haven't been removed from the voter rolls in the first place due to carefully planned voter purges designed to eradicate convicted criminals--and anyone with a name that sounds like that of a convicted criminal--unless they're of an ethnic groups that traditionall votes my way.

3. Produce perfectly choreographed campeign events with screened and scripted audiences in order to prevent any embarrasments while at the same time sending groups of hecklers out to harrass my opponent and hopefully trigger a negative response from him or better yet from his colorfully outspoken wife.

4. Whenever something bad or embarrasing happens, or my opponent begins to gain traction use the awsome power of the presidency to distract the attention of the populace from the negative to the positive vision of my candidate acting as commander in chief. Terror alerts, are particularly effective. Fighting a real covert war on terror is less important than appearing to fight a war on terror after all covert means no one sees it. Displaying a captured Al Queda operative who had flipped and was helping our allies is far important than using him to track down terrorists especially if people are starting to question the timing of terror announcements.

5. Work with the media, the owners of which want something I can give them--i.e. more deregulation, to prevent overly close questioning of my candidate's motives, actions and personal character. Make sure that they examine the other guy's motives, actions and personal character with a fine toothed comb.

6. Be prepared with something big right before the election. What could this be, I don't know. Osama in chains or in a box, a major terrorist operation thwarted, new and devestating information on my opponent carefully timed so he doesn't have time to respond. I won't tell you what it is but rest assured, it's coming.

Thats about it for now. This was sort of fun in a Machievellian sort of way.

[AP]

9. Get people thinking of terror and war. Drive some wedges into the left

preferably, Iraq-related. Lie.