Blackwell, and von Spakovsky were to testify on '04 Weds-Anyone Catch this?

[mod mom]

I can't believe I missed this. Does anyone know if they bothered to show up, and if they did what transpired?

Hearing on: Lessons Learned from the 2004 Presidential Election

Wednesday 07/24/2008 - 1:00 PM
2141 Rayburn House Office Building
Full Committee
By Direction of the Chairman
Hearing Documentation
No documentation available

Related News
No related news available



Witness List
Panel I:
J. Ken Blackwell
Ronald Reagan Distinguished Fellow
The Buckeye Institute for PublicPolicy Solutions

Dan Tokaji
Associate Professor of Law & Associate Director, Electon Law
The Ohio State University
Michael E. Moritz College of Law

Cleta Mitchell
Partner
Foley & Lardner, LLP

Panel II:

Gilda Daniels
Assistant Professor of Law
University of Baltimore School of Law

Hans Von Spakovsky
Visiting Scholar
The Heritage Foundation

J. Gerald Hebert
Executive Director & Director of Litigation
The Campaign Legal Center



http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/hear_072408_1.html

[flashl]

1. Ellison Slams von Spakovsky

TPM: Ellison Slams von Spakovsky Over Disenfranchised Nuns and U.S. Attorneys

[mod mom]

2. thanks, it appears that the hearing wasn't held until 7/24 and I can find no

comment on Blackwell testifying.

There was a posting on an EI list serv that says Blackwell will testify today (Friday) at 1 pm and it will be on cspan, but I don't find any other mention of this anywhere.

Oops...here is his prepared statement:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/4080984/J-Kenneth-Blackwell-Prepared-Statement-1-July-24-2008

[flashl]

4. Blackwell:

"In my estimation -- and in that of most independent observers, Ohioans were well served by their state and local election officials in 2004..." :spray:

I can not continue to read without spraying coffee, must go and clean keyboard.

[mod mom]

3. Cols Dispatch: '04 Ohio election was fair, Blackwell says (SHOCKING!)

'04 Ohio election was fair, Blackwell says
Ex-secretary of state defends outcome, process
Thursday, July 24, 2008 8:19 PM

BY JACK TORRY
The Columbus Dispatch
WASHINGTON—Former Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell rejected charges today that the outcome of the 2004 presidential race in the state was tampered with, saying that “checks and balances” on the county level make it “virtually impossible for either party to rig an Ohio election.”
Appearing before a House judiciary subcommittee that is investigating charges of voter suppression in the 2004 election, Blackwell told lawmakers that both Democrats and Republicans run Ohio's 88 county boards of election.

“They decide on the distribution ratios for voting equipment, they decide the location of polling stations, and they select the voting equipment used in their counties from lists of equipment certified by the secretary of state's office,” he said.

“All these local safeguards ensure that local concerns about access to polling stations are handled locally and that both parties have a say in the final decisions,” Blackwell said.

When Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., sharply questioned Blackwell about observers' allegations of irregularities in the Ohio vote, Blackwell replied that “a lot of people have Jonathan Swift imagination.” Blackwell added that “just because someone ... makes a charge” doesn't mean it has “ validity.”

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/07/24/blackwell.html?sid=101

[mod mom]

5. No reporter bias here including offering INCORRECT official results;

"Conyers and a number of political activists have assailed Ohio's 2004 vote, charging that long lines at polling places in Franklin and Knox counties might have cost Democratic Sen. John Kerry votes. President Bush defeated Kerry by 136,483 votes in Ohio."


According to the OH SOS website Bush "won" by 118,601:

http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/elections/electResultsMain/2004ElectionsResults/04-1102PresVicePres.aspx

[flashl]

6. Slip ups, after herculean effort to 'clean' certified Ohio 2004 election night results. nt

[L. Coyote]

7. Ohio R Chairman running Cuyahoga BOE = "All these local safeguards ...."

More on Bennett, et.al.:

Deja DU: Cuyahoga Co. Elections Director Resigns (OH)
Feb-06-07 - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2719564