I needed to talk to "Shallow Throat," to get some perspective on the
upcoming mid-term election, now 90 days away.

The GOP mole, a high-ranking official in the Bush Administration, was
on vacation, but I knew the private cell-phone number, and we arranged
to meet at an out-of-the-way cove along the Connecticut shore. It was
very hot, even at the beach.

Per usual, Shallow Throat wasn't happy: "I can't believe your Democrat
friends. They've got issues staring them in the face with which they
can beat the GOP candidates over the head, and yet, by and large, they
still appear disorganized, timid, afraid to deal forthrightly with
what's on most voters' minds: the Iraq catastrophe, Bush's renewed
attack on Social Security, the huge trillion-dollar deficits that are
stagnating the economy and hurting the middle class, the lack of real
homeland security, the demonstrated incompetence of this
Administration, and on and on.

"It boggles my mind. With less than three months to go before midterm
Voting Day, there still is no massive national campaign to make this
election a referendum on the Bush Administration! Polls keep
demonstrating that the American people are way ahead of the
politicians: They see Bush as a failure as president and are ready to
change the makeup of the House and maybe even the Senate; in short,
they see this election as a chance to express their no-confidence vote
in the corrupt, greedy, power-hungry Republicans.

"But the Democrats, dazed and confused, refuse to unite and mount a
vibrant national campaign with which to connect, and shape, that public
discontent. The Dems seem incapable of going for the jugular. Instead,
they're running individual races in individual districts, mostly on
local issues.

"Do you Democrats still have your death wish? Can't you see that this
may be your last chance to take the country away from the extremists
that have hijacked my party and to start moving America back to the
rational center?"


"SIX FOR '06" IS MISSING IN ACTION

I countered: "But the Democrats have started to move in that direction
with their 'Six for '06" campaign, the six major issues as their doable
platform to run on. They--"

Shallow Throat interrupted: "Do you know any of your friends or
neighbors that are even aware of this feeble exercise? Where's the
money behind this campaign? Where's the publicity, the daily pounding
of those talking points into the public arena? Where are the high-level
leaders and speakers touring the country? Where are the network and
cable ads? To me, it looks like your Dem friends are counting on
popular revulsion against Bush to do the work for them, so they won't
have to actually say something that could backfire on them later. They
think the polls showing a potential Dem sweep will do the job for them,
that they can sit back on their butts and watch the Republicans
implode."

"Well," I said, "what would you have those national TV ads focus on,
for example?"

"Let's just take the most obvious one," said ST, dabbing on a bit more
sunscreen. "The American people as a whole, and most importantly the
generals and colonels inside the Pentagon, have made their judgment
about the Iraq War: It was a bad mistake, built on false information
and outright lies; it's unwinnable; it's time to develop a plan for
getting us out of there. Why can't your liberal friends devise a united
position built around what the American people already have decided?
Are the Dems lazy? Afraid of being accused of being 'unpatriotic' and
'not supporting the troops'? Wanting to see if Murtha survives his
Swift-Boat sliming before they organize themselves? Waiting to see how
badly Lieberman gets his ass kicked before they move? Waiting for
MoveOn to make exiting from Iraq a major issue?"


THEFT AT THE POLLS

"Then there's the other issue that the Democrats are avoiding as if
it's toxic: electoral integrity. Rove for the past three elections --
in 2000, 2002, and 2004 -- has orchestrated dirty, corrupt campaigns,
and has stolen elections in the process, and yet the Democratic Party
has said nary a word in official objection. As usual, because they know
the American people support their issues more than they do the
Republican issues, they think that automatically transfers to the
ballots as counted.

"But electoral-integrity experts have demonstrated overwhelmingly that
those elections were fiddled with and manipulated to guarantee
Republican victories in the various states. Hundreds of thousands of
likely Democratic voters in many states, mostly in minority districts,
were kicked off the precinct rolls in advance; even if some of them
ever got to vote, they were often given provisional ballots, which
tended not to get counted.

"Computer voting machines, either by malfunction or deliberate
manipulation, often kicked Democrat votes over to the Republican
candidates. Republican districts had many working voting machines;
Democrat districts had few machines available, and many of those
weren't working. In 2004 Ohio, for example, this meant that working
people had to stand in lines for up to 10 hours to vote; many gave up
and went back to their jobs. Black voters in urban areas were warned
that if they had any unpaid parking tickets, they'd be arrested when
they showed up at the polling stations, etc. etc.

"Did the Democrats, as a party, register any official objections? Nope.
It was left to mavericks like Rep. John Conyers to convene unofficial
hearings and issue an unofficial final report on the electoral crimes
carried out. The one person who could have made this a major issue, the
Dems' 2004 Presidential candidate, simply conceded early and
disappeared from the scene of the crime. Unconscionable! And Kerry now
wants to run again, as if his activist base will ever forgive him for
his cowardice on this issue."

"But," I responded, "various states have begun examining the voting
procedures and forcing reforms."


ELECTORAL SYSTEM IS F.U.B.A.R.

"God, no wonder you liberals keep getting rolled! You're in dreamland.
Wake up and smell the knives, my friend," said Shallow Throat, opening
a Dos Equis from a cooler. "First of all, most states will conduct
their elections in November in pretty much the same way as they have
for the past three. Second, in terms of voting processes, it's true
that there are a few states where citizen action and lawsuits have
forced the authorities to examine the built-in flaws and dangers of
computer voting, but most officials are operating out of ignorance and
tend to accept what the computer-machine companies tell them.

"Third, it's been demonstrated time and time again that those machines
are simple to enter and re-program, without leaving any trace, but only
a few states have mandated more random testing and demanded verified
voting receipts for possible recounts. And speaking of counting, the
votes are tabulated, usually away from public view, on computers
manufactured by the same Republican corporations that make the voting
machines.

"In short, the voting system is genuinely FUBAR, just the way Rove
wants it. And, even if there were major campaigns in the states to fix
the system -- and by and large there are only a few serious ones -- the
reforms won't be in place by November. Which suggests that the
Republicans in 2006 could fiddle with results in just enough House or
Senate races to keep the Democrats in their current minority cages."

"You seem so pessimistic," I countered, "when all the polls and surveys
indicate a probable sweep of Democrats back into power in the House,
and a shot at taking the Senate as well. Doesn't that count for
anything?"


GET READY FOR ROVE'S SURPRISES

"Look," said ST, adjusting the umbrella for more shade, "the will of
the American people has been violated regularly for six years. What
makes you think Rove and his minions won't do everything once again to
stay in power -- and, by extension, out of the federal slammer? They
effectively control the three branches of government, the mainstream
media, and the election system. They're firing up the fear machine as
we speak, to make sure their fundamentalist-Christian base shows up at
on Election Day in huge numbers, along with others lured to vote
Republican on hyped-up 'social conservative' issues like abortion, gay
marriage, stem cell research, terrorism, and so on, as well as
admonitions to 'stay the course' in Iraq and to support virtually
everything that Israel does in the region.

"If Democrats think the election is a lock," said ST, "not only are
they gravely mistaken, they are downright stupid as well. With Rove in
charge, the possibility of the fix being in can't be ignored. The
Democrats will have to win so overwhelmingly in key races that the
Republicans won't even dare try fiddling with the results. Plus, the
Dems are going to have to make sure exit-polling takes place
everywhere, as another brake on Republican shenanigans. And they should
have attorneys in every state and major contested districts prepared to
go into court for judicial oversight of corrupt voting and
vote-counting practices."

"Anything else in your glass-half-empty view?" I asked.

"Yes," said ST. "Your Democrat colleagues have got to be prepared to
deal with the inevitable pre-election surprises -- say, war with Iran
and/or Syria, all that rally-'round-the-president -during-wartime spin,
or an announcement of a promised large 'withdrawal of American troops'
 from Iraq, or even a major 'terrorist attack' inside the United States.
I'm not saying these things definitely will occur, but given the past
history of Rove and friends, they are not outside the realm of
possibility. These guys are desperate and will do anything to stay in
power. Be prepared. And get your liberal friends to get the stick out
from -- just tell them to get moving ASAP."

And with that, Shallow Throat threw down the towel, and raced into the
water. I stood there, sweat dripping down my sides; I wasn't sure if it
was from the temperature or from fear. #

Bernard Weiner, a poet and playwright, has had numerous conversations
with the Shallow Throat character over the past few years. A Ph.D. in
government & international relations, Weiner has taught at universities
in Washington and California, worked as a writer-editor with the San
Francisco Chronicle, and currently co-edits The Crisis Papers
(www.crisispapers.org). To comment: crisispapers@comcast.net .



Copyright 2006 by Bernard Weiner.