Its sad when that becomes the biggest factor of an election.

I believe there will be an attept swing some elections, but they have never been wide scale.
They can only swing very close races, and in those cases, they will try.
But these days when some people scream voter fraud, the population is much more open to hearing it.

It's as if most people expect the Neo-thugs to pull some dirty tricks.

The question is, how many close races are there at this point? And with all the recent news about the ineffectiveness of the machines and their ability to be hacked, how bold will Diebold or the Repugs be to fix the vote again? not very I would think. Its sad though that the defining swing may have been the Foley scandal and not the Bush Administrations shitty policies and track record.

In FL 2000, Bolten and others were physically going to places where votes were being recounted and demanding it be stopped. How bold were they in San Diego when they sent the machines home with poll workers. Look at the race between Hackett and Jean Schmidt less than two years ago, a miraculous come from behind win (51-49) same as Bush's come from behind victory. Please read this piece by Mark Crispin Miller
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1003-32.htm
and realize they'll be as brazen as necessary. Nothing's changed Celti, and unless the margin of victory is overwhelming, and maybe not even then, will they let power slip from their grasp.

My question that I just don't know, is how closely are these elections going to be monitored?

God, what a sad state our democracy is in.

Indeed, that those of us here and some others else where actually wonder about the security and integrity of our national elections.

Maybe its time we start calling our Local and State Democratic offices and request they be just as aggressive as the Repugs in challenges and in blocking them from disturbing the polls.

Maybe I am blind. I dont think it will happen on a large scale. If it does, the Dems are expecting it and I doubt seriously they will just lay down and watch it happen.....again.
The temeprment of the country is not strongly alligned with the Republicans right now. Much too much damning news, evidence, and implications for the public to just let it go. The biggest problem. A prevailing disappointment in the Republicans for squandering 4-8 years. Speaking as one, I can't even effectively articulate the depth of distrust from every angle. Moral, ethical, financial....every damned bit of it. NOt that I trust the Dems any more but....they have been saying they can "do this thing the right way". Fed up people will vote to see if they can.

Forth time's the charm?

The question being though, will the Dems realize that they are "on the clock" and they will have to afford real change in a short amount of time before the pendulam swings the other way and a crew like the Bush neocons regain control and put us in deeper crap? Any thing less would be just proving the Republican mantra of Dems just being power hungry and not really wanting to change anything, giving Repugs more ammo in the next election.

One would "hope"...hope I said..that the Republican Party looks at itself and says..."why are we so fucked up"? And if the Dems are going to save us all, then they do, as you stated, have to have a very good plan and execution. Otherwise, it will be more of the same. The endfighting mentioned in the article Jack posted pretty much alludes to a Republican voter disappointment in what is happening.

Im not a Democratic supporter but if they have a good plan, work the plan, face the people with the truth, and get it right....who could not support them. But, so far, all they have done is scream "Shit is broken". ON the other side while standing on a pile of rubble, the Republicans have declared..."it's not broken, we designed this pile of rubble like this".

I dont care which party wins....but I do care they face the people and do the right things for the right reasons.

The question becomes then, if whomever wins the elections does not face the people and continues on a path of democratic destruction, or at least continues to support corporate welfare and exploitation of the middle and lower class; at which point do "we the people" rise up to take our hijacked country back?

The people are right now saying they are not pleased, and it seems fairly certain they will express that displeasure in the voting booth.

I have little doubt that if the Democrats retake the Congress and they don't make serious effort to do the will of the pople, that come 2008 the people will once again express them selves in the voting booth.

In essence, the Democrats have an 18 month window in which they must at least show good intentions and efforts, or face the consequences. Most people are ONLY choosing the Democrats as the lessor of two evils. And if they fail to produce, the backlash in 08 will be even larger than the Republican freefall of 06.


This seems to me to be so clearly obvious that certainly every Democrat of all political shades MUST be absolutely aware! And if not? Come 08 virtually enybody could run and have a reasonable chance of winning, as long as they aren't a Republicrat.



From January when the new congress set down for business, the clock is running and they have 18 months.