US election prognostication

Based on Greg Palast's credentials, I do not believe there is any doubt that the Republicans are using every trick, black, white & grey, to steal votes.

But his article is a strong rallying-cry to the US to get out and vote Democrat - I just so hope they listen to him and act ..........

to have faith that the democrats will be better than the republicans is laughable. Ha ha ha!

Dispel your beguilement.

Kerry voted for the Iraq war. His pre-presidential election policy on Iraq was to send in an extra 40,000 troops.

"{Kerry} criticised the president {Bush} for saying he would still have gone to war knowing that Saddam Hussein did not possess weapons of mass destruction." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3675124.stm

The goon also supported pre-emptive war...
"My priority will be to find and capture or kill the terrorists before they get us" http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3687992.stm

Someone throw me a frikkin bone here!

Please read this...

Title: The Worst Congress Ever
Subheading: How our national legislature has become a stable of thieves and perverts -- in five easy steps
By: MATT TAIBBI
www: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/12055360/cover_story_time_to_go_inside_the_worst_congress_ever

And then read this...

Title: Chairman Dean's Excerpts from AIPAC Keynote Speech
Date: November 22, 2005
www: http://www.democrats.org/a/2005/11/chairman_deans_1.php

And this...
www: http://www.la.utexas.edu/chenry/mena/roles/aip/roles99/0025.html
Start "
The Democratic party, in general, has always tended to be sympathetic to the Jewish community; therefore, it is no great surprise that many of Gore’s personal friends, political mentors, and financial backers are life-long supporters of Israel. In fact, most information on the internet regarding Gore and his stance on Middle East issues reveals speeches at AIPAC banquets, and even a speech on the 50th anniversary of the creation of the state of Israel. In the AIPAC speech, Gore stated, “America stands by Israel forever.....It [U.S.-Israeli relationship] does not depend on the peace process; it transcends the peace process.”
" End

Also of interest...
Title: To Israel with love
Date: Aug 3rd 2006 | WASHINGTON, DC
Subtitle: Why America gives Israel its unconditional support
From: The Economist print edition
www: http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7255198

Start "
The political establishment is even more firmly behind Israel than the public is. Support for Israel stretches from San Francisco liberals like Nancy Pelosi to southern-fried conservatives like Bill Frist. The House and Senate have both passed bipartisan resolutions condemning Hizbullah and affirming Congress's support for Israel. The House version passed by 410 to 8 (of which three were from districts in Michigan with concentrations of Arab-Americans). The Senate resolution, sponsored by 62 senators—including the leaders of both parties—passed unopposed.

Indeed, the parties are engaged in a competition to see who can be the most pro-Israeli. Twenty or so Democrats, including Ms Pelosi, the House leader, and Harry Reid, the Senate leader, demanded that Iraq's prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, retract his criticisms of Israel or have his invitation to address Congress cancelled. (Mr Maliki, strongly backed by the administration, was eventually allowed to go ahead.) Several leading Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, have addressed pro-Israeli rallies. The contrast with the simmering rage within the Labour Party over Tony Blair's support for George Bush could hardly be more marked.

Pro-Israeli forces command the intellectual high ground as well as the corridors of power. Commentators such as Charles Krauthammer issue column after column ridiculing the notion of proportionality and stressing Hizbullah's responsibility for civilian casualties. Most middle-of-the-road commentators question the effectiveness, rather than the morality, of Israel's actions. Out-and-out critics of Israel are relegated to the sidelines.

Why is America so much more pro-Israeli than Europe? The most obvious answer lies in the power of two very visible political forces: the Israeli lobby (AIPAC) and the religious right. AIPAC, which has an annual budget of almost $50m, a staff of 200, 100,000 grassroots members and a decades-long history of wielding influence, is arguably the most powerful lobby in Washington, mightier even than the National Rifle Association.

“Thank God we have AIPAC, the greatest supporter and friend we have in the whole world,” says Ehud Olmert, Israel's prime minister. The lobby, which is the centrepiece of a co-ordinated body that includes pressure groups, think-tanks and fund-raising operations, produces voting statistics on congressmen that are carefully scrutinised by political donors. It also organises regular trips to Israel for congressmen and their staffs. (The Washington Post reports that Roy Blunt, the House majority whip, has been on four.)

The Christian right is also solidly behind Israel. White evangelicals are significantly more pro-Israeli than Americans in general; more than half of them say they strongly sympathise with Israel. (A third of the Americans who claim sympathy with Israel say that this stems from their religious beliefs.) Two in five Americans believe that Israel was given to the Jewish people by God, and one in three say that the creation of the state of Israel was a step towards the Second Coming.

Religious-right activists are trying to convert this latent sympathy into political support. John Hagee, a Texas televangelist who believes that supporting Israel is a “biblical imperative”, recently founded Christians United for Israel. Last month he brought 3,500 people from across the country to Washington to cheer Israel's war against Hizbullah. Mr Hagee's brigades held numerous meetings on Capitol Hill; both Mr Bush and Mr Olmert sent messages to his rally.

These pressure groups are clearly influential. Evangelical Christians make up about a quarter of the American electorate and are the bedrock of Mr Bush's support. Congressmen take on AIPAC at their peril. But they deal with well-heeled lobbies every day. And the power of the religious right can hardly explain why Democrats are so keen on Israel. Two other factors need to be considered: the war on Islamic radicalism, and deep cultural affinities between America and Israel.
" End

Yeah great, lets have the democrats.

"Does it matter which of the "Twin parties of Militarism" rules? In terms of the war(s), yes. Not that many Congressional Democrats want to stop them, but the people do, and thus the Dems will be forced to act whether they want to or not."

I cant believe you said that. "The Dems will be forced.." By whose army?

Listen to Scott Ritter and Seymour Hersh

http://nysoundposse.com/2006/10/event-seymour-hersh-and-scott-ritter.html

Lets look at the facts:

The average American voter is an ignorant, over consuming moron.

Both political parties (if it was a democracy I would be saying 'all political parties') are owned by the same people.

Even if a democrat is the next US president nothing will change except the presentation.

Anon above is correct. The UK and US are plagued by the same problem. Democracy isn’t working. The simple reason is because when individuals are elected as MP's, Senators etc, they follow their own agenda of career advancement and personal enrichment.

Of course some work to develop their constituency is undertaken in an attempt to secure another term and from some pangs of conscience by elected members, but other than getting a road by-pass / extra funding for the local school, the major decisions taken by MP's are, I would say by observation, not a measure of the will of the people.

The US is quite lucky. In the Declaration of Independence, the people are granted, in fact compelled, to abolish their government if that government ever destroys the right to pursue Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, and rights prescribed in the later Bill of Rights. These rights have actually been usurped by the Bush administration, e.g. the 6th Amendment to the Bill of Rights, allowing for speedy and public trial, the seventh amendment, allowing for trial by jury and the eighth amendment, forbidding the use of cruel and unusual punishment, (P.S. which indecently, is also a fundamental right under English law!)

It is therefore the duty of United States citizens to abolish the current government, which is in clear defiance of these principles, clearly demonstrated on 17th Oct when Bush signed the Military Commissions Act 2006, "allowing" Bush to authorizing harsh interrogation. Quote: "{the act} would allow harsh techniques bordering on torture, such as sleep deprivation and induced hypothermia."

(http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061017/pl_nm/security_bush_dc) which passed the Senate by a vote of 65 to 34, having only had 83% of Democrats opposing at the earlier house of representatives stage. Not only that, but it is in contravention of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention. In the senate, out of 44 Democrats who voted, 12 of them (27%) voted to support the 'torture act'. That is shocking. Here's a list of them...

Carper, Tom Democrat DE
Johnson, Tim Democrat SD
Landrieu, Mary Democrat LA
Lautenberg, Frank Democrat NJ
Lieberman, Joseph Democrat CT (!!!)
Menendez, Robert Democrat NJ
Nelson, Ben Democrat NE
Nelson, Bill Democrat FL
Pryor, Mark Democrat AR
Rockefeller, John Democrat WV
Salazar, Ken Democrat CO
Stabenow, Deborah Democrat MI

Democracy is being slaughtered by powerful lobby groups. If you have the time, see which groups the Senators (and Congressmen) have in common. One can assess the lobby groups focus with how they vote as a good measure of how much they have been bought off by.

If the Democrats gain the majority again, we will simply have AIPAC and the CoP (Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations) put the pressure on the Democrats as well as wine them, dine them and lavish lots of fiat currency at them. It makes no difference.

There is a growing number of people who realise this too!

The way to have Democracy in the way it is meant to be, can only ever occur if we take away the ability for the MP's/Senators etc. to vote for their own selfish motives. I proposed a model on how this could be done some time last week. It would be a great start.

Your stated confidence in the American voter gives me some comfort. I'm an American voter and I have been sick to my stomach all day. I want to share your confidence but Republicans or their corporate masters own the voting machines as well as the media and that is what is making me sick.

anyone who believe the US elections are some how real is a few bricks short.

http://www.constitution.org/vote/votescam__.htm

Votescam is the culmination of a groundbreaking 25 year investigation into computerized vote fraud. A must read for anyone seeking to answer the question:
“Why can't we vote the bastards out?”

The answer is:
“Because we didn't even vote the bastards in!”

Votescam is the culmination of a groundbreaking 25 year investigation into computerized vote fraud. A must read for anyone seeking to answer the question:
“Why can't we vote the bastards out?”

The answer is:
“Because we didn't even vote the bastards in!”

Fucking hell, it's got infested with tinfoil hat wearing twats on here, sinking in the nasty apathic 'give up, they're all shit' mud that enables the current mess to only get worse.

Get a dose of positivity, get empowered and make a fucking difference rather than throw around vague political generalisations.

If you try and rationalise with them, they'll cut-and-paste you to death with conspiracy bull, if you ignore them the bull still keeps coming.

***********
"God, man, horse, dog, woman, rat, then 'Anonymous'".

Get a dose of positivity, get empowered and make a fucking difference

are you having a laugh? not everyone wants to be a politician.

i think we should object when they are incompetent, corrupt or just plain stupid. the facts speak for themselves.

I thought they just fixed votes in the land of the free.

Daniel Hoffmann-Gill. I won't do you the courteously of sending back your insult.

To bring about improvement, a situation must be analyzed, goals set, problems identified, solutions proposed and discussed.

The goal is WE WANT DEMOCRACY, real democracy, not this 'democracy' we are told we have. We want the politicians to do OUR bidding, not theirs or that of rich cash-injecting lobby groups.

The problem is that they do not pursue our interests. They do not have some magical insight that frequently allows them to near-constantly fib in regard to major policy votes and say: 'we will do this despite you telling us not to, because we know it will be better in the end'.

They career development aspect clearly gets in the way of their solemn responsibility to their voters.

In regard to the US:
The very corrupting force the 'founding fathers' conceptualized and thereby tried to prevent from becoming manifest, has actuality occurred. The means and ways, set-up in order to prevent this from happening, have themselves been deliberately corroded by many politicians who consider themselves above the law.

The solution (hardly apathetic!) is to have a mechanism which allows us to force our representatives from destroying our democracy. The US constitutional documents give Americans this right, but these days they do not use it. The corruptors of US democracy have relegated the beautiful ideals of the US constitution into a 'historical poster' only suitable for to adon classroom walls.

For US citizens, the solution to stop this, is to re-familiarize oneself with the US constitutional documents, to petition the govt to change, IF they don’t, then to form militias (as allowed in the US constitution) to help remove the govt.

Another is to cap their scope for personal enrichment and/or cuts out the power of lobby groups which wield disproportionate amounts of influence, and instead tally individual concerns to bear upon their representative.

I would say political problem analysis is quite becoming of Blairwatch. It is certainly the main reason why I come here. Not so sure about some other users of this website. Some may like to read the "About Blairwatch page":

Start "
What do we stand for?
A suprisingly tricky question to answer. There is no 'Blairwatch
position' or stance, but what seems to be a common ground of wanting an open accountable government, electoral reform and so forth.
" End

A noble statement (like the US constitution), far better to do that than attack individuals and not the information that the individual says. I tried looking for your solutions Daniel, but there didn’t seem to be any. Strange huh?

Check out at google video, a documentary called Hacking Democracy.

get empowered.fuckin clown.I am anonymous because I would hate to have emails from wankers like you coming to me.empowered.stop sniffing the charlie ya prick.and Dick Cheney 911 was an inside job. this site is a classic Honey trap I fear.

"I am anonymous because I would hate to have emails from wankers like you coming to me."

May I suggest a temporary email account from www.mailinator.com for the purposes of registration?

***********
"God, man, horse, dog, woman, rat, then Anonymous".

My comment was inspired by tired arguements that breed apathy and disenfranchised behaviour such as: Dems as bad as GOP, making digs at Kerry to prove a non-existent point as he is of little worth in the wider picture of Democratic politics, the insults and lack of faith shown in US voters (which is as tired as it is wrong), and the 'Democracy isn't working' tinfoil hat nonsense spouted by spoilt Western middle class brats who seem to think we live in Nazi fucking Germany!

Politicians are human, so make the same mistakes as us, get used to it and keep involved in the process, rather than spitting feathers from the wings get on the stage.

Oh and the anon with the fucking no space after full stop issues, pull your head out of your ass and get to the debating table rather than spew out badly thought out WHATREALLYHAPPENED rehash.

this site is a classic Honey trap I fear.

Yer what? Assertion without proof is classic trollish behaviour I fear.

I'm anonymous cos i cant be bothered to log in, its a waste of time.

Democracy most certainly isn't working, mainly because it only exists as a word to politicians. Have you noticed they use it today in almost every sentence, a bit like Erich Honecker did in his speeches, when he was head of the DDR. The more a politician uses the DEMOCRACY word the less the poor peasant has of it in reality.
The bit about living under Hitlers' ideology is not far off the truth, his laws still dominate in the legal system and, the EU allows this. His Law on Legal Advice 13th December 1935 still reigns supreme and, in doing so, makes sure that a citizen in a civil case against a government will lose. This law in itself is all that is required to run a dictatorship, it was a masterpiece of legislation for Hitler and, is perfect for any tyrant to use today.
Any legal representation that is not of the Governments liking comes under its all conquering, THESE ACTIVITIES MAY, HOWEVER, BE PROHIBITED.

"I'm anonymous cos i cant be bothered to log in, its a waste of time."

It is not a waste of time either for yourself or the people who have to wade through your postings.

Posting anonymously is a thread killer. As soon as a thread gets going, it suddenly gets swamped by cut-and-paste conspiracy bull and abusive comments. Apart from that, a posting loses its credibility when the author can't even be bothered to identify him- or herself.

As you yourself say, anonymous posting is lazy, but it is also antisocial. An ASBO on you.

***********
"God, man, horse, dog, woman, rat, then Anonymous".

"God, man, horse, dog, woman, rat, then Anonymous, then Dick Cheney".

oh boy that says it all.

whatreallyhappened is a very good site.It has a large readership.Rivero is doing something right.

Politicians human??maybe.No time for the tossers though.

Anyway nothing wrong with the odd fuck and bit of abuse now and again.keeps the board lively.

Democracy under capitalism does not function.

Elections are now run by the same people who market commodities like Coke and Corn Flakes. Identical candidates financed by the same commercial interests produce clone policies while they argue about non-issues. It's a terrific scam, and lucrative for the players.

Formal democracy just doen't work under vast concentrations of private wealth. When everything is owned by a corporation or private business then what is there to vote about..? Family values and who wears the nicest suit..? The people who own the country control the media, the financial system and the 'private' economy. It's not hard for them to dominate the political arena. Nobody else has the time, the money or the connections to do so.