Florida voters who experienced the 2000 presidential election have post traumatic stress syndrome. It shaped our lives and fear of the consequences of every presidential election, since.
In 2000, the memories of a botched recount in Palm Beach, or GOP operatives helicoptered into downtown Miami County Hall to stop the recount, the role of then Governor Jeb Bush and teams of lawyers protecting his brother's interests, are searing. The cascade of events in Miami: from the plan to capture the Homestead Air Force Base by political insiders (Fact: Bush loyalists Sergio Pino, Rodney Barreto, and Ramon Rasco's HABDI fiasco was supplanted by the formation of US Century Bank; now the largest recipient of TARP money in Florida, the largest undercapitalized bank in the United States, and about to walk away with $50 million in taxpayer dollars), to the commandeering of county government and the election of Alex Penelas as mayor, to the pressuring of the Clinton administration and avoidance by Gore, to the influence peddling by key lobbyists who controlled contracts at the airport, to the abandonment of the ship of state by Penelas and his buddy Herman Echevarria at the crucial moment of the recount, to the election thrown to the US Supreme Court, the subsequent wars waged on lies costing trillions, the triggering and collapse of the nation's housing markets: this cascade of history triggers panic now at the fact of Republican Gov. Rick Scott shortening voting hours -- to disenfranchise likely Democratic voters -- at the fact of a bomb scare in Orlando that shut down an important voting station over the weekend, and yesterday's near riot at the headquarters of the elections department in Miami-Dade because people promised their vote were denied.
Add to this, news percolating of last minute GOP moves to suppress the vote in Ohio and irregularities at key precincts: this presidential election suddenly in the final days gathers the force of doubt and suspicion that if voting rights are at stake on Tuesday, what other fundamental rights could we lose on Wednesday?
In 2000, the memories of a botched recount in Palm Beach, or GOP operatives helicoptered into downtown Miami County Hall to stop the recount, the role of then Governor Jeb Bush and teams of lawyers protecting his brother's interests, are searing. The cascade of events in Miami: from the plan to capture the Homestead Air Force Base by political insiders (Fact: Bush loyalists Sergio Pino, Rodney Barreto, and Ramon Rasco's HABDI fiasco was supplanted by the formation of US Century Bank; now the largest recipient of TARP money in Florida, the largest undercapitalized bank in the United States, and about to walk away with $50 million in taxpayer dollars), to the commandeering of county government and the election of Alex Penelas as mayor, to the pressuring of the Clinton administration and avoidance by Gore, to the influence peddling by key lobbyists who controlled contracts at the airport, to the abandonment of the ship of state by Penelas and his buddy Herman Echevarria at the crucial moment of the recount, to the election thrown to the US Supreme Court, the subsequent wars waged on lies costing trillions, the triggering and collapse of the nation's housing markets: this cascade of history triggers panic now at the fact of Republican Gov. Rick Scott shortening voting hours -- to disenfranchise likely Democratic voters -- at the fact of a bomb scare in Orlando that shut down an important voting station over the weekend, and yesterday's near riot at the headquarters of the elections department in Miami-Dade because people promised their vote were denied.
Add to this, news percolating of last minute GOP moves to suppress the vote in Ohio and irregularities at key precincts: this presidential election suddenly in the final days gathers the force of doubt and suspicion that if voting rights are at stake on Tuesday, what other fundamental rights could we lose on Wednesday?
15 comments:
It very well could be stolen, by voter fraud in Chicago, Detroit and other big cities sympathetic to Obama,or by hauling mentally handicapped folks to the polls with notes as to how to vote. There are many ways this election will be stolen in favor of the "takers" rather than won by the "makers."
Why talk about Ohio suppressing the vote when they are doing it right here? Mayor Gimenez closed the polling place yesterday.
Now we know Gimenez was personally involved in the debacle in Doral when he ordered the shutdown of voting with hundreds waiting in line.what else could the nice ladies in election do but go on camera and falsely claim they shut it down because they were overwhelmed by size of crowds. I'd like to see Gimenez show his face today in the community to answer for his behavior and actions. He should also answer to the judge in the Voting Rights lawsuit filed by the democratic party.
The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November is national Election Day. Stop the complaining do away with early voting and allow absentee ballots only with documentation
If you care, watch Frontline:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/choice-2012/
Last Anonymous: If you went out and spoke to the people on line they say they want to be part of the process. Going to the polls is very meaningful to some people. I don't quite get it as I cast an absentee ballot. But when you are there walking up and down the lines you realize this is a "happening." Early voting has become a brotherly way to complete civic duty. People are holding signs, strangers are talking to you. Everything is so official when you finally get inside. You feel good when you get that sticker. It isn't like jury duty where everyone is sitting there silently morose, trying not to be picked.
If Obama wins, you will conclude the election was legitimate. If Romney wins, you will declare that the election was stolen. You will respect the process only if your guy wins.
4th anon and Maria I do agree with you both even though I really do agree with Gimleteye on a lot of other issues. This election has been full of manufactured drama by the Dems who didn't get their way. Election day is Tuesday. With all the complaints about AB fraud the street should go each way. I say we truly tighten the AB laws in Tallahassee and scrap early voting altogether because neither of these two things are working the way they should be due to this partisan crap in addition to voter fraud from BOTH parties. The early voting can be tampered with as can the AB voting. In fact, email voting will lead to a best hacker award for stealing an election!
At this point I would challenge the ballots coming in from Sunday & Today if I were running but that's just me.
As to voter intimidation did everyone forget what the new black panthers did in 2008 and how the justice department took no action?
Unfortunately I see litigation no matter what wherever because this country has literally been split in half over the last four years. Just look at the polls.
Democrats call it voter suppression and demonize Rick Scott when we have eight days of early voting.
Meanwhile, Democratic strongholds such as New York and Massachusetts have no early voting. The amount of hypocrisy by Democrats sickens me.
Opie, perhaps you should also investigate the hypocrisy among the Repubs. That should sicken you as well.
The party of state rights and local control has continually introduced, and passed, legislation that takes away the abilities of local government to determine their own fate. The party of personal responsibility is hypocritical in not expecting the same from local governments. Instead, they (the Repubs) push for legislation to allow said govts to void agreed upon contracts with their employees. If City X enters into an agreement with employees to provide benefits yet doesn't properly fund those benefits, they throw up their hands and say "we need help, we can't pay." City X then begs the FL Leg to help them out. Instead of bailing them out, the FL Leg should say "you made your bed, sleep in it."
The US Supreme Court was quick to recognize that corporations were people, a suit that was heavily funded by the right. Yet those same cry babies want to suppress the voice of the opposition by limiting political action by organized labor. Just as corporations are people, labor unions are people too.
The Affordable Healthcare Act limits the amount that government will pay for healthcare in procedures, prescriptions, and other billables to Medicare and Medicaid. Why would the party of supposed less government spending be so adamanatly opposed to less government spending? The hypocrisy is beyond my comprehension.
Follow the money. Our Governor made millions on the government dole. He wasn't a welfare mother, he was a welfare CEO. Why is it okay for a select some to make millions off government but it isn't okay for many to earn a modest living providing real services to taxpayers?
I continually hear the mantra, "those public employees shouldn't get anything that others don't get," or "I don't have a retirement, why should they have it," or "I pay my own health insurance, they should too." Are you, or others suggesting that everybody should have everything that everybody else has? That sounds like socialism to me.
There is a lot hypocrisy flying around these days. This reader sees more launched by the right than from the left. You decide.
TODAY (Monday), Nov. 5 anyone can still VOTE ABSENTEE IN PERSON in Miami-Dade County from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m at Miami Dade Elections Dept, 2700 NW 87 Ave., Doral. Pass it on.
To vote absentee in person, just remember to follow these four steps:
1. Go to the Supervisor of Elections office listed above, and bring a valid photo ID.
2. Request your absentee ballot in person.
3. Complete and retu
rn your ballot on the spot!
4. Don't forget to sign your ballot envelope.
If you already have your ballot, make sure to bring it in with you when you go to vote.
Come On Gimspierre nobody is going to steal this election its already been bought and paid for regardless who wins.
Spare us the drama....yawn
It is a good idea for people who can vote now, to do so. We learned a lot from early voting. Remember if you happen to be in a precinct where they are especting 2,000 voters to show up, expect a wait time of 6 hours. That is if they have the same level of voting infrastructure they had at North Dade Regional Library. If less, the wait time will be greater.
I really don't understand this talk of getting rid of early voting or that people should vote only by absentee ballot or only on election day if voting in person. For something like this, an election, like a store, you want as many people as possible--in the case of an election, you get a better understanding of what people want; in the case of a store, it most likely will get more sales by accommodating more people and also have a better understanding of what people want (what sells), which benefits consumers as well.
Like a store, you want to give people multiple options--i.e shopping online as well as being able to shop in the store. Some people prefer one option over the other sometimes in certain cases or at all times. Some people might be more comfortable for whatever reason making their choice on a machine at a physical place, rather than filling out paperwork at home, mailing it, and hoping everything goes o.k. -- the ballot arrives, everything is filled out correctly, and that the ballot is processed / their vote counted, and if there is a problem, that there is enough time to fix the problem.
Limiting early voting is like someone of authority going to a business and telling them you can only be open for such and such hours. The business would be extremely upset and will complain until the decision has been reversed.
Also, if you limit in person election to only on election day, multiple things can go wrong on both ends -- the voter may have had something come up, get in an accident, etc., and be unable to vote and on the other end, at the voting location might have a more than expected crowd and be unable to handle the amount of people there.
Multiple means of voting and multiple opportunities to vote, like a store which provides multiple opportunities to shop and multiple ways of shopping benefit everyone.
stop whining, procrastinators. You had early voting, absentee voting...and you wait til the last minute and complain??????
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