2 Things Democrats Should Do in 2005

[Eric J in MN]

http://www.moveleft.com/moveleft_essay_2005_01_01_two_things_the_democrats_should_do_in_2005.asp

We need to address the media and the voting machines.

A group of wealthy Democrats should:

1. Buy the CNN cable news channel from Time Warner.

2. Buy the Sequoia voting machine company from De La Rue.

CNN isn't for sale, but a group of Democrats should make an offer.

We need to counter the pro-Republican spin of Fox News.

CNN isn't doing that currently.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer and Daryn Kagan repeat Bush Admin. spin.

If a group of Democrats owned CNN, they could replace Wolf Blitzer with Bill Moyers, and replace Daryn Kagan with Amy Goodman.

Regarding voting machines, Sequoia IS for sale by De La Rue.

If Democrats bought it, suddenly the Republicans in Congress would embrace verified-voting.

Those Republicans would want a system to make sure voting machines owned by Democrats weren't rigged (just as currently Democrats want a system to make sure voting machines owned by Republicans aren't rigged.)

Congresspersons who are against requirements that electronic voting machines print paper ballots, and that at least a percentage of those paper ballots be hand-counted on Election Night, would suddenly reconsider.

If you're a Democratic billionaire, buy CNN and Sequoia!

If you know a Democratic billionaire, spread the word!

http://www.moveleft.com/moveleft_essay_2005_01_01_two_things_the_democrats_should_do_in_2005.asp

[Eric J in MN]

1. kick

kick

[Elise]

2. Why bother with CNN?

Why not start our own counter to Fox?

[Eric J in MN]

6. Dfficult to gain name-recognition. Difficult to get providers to

carry a new channel.

[xchrom]

3. i like it.

[Eric J in MN]

26. Thanks. Know anyone with $12 million to buy Sequoia? nt

nt

[Taxloss]

4. Are you endorsing vote-fixing?

I don't think you are, and I hope you aren't.

[Eric J in MN]

5. No. The point is to make both sides care about the issue

of verified-voting.

Republicans don't care now because they know all the voting machiens are owned by Republicans, and any rigging will be in their favor.

If a group which included a well-known Democrat bought Sequoia, then both Republicans and Democrats in Congress would take action to make sure there is a paper-ballot requirement, and that at least a percent of those ballots are hand-counted.

We shouldn't have to trust machines. We should verify.

[Taxloss]

15. From my blog:

"e-voting results in the horrible situation we see now. The winning side says they won, but the losing side will think that they were cheated. This is not free and fair. The winning side will always have a mandate; the losing side will always have a grievance. The political scene will be poisoned and polarised; the legitimacy of a democratically elected government will be undermined."

http://taxloss.blogspot.com/2004/11/us-election-fraud-truth.html

[Eric J in MN]

17. If a Republican were to lose a close election

conducted on paperless electronic voting machines, he'd like paperless electronic voting machines about as much as we do.

[InvisibleBallots]

7. "A group of wealthy Democrats should" ...

That's one of our biggest problems - expecting some wealthy Democrats to bail us out. It won't happen.

The Dean/MoveOn model is what will work in the future - democratic, grassroots, bottom-up organizing, and fundraising small amount from large numbers of people.

[Eric J in MN]

8. If somoene credible starts asking for small donations

to buy CNN or Sequoia, I'll chip in.

[jmowreader]

9. They only want 6 million pounds for Sequoia

The exchange rate is currently $1.92/GBP.

Hence, after all your closing costs you're looking at needing about $12 million to buy Sequoia. One wouldn't have to be a billionaire to purchase Sequoia--two dozen Hollywood libs could pitch in half a million each and walk away with the company.

[Eric J in MN]

10. Should we email Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford? (nt)

nt

[Eric J in MN]

11. Where did you get the price? (nt)

nt

[jmowreader]

12. From the original post in this thread

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/business.cfm?id=1388082004

This piece discusses the De La Rue company's getting ready to divest itself of Sequoia and says they only want $12 million for it.

Steve Jobs could buy that company for asking price (although he could probably talk them out of a million of it) and turn it into a full subsidiary of Apple.

[Tweed]

13. Paging Geogre Soros

George Soros

[Eric J in MN]

14. George Soros definitely could come up with $12 million for Sequoia .

If only we had a way to get a message to him...

[Tweed]

16. Yeah, even 5 billion or whatever it takes to take over CNN

[Eric J in MN]

18. That would be such a great way to start the new year, with

George Soros buying CNN and another wealthy Democrat buying Sequoia.

We'd be on our way to turning things around.

[Tweed]

20. Or at least keeping things straight

I don't want a liberal Fox News. Lord knows our party is 100% right all the time and isn't 100% clean. I think/know it's much better than the Republican party on being correct and less corrupt than the Republican party though. The media is there to slam down on all offenders to call bullshit like it is. At least Soros would keep it even (or maybe horribly slanted to the left, but at least not Conservative News Network)

[Eric J in MN]

21. Simply replacing Wolf Blitzer with Bill Moyers, and

replacing Daryn Kagan with Amy Goodman, would make CNN a good channel.

Lou Dobbs and Aaron Brown could stay if a progressive bought CNN.

[Greylyn58]

19. KICK...

sounds good to me...i

:kick:

[Tweed]

22. Kick

[Eric J in MN]

23. Thanks (nt)

nt

[Catchawave]

24. Why not just start our own network, like AAR ?

In the meantime, I get my daily newsies from Keith Olbermann (MSNBC) and Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)

I heard that O'Reilly beats all the competition "combined" during his hour. Support Keith, watch his show and email him everyday telling him how much you enjoyed it!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240/

[Eric J in MN]

25. It's diffiicult to get cable providers to add a new channel,

and the new channel might be way up on the dial while CNN is usually a low numbered channel.

[Eric J in MN]

27. kick

kick