To the repubs who now want to move to Australia -- the Aussies have a message for ya!

BREAKING: GOP stealing ballots with "Victory Vans"

Sun Nov 04, 2012 at 11:53 PM PST
BREAKING: GOP stealing ballots with "Victory Vans"
by BeerNotWar

Here in King County Washington Democrats are raising a red flag calling attention to shady Replican efforts to intercept our ballots by luring voters to drop their ballots in "Victory Vans" touring the county. Washington is 100% vote-by-mail so voters fill out their ballots at home then deliver them to state dropoffs or send them in by mail. But the GOP has created special "Victory Vans" to collect ballots before they can ever reach these official delivery sites.

If you think you can trust the GOP with your ballot, I assure you, you cannot. Nobody in King County should hand their ballot to someone in a Republican "Victory Van," but should only drop off their ballot at an official state ballot collection site. This is critical for close state races such as the one for Governor where both Jay Inslee and Rob McKenna need voters in King County. Republican McKenna needs just enough Democrats in King County to vote for him, or not vote, to defeat Inslee. This, I suspect, is the Replublican game. Once they have the ballots they could be disposed of or even altered. I wish this were a completely irrational belief, but Republicans have demonstrated their unwillingeness to allow democracy to function if it won't result in a victory for their candidate. If you think I'm crazy then please explain why the hell they have vans running around in a massively Democratic county collecting ballots. Why would they spend the money to do that?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/05/1155743/-BREAKING-GOP-stealing-ballots-with-Victory-Vans

TOM TOMORROW: Red State Spex

Mon Nov 05, 2012 at 06:56 AM PST
Red state spex
by Tom Tomorrow

Why the "takers will re-elect Obama" meme is wrong in one picture

Mon Nov 05, 2012 at 05:09 AM PST
Why the "takers will re-elect Obama" meme is wrong in one picture
by bradams

This probably doesn't count as a diary but I am starting to hear from my conservative friends that the only reason President Obama will win re-election (and he will win re-election) is because people who are dependent on the government (aka "takers&quot outnumber the people willing to work to provide for themselves (aka "makers&quot . That's BS so I put together this image to prove it. Thought some of you might like to use it with your own misguided friends.

Let me make it absolutely clear that I reject the "makers" and "takers" labels. I know people who don't earn enough to pay federal income taxes pay other taxes. I also know that in many instances they contribute more to our country than most millionaires and billionaires. I know Mitt Romney's "47%" is comprised of people like senior citizens who paid taxes all their lives and soldiers who are risking their lives on our behalf.




http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/05/1155798/-Why-the-takers-will-re-elect-Obama-meme-is-wrong-in-one-picture

I voted Friday, and I'm still angry

Sun Nov 04, 2012 at 11:50 AM PST
I voted Friday, and I'm still angry
by yulooloo

At 2:30 or so on Friday afternoon, my partner said to me, "Let's get the kid in the car and go vote."

Of course, when you have a 19-month-old, nothing — and I mean nothing — happens in a simple, linear fashion. So by the time we got out the door, it was 4:18. I started doing the math in my head: 15 miles from Petaluma to Santa Rosa; not quite rush hour traffic, so . . . taking the back roads instead of the freeway, with a little luck we could just make it to the Registrar of Voters, which closed at 5, in time...

...We pulled up to the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters building in Santa Rosa at 4:49 pm, and pulled into a 30-minute parking spot right in front of the entrance. I got the kid's socks and shoes back onto her feet and lifted her out of the car seat, and we went inside.

No lines. No waiting. No liars or thugs or "concerned citizens" outside trying to turn us away or challenge our right to be there. We sat in comfy chairs and filled out our ballots while my daughter scribbled on a voter registration card and basked in the attention of both the county employees and our fellow voters, who made much of the Wonder Woman costume she had insisted on wearing, and her gorgeous hazel-and-green eyes. I even borrowed an eraser to correct a bubble I'd filled in by mistake. We did have one problem: my partner had forgotten her sample ballot, so she had to fill out an absentee ballot request card by hand, which took nearly a full minute. Can you imagine.

We thanked the elections department staff and left, got back in the car, and were sitting down to dinner in a nearby restaurant by 5:30.

Like many Kossacks, my partner and I are huge civics geeks. Voting gives us a rush of elation and pride; we've both been known to get choked up after handing in our ballots. And this time was no different, except it was. Underlying our nerdy euphoria was something new — a furious, seething rage.

You see, in all my voting life, I've never had to wait longer than 15 minutes, tops. In Brookline, Massachusetts, I simply swung by my polling place on my morning walk to the office. In San Francisco, I walked around the corner — the polling place was closer to our house than the coffee shop, so we would vote and then caffeinate. And in Sonoma County, it's even easier, if that's possible.

So why were we so angry? It's because we both realized all over again that voting should be this easy, this casual, this much fun, for every single American. No matter where they live or what color their district (and do I even need to say, no matter what color their skin?).

We also realized that, up till now, we've been lucky. As a childless, professional couple who have always had the flexibility to show up to work late, leave early, take a long lunch, etc, making it to the polls has never been difficult. But the simple addition of a toddler to our lives has completely changed the game. We suddenly got quite a vivid picture of how a long line, a moved or closed polling place, or a challenge to our registration status could keep us from voting.

I'm furious, knowing that people in Florida are standing in line for 9 hours just to exercise their right to vote. That people in minority neighborhoods across the country have to navigate a minefield of intimidation, misinformation, and dirty tricks, just to be counted. That one of our two major political parties seems to view voter suppression as just another, completely appropriate, arrow in the quiver of their campaign strategy.

I agree wholeheartedly with MSNBC's Chris Hayes: interfering with the right to vote isn't just wrong. It's an obscenity.

I know President Obama is going to be re-elected on Tuesday, and I'm hopeful that we'll expand our seats in the Senate and take back the House. But one thing is certain: we can't let another four years go by without working for election reform. We need a single set of rules nationwide, for every state, every county, every polling place, every voter. And we need it fast.

To those of you who haven't had it as easy as I have, who've had to wait for hours or come back another day with the right documents, or deal with any other Republican nefariousness, I offer my profound respect — and my sheepish apologies for not appreciating nearly enough just how fortunate I've been. And let's just say that election reform has moved up several places on my list of critical issues for activism and advocacy.

4:36 PM PT: Rec list? Seriously? I'm gobsmacked, truly. Thank you all for your stories, your insights, and your recommendations.

Starting Wednesday, let's work together to make voting a sacred thing for every American . . . but first, let's GET. OUT. THE. VOTE!

8:36 PM PT: Watching Rachel Maddow's special Sunday coverage of the Miami-Dade voters who waited until 1 a.m. to vote and had to put up with locked doors, having their cars towed, and more. All I can say is, Florida voters, you embody the very best that we as a people and a nation have to offer: against all odds, we find a way. I'm humbled and inspired by your determination and tenacity — and speechless with gratitude.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/04/1155173/-I-voted-Friday-and-I-m-still-angry

Who Counts the Votes in Ohio?

This is very disturbing:

Romney Surrogates Get Beaten Down by David Gregory and Fox News for Jeep-to-China Lies

Sun Nov 04, 2012 at 12:48 PM PST
Romney Surrogates Get Beaten Down by David Gregory and Fox News for Jeep-to-China Lies
by First Amendment

The media finally wakes up and takes on the serial liar. It took them long enough. Where was this type of journalism two weeks ago? Maybe they are finally realizing which way this election is going. Enjoy the video.

Go team blue!!

http://www.politicususa.com/romney-surrogates-beaten-david-gregory-fox-news-jeep-lies.html

Breaking: Romney Paid Zero Taxes From 1996 To 2009

Sun Nov 04, 2012 at 10:09 AM PST
Breaking: Romney Paid Zero Taxes From 1996 To 2009
by kavips

USA Today Op-Ed: Romney & Partners Ran Extortion Racket

Fri Nov 02, 2012 at 04:50 AM PDT
USA Today Op-Ed: Romney & Partners Ran Extortion Racket
by Troutfishing

"Mitt Romney and his partners made a killing on the GM bankruptcy by gaining control of bankrupt parts supplier Delphi, then threatening to withhold components critical to the production of GM vehicles... This is the real Romney" - UAW President Bob King

On Thursday, a highly popular Daily Kos post (see for additional coverage) concerned the United Auto Workers Union's filing of ethics charges alleging that Mitt Romney and his business partners improperly profiteered from the 2009 auto industry bailout.

One day earlier, on Wednesday, in a searing op-ed that ran in USA Today, President of the United Auto Workers Bob King directly accused presidential candidate Mitt Romney, and his business partners, of extorting windfall profits during the 2008-2009 economic crisis through their control of the key General Motors parts supplier, Delphi.

Whether or not this meets, for fine print reasons, the legal definition of "extortion" -- which if carried out by individuals rather than heavily-lawyered corporations can constitute a federal crime -- that is in effect what Bob King, head of the the UAW, has accused Mitt Romney and his business partners of, in his USA Today op-ed: