WTF!!!!! Unanimous Support For Election Reform Turns Defeat On White House Statement?

[althecat]

""

Two weeks ago, the bill came out of the House Administration Committee, where it was unanimously approved by Democratic and Republican members after several Republican amendments were added, and was sent on to the full House for consideration, Holt said.

On Tuesday, the bill, which needed a two-thirds majority to pass, went down to defeat in the House 239-178, with 223 Democrats in favor and 176 Republican opposed, after the White House sent out a statement opposing the measure.


http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/legislative/sap/110-2/saphr5036-h.pdf

The statement said the administration "strongly opposes" the bill because it would "create a new program that is largely redundant with existing law, and therefore unnecessary, to reimburse States for the costs of making last-minute changes to their voting systems by Election Day 2008."

""
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=privacy&articleId=9078878&taxonomyId=84

This is way more F**ked up than you can imagine.

[yourout]

1. The Pukes know that the only way they stay in power is with crooked elections.

[gateley]

2. I can not believe that people in congress still

take direction from the WH.

We gotta get more Dems in Congress and the Senate.

[Yellow Horse]

31. We would have had more Dems in Congress if the 2006 votes had been counted properly.

Wake up Dems and smell the coffee!

http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_rob_kall_061117_clear_evidence_2006_.htm

[bigbrother05]

3. kick

[LSparkle]

4. We're still dicking around about our nominee while they put in the fix

House Repugs weren't about to go along with election reform when they're
already projected to lose big ... Making the election more FAIR would
only make them lose BIGGER. You're right, it's TOTALLY f***ed up.

[althecat]

5. At least all but one democrat voted in favour.....

That's progress.

So did 20 republicans abstain or just miss their planes.

[Zodiak]

7. That is correct

Such unity is not often seen amongst Democrats.

[Kurovski]

6. K&R. (nt)

[spanone]

8. career politicians are shit

[SnoopDog]

9. Since when does a bill in the House require 2/3's majority?

I thought the democrats were in charge...

[OnTheOtherHand]

12. it was voted on under suspension of the rules

It was supposed to be non-controversial, since the committee voted it out unanimously. It would receive cursory debate and then be passed without amendment. That was until the Republican leadership decided to block it instead.

[SnoopDog]

14. Yes but..

What rule mandated a 2/3's vote...

Was this vote destine to loose by....OUR DEMOCRATIC PARTY?

[OnTheOtherHand]

17. uh, no

In effect, Republicans signaled that they wouldn't block the bill -- and then they blocked the bill.

Democrats could try bringing the bill back under regular procedures, subject to amendment. If they do that, expect Republicans to burn a lot of time proposing amendments about voter ID, or who knows what-all else, on the argument that everything they propose is equally important to protecting our precious votes. The Democratic leadership has to reckon how all that would play out and how much time it would burn. At best it's a judgment call.

[L. Coyote]

18. DO NOT trust the Rs. They may have planned this sabotage all along.

[OnTheOtherHand]

19. you're right, I misstated my point

I have no way of knowing when the Republican leadership decided to block the bill! Regardless, I have no reason to think that the Democratic leadership knew about it when they put the bill on the suspension calendar.

[BeFree]

24. No way of knowing?

What? You mean that you never thought republicans would block any better voting bill? Hell, most of us have known forever that the pukes will do everything they can to steal votes.

Sometimes I wonder.

[OnTheOtherHand]

26. no, I mean that I can't read minds

It's possible that the Republican leadership intended all along to block the bill, but for some reason pretended otherwise. I don't know what that reason would be.

See, this is a difference between you and me. You appear to think that you know everything worth knowing. It must save you a lot of time.

[BeFree]

33. Can't can't can't

"I don't know what the reason would be"

OMgawd.... as long as you've been here, you don't know what reason republicans woud have for keeping election reform from happening?

Are you really dense or do you honestly have no clue?

The difference between you and me, is..... I do read what you write.

[karynnj]

28. When you need to override a veto

[OnTheOtherHand]

29. true, but not the issue here

Again, the bill came up on the suspension calendar, meaning that debate was limited to 40 minutes and the bill wasn't subject to amendment. This is the typical method of expedited treatment for noncontroversial bills, as this one was supposed to be.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

10. K & R.

:kick:

[demodonkey]

32. Kickety Kick -- Our Votes are in Danger!

:kick:

[philly_bob]

11. Kucinich voted with the Republicans on this? Huh???

According to this roll-call record (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2008-188),
Dennis Kucinich voted with the Republicans against this bill.

I went to Kucinich's website and there was nothing about this vote.

Somebody, please explain!

(The other Democrat voting against it was Nick Rahall of West Virginia.)

[OnTheOtherHand]

13. he said it was too soft on op-scan

While H.R. 5036 includes a provision to reimburse jurisdictions that convert their paperless voting system to one that includes a paper trail, it may also include optical scan technology. I have serious concerns with optical scan technology and its susceptibility to hacks and security breaches. Recent tests and research have demonstrated the ease with which a person can manipulate the configuration files to change votes. What's more, most of the equipment necessary to accomplish this can be purchased off-the-shelf at most technology stores.

Indeed, our voting system needs improvement, but replacing one flawed technology with another will do little to garner public faith in the electoral process. Let us make comprehensive electoral system reform a priority, and let us enact a policy that ensures system integrity, system security, and that each and every vote is counted.

I wish someone could explain to Kucinich that many jurisdictions are using op-scan right now, and refusing to pay to audit the op-scan doesn't make the op-scan go away.

[kster]

15. The True "Emergency Paper Ballot Bill" that America will Get Behind

http://www.care2.com/c2c/groups/disc.html?gpp=72&pst=536947

K&R

[NM Independent]

16. I can imagine

I guess my imagination has a talent for going to dark, dark places.

So, when this election is stolen - What then?

[helderheid]

20. GAHH!!!!!

:banghead:

[librechik]

21. Along with my DEM GOV RITTER's refusal of paper ballots

this just makes my millennium.

I'm old. We aren't going to get this right in my lifetime!


AAAAAAARRRGGHHHHHHHH!

[EFerrari]

22. Kick

[tbyg52]

23. Kick - they *know* they gotta steal 'em to win. nt

[demodonkey]

25. I used to admire Dennis Kucinich, but he's gone off the deep end like Ralph Nader.

Sad, very sad.

He just doesn't get that his "principles" on this are playing RIGHT INTO BUSH'S HANDS.

HR 5036 was the last best chance for my state and a lot of others to do anything at all to protect the November election. If we have another stolen one, and end up with President McCain, I hope everyone is happy.

[OnTheOtherHand]

27. if it's any comfort, his vote was moot

I agree that it's a crazy misapplication of "principle" to say that we won't pay to audit op-scan because the scanners can be hacked -- which is a major reason why we want to audit them! Maybe Kucinich would have given Holt his vote if it had mattered, I don't know.

[Yellow Horse]

30. "This is way more F**ked up than you can imagine" is the understatement of the year.

The Democrats in Congress are either clueless about this or complicit.

Steny Hoyer destroyed HR 811, then on this bill HR 5036 he allowed it to sit around for two weeks after it came unanimously out of Committee, giving the Republicans time to figure out this ploy to stall this issue again and also to try to add Voter ID.

I hear that he is going to let it die and not even try to move it as a regular bill.

Pelosi, Dean, and other Dems want this issue to move. It's Hoyer holding everything up. Remember he was one of the authors of HAVA along with Bob Ney (and Abramoff in the background.) Hoyer needs to go, but the fools in is home District (D.C. suburbs) will probably keep electing him forever because I guess they think he makes them big players.

And I'm sure Hoyer is cozy with Linda Lamone and knows how to work those Diebold machines down there too.

How, how, how can we take back our party??

[Supersedeas]

34. maintaining the Diebold system is a Repig priority