the increasing spread in the margin as absentees are tallied is certainly worth watching closely

MAYBE but Republcians have been doing fabulous AV campaigns for years and have gotten voters into the habit. It doesn't surprise me that the gap is widening since the AV vote is notiously older and more conservative.

Hey Brad, I just noticed that the "friday" header reads "saturday" . . . i.e. there are two saturday headers . . . just letting you know.

Aside from that, I suppose I could give a mundane inspirational commentary: you are a hero for the reporting you do.

yawn, why do you guys think your corruption angle is ever going to work when you can't even get rid of a scumbag that was caught with bribe money in his freezer. we don't want to upset the black vote>>>i know lets go back and count some hanging chads

what happened to all the reporting of the army not reaching its recruting goals? Now for the past year they are ahead you hardly say anything.

And where's all the outrage over Saddam's rape rooms and torture chambers?!?

Brad,
over on DU, someone brought up another anomaly:
the libertarian candidate Paul King has 2200 votes in the CA-50 special election.
But, in the other STATEwide races, the san diegans voted on average 1700 times for each statewide libertarian candidate. The numbers are all within 50 votes. i.e. There appear to be approximately 1750 voters voting for libertarians in the entire county, of which CA-50 is a small part. Take a look at those numbers.
In the primary, Paul King has 538 something votes.

CA-50 is a district with a large number of military voters who often vote by absentee ballot. The widening victory by Bilbray doesn't surprise me. Most military folks, those who are likely to vote, are gonna vote for the Republican candidate

Hey Brad, When did you hire Leopold and Pitt to do your reporting? This place is starting to look like Truthout/DUmmieland.

And another thing...READ P.J. COMIX! It's a riot.

Tony, haven't you been disbarred yet?

Will the Democrats, until the end of time, claim that the election was stolen everytime they lose one?

Re: ...robin Gibson said on 6/10/2006 @ 10:26pm PT...

Could the discrepancy in Libertarian votes be credited to the fact that ANY voter in the Dist 50 run-off would be able to vote for the Libertarian in this race, but not in the normal primary races where only registered Libs can vote?

I imagine that there could be some pissed off Dist 50 Repubs that voted for the Lib as a protest vote. Many pissed off Dems have voted for Green Party candidates as a "protest" vote in previous elections.

Just trying to make sure we cover all the bases on this one.

HCOCDR #4

It is the fast food syndrome and volumne. Lower the standards and you increase volume.

No magic to that.

I noticed that a dem has introduced a draft, selective service type bill on 6/6/06:

http://www.govtrack.us/c...ltext.xpd?bill=h109-4752

Tony Cambece #14

Your web site indicates that you are a bill collector.

BVAC asked if you had been disbarred yet. I don't know what prompted his question or your non sequitur answer that seems to equate being not disbarred with valuable real estate. There is no nexus between the two.

So you obviously care little for diplomacy, and would seem to invite flame wars. Is that how you do debt collection?

If you change your mind and invite intelligent and valid debate on some issue, there are abundant opportunities for that here.

So far, however, you are trying to establish yourself as a troll. There are abundant opportunities for that too.

I do not know if your selection of discourse so far is by design ... or simply from inexperience on blogs.

# 11 Gottheledout --- I won't belabor this point as it has been stated often and is obvious, but as you seem not to be a troll but just someone who isn't very familiar with the work and discussion on this blog, I'll just mention it.

Brad has stated clearly that he doesn't know who actually won the race in San Diego. He did not claim that the election was stolen, just that the true results are unknown and unverifiable.

If we had election integrity - verifiably honest elections - there would be no need to question the election results. Whoever won would have won legitimately. The winner could be a Republican.

As someone who postulates that the "Democrats" will continue to claim that elections are stolen, you should be right in there with Brad working for unhackable, verifiable elections.

Frank Rich's op-ed piece in the NYT this morining was about Bush and Scapegoats and immigrants. He inserted that Bilbray won the election (against Francine Busby). I reacted with the following e mail to him:
How can you state in your op-ed piece Sunday June 11 that Brian Bilbray "won" the election over Francine Busby? The sad fact is that the voting equipment in use in the 50th district was electronic, manufactured by Diebold. By now its well known that Diebold machines are very easily hackable. Moreover, election volunteers were given the machines the night before election day and instructed to "take them home". Hackable voting machines were unsecured overnight in garages and living rooms. And I, a citizen of average intelligence, am expected to belive the results are air-tight? Not so fast Mr Rich. The election results between Mr Bilbray and Ms Busby are not conclusive. And no one truly knows what steps to take next to ensure that the election was clean. Your paper has ignored this critical issue of hackable elections from the get-go. If we citizens can't trust our election process, then it follows that we have no democracy. Ain't that fit to print?

But first they wait for their marching orders, and you get different tiers of them for different items.

{Ed note: Comment deleted. Obnoxious personal attacks on other commenters.}

Tony Cambece, So if your so high and mighty what are you doing slumming here? You must be one of those corrupt republicans I keep reading about. nothing to see here Keep moving.... Back to that big house and all those cars. Just regular folks here THAT GIVE A SHIT ABOUT OUR DEMOCRACY.Unlike you who is only worried about your SHIT!

I find whenever Brad posts the truth it always brings out the pondscum. AKA........ Why do you think that is. It must be those roots of the aspens that are all connected, Or follow the money because that is what is all connected. From the bottom all the way to the top!

Tony Cambece #18

It has been said about you:

Ed note: Comment deleted. Obnoxious personal attacks on other commenters

Are you ready for lesson one lesson two?

HDOCDR #4

The weapons of mass destruction that you are trained to use to "bring us freedom" may not be made by "Americans for Americans" any longer.

Even after Americans sent a clear message about the Dubai Ports Deal, because commander in chief has allowed the sale of critical military weapons factories to unstable mid-east countries.

Here is what is involved:

"Doncasters is an international group that operates nine U.S. plants. It makes precision parts for the aerospace and specialist automotive markets, including parts for defense contractors for use in military tanks and aircraft.

Among the Doncasters' holdings is a plant in Barrow's district in Georgia that is the sole supplier of turbine fan parts for the U.S. Abrams main battle tank.

Doncasters also makes engine parts for one variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, a Pentagon spokeswoman said. The program, co-developed by the United States and eight other countries, is building a next-generation radar-evading jet fighter"

(link here, bold added).

Yeah, yearh, yeah. What happened? Did another Democrat lose a close one in a solidly Republican district? Glad you're not acceptiung moral victories.
Seriously, if there is fraud going on, yelling "stolen election" everytime a Democrat loses by five percentage percentage points or less will sound more and more like little boys crying wolf. Be careful.

Dredd, we did send a clear message about the Dubai Ports Deal, but can anybody tell me WHO owns those concessions now? Dubai?

Steve Joos, I believe the point is that with inauditable electronic voting machines, no election can be fully trusted whether they lose by 0.5% or 50%. And thats just the beginning of the problems they present. It\\\'s not crying wolf when we are facing a clear and present danger.

If you are in the San Diego area and would like to help the push for hand-counted paper ballots, please contact me:

mymark@gmail.com

SAN DIEGO ACTION TEAM

Can you come to Board of Supervisors and City Council meetings? We need a substantial number of dedicated people in order to effect change before the November election.

Background:

San Diego formed a citizens' Election Task Force (ETF). Each city councilmember was allowed to appoint someone to the ETF. On Wednesday, April 5, 2006, the Rules Committee (the city council wearing different hats) met to decide the rules for the ETF. Councilmember Donna Frye (remember the bubble ballots --- 5,000 votes thrown out that were clearly marked "DONNA FRYE" on a decision that the will of the voters is irrelevant?) made a motion that the City Clerk, Liz Maland, who is also the City Elections Officer, along with the ETF, would decide the ETF agenda. The motion passed unanimously.

At the first meeting of the ETF there was a long discussion about the proposed agenda, and items other than Ballot Tabulation (how our votes are counted) were given priority, such as ranked voting, mail-in only voting, etc.

After the meeting, Maland sent out a summary of the meeting and said that the other topics given priority would be discussed first, that they would take about a year to study, and that ONLY AFTER THE YEAR WAS UP, could the issue of Ballot Tabulation be discussed. This was not what had been decided at the ETF meeting. There had been no agreement to prohibit discussion of Ballot Tabulation for a year.

Many of us were perturbed by this and protested it. At the next task force meeting, Mel Shapiro, a member of the ETF who is fondly known as San Diego's "City Watchdog" because he keeps an eye on local government, played back the audio of Frye's motion, and said that Maland's decision was not made in consultation with the ETF members. Maland said that the matter would be referred to the City Attorney's office.

I don't know what happened next, but Mel Shapiro resigned from the ETF and won't tell anyone why. I saw him Saturday, June 10th, at the Greg Palast booksigning at the U/U church, and he said that he'd watched the ETF meeting yesterday from home and that they were unable to meet because they didn't have a quorum.

As I understand it, the City of San Diego formed the citizens' Election Task Force in order to deflect citizen outrage. If you contact the city about the way our votes are counted, you are told to contact the ETF. If you contact the ETF, you are told that they are not permitted to discuss the issue of Ballot Tabulation until a year from now. Of course by the time they get around to studying it, presenting their report to the City Council, and the Council decides whether or not to put it on their agenda and possibly take any action, the 2008 Presidential election will be long over. In other words, the ETF is a sham --- just a way to deflect citizen outrage and avoid having to even talk about it.

I would like to see San Diego go to PAPER BALLOTS, HAND COUNTED, AT THE PRECINCTS, IN PUBLIC, in time for the November election. The only possible way that this can happen is if enough of us pack every single meeting of the Board of Supervisors and the City Council and demand it.

If you are interested, please email me: mymark@gmail.com

with the subject line: Election Action Team

Please forward this to everyone you know in the San Diego area who might be interested.

Thank you!

--Mark

-------------------------------------

INVISIBLE BALLOTS

Monday, June12th 2006

6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Malcolm X Library

1548 Market St., near the Euclid Ave. Trolley Station

INVISIBLE BALLOTS is an in-depth exposé of electronic computerized voting. Underneath the radar of public scrutiny, election officials and voting machine manufacturers are putting into service tens of thousands of optical scanners, central tabulators, and touch-screen voting machines that cannot be relied upon for accuracy or secured from tampering. Elections already using these machines are often plagued by "glitches" and “technical problems” that only technicians working for the manufacturers can solve. Voting is swiftly coming under the control of private corporations using secret software with little or no independent oversight. These companies and the people who run them are rife with corruption and insider alliances. Mysterious election upsets are increasing, and verified recounts are impossible. If we are to preserve representative government, the public must learn the secrets revealed in INVISIBLE BALLOTS and take action quickly.

(1 hour film and 1 hour discussion following)

FREE --- NO DONATIONS REQUESTED

For more information, contact: Mark Smith mymark@gmail.com

Mark E. Smith said:

I would like to see San Diego go to PAPER BALLOTS, HAND COUNTED, AT THE PRECINCTS, IN PUBLIC, in time for the November election. The only possible way that this can happen is if enough of us pack every single meeting of the Board of Supervisors and the City Council and demand it.

With all due respect, Mark. You've and the people of San Diego have the greatest opportunity you likely will ever have to demand *true* reform in your own home town. And it can happen because, at least in this instance, hand counting the ballots from the Busby/Bilbray race is the only way to esnure the votes were counted accurately.

So when are you and the rest of the Election Reformers from San Diego gonna go "Ukraine" on that Registrar of Voters office and demand they count the ballots which have been tainted by an op scan count irreperablly contaminated because the optical scanners were sent home with poll workers?

Here's a great chance to actually go get Election Reform instead of just talking about it!

Actions speak louder than town meetings. Get busy!

Yes , paper ballets that’s what we need lets go back to the good old days where dems in Chicago can stuff and stuff and stuff. Or the over worked ballot counters could count millions of votes and some how lose track. Or the un-educated voters can say things like, “they tricked me I was really voting for someone else”. Whann Whann whann.

This offers a live, realtime, case study into vote tampering on e-vote machines. I\'m glad it\'s not the Nov. 2 election. Let\'s get this straightened out now!

HCOCDR: Anyone who joins the military now, is stupid. And I'd like to say, if I wasn't free, I'd fight for my own freedom...I'd be the first. No one is fighting for my freedom. I'm free. This Iraq war is a war based on lies. Bush is a murderer.

Exit Ricky, enter HCOCDR. I think they're the same person.

When Busby wins, HCOCDR will not be able to show his face here. OR...he'll be going, "waaah, waaaah, it's not fair! it's ok if I cry about losing, that's different."

Wow, the silence on the taking out of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi here Brad is deafening. Not even a “nice shot Chaney”.

"All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke, 1729 - 1797

I guess you'd do nothing BD. Just type type type :0)

http://www.npr.org/templ...tory.php?storyId=5330814

Democrats Eye Cunningham's Abandoned Seat
by Scott Horsley

All Things Considered, April 7, 2006

"I've sat on the soccer sidelines here. I've sat in the surf meets. I am, I feel, the face and heart of this community," Busby said."

Makes me just want to run out and vote for her....

"If the unlikely event that Republicans lose the district does occur, that could signal big trouble for the party in power come November."

so I guess there will be no big trouble ahead and you guys will be crying foul or wolf or just plain crying.

This was sent to me by Francine Busby:

Concession and Recount

Many of you have called to express your interest in a recount.

On election night and for several days following the election, observers from both parties from Washington D.C as well as local monitors have been carefully observing the counting of ballots.

While there were a few reports of malfunctioning machines, there was not widespread reporting of problems on election day. All absentee, provisional and damaged ballots were accounted for and are continuing to being counted.

I conceded as part of my statement following election night because the margin of difference was beyond the amount to trigger an automatic recount. Should the Secretary of State find reason to certify me as the winner, I would be declared the winner despite my original concession statement.

Thought we all wanted to win this race, we can be proud of the fact the we garnered over 45% of the vote despite $5 million in relentless negative assaults and kept Bilbray under 50% in a district that should have been theirs for free. This was a huge victory in itself. With your continued support, we will keep up the pressure through November.

Francine

Argh! I forgot to copy that one before posting, now it's lost in the ozone!

Sorry 99 - it was meant for you Re: #24

"No valid entry. Please try again" Argh!

Re: #36

Well, gee thanks, Francine, but we've heard that one before. "Vote for me and we'll let the theives take another one" followed by "We should just be happy that we got soooooo close in a republican stronghold" (remember Hackett in Ohio?).

And we'll hear it again and again throughout the country in November.

It's so comforting to put time, effort, and money into candidates that are so willing to roll over and play the "but we were close" game.

If the candidates won't fight for re-counts, it's time for the voters to do something about it. Oh, wait, we've tried that one, too. There seems to be a bit of sluggishness (yawn) when it comes to the voting issue.

DNC: Take your party and shove it! Don't ask for money, time, effort, ANYTHING --- until you can assure us that our votes will be counted!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HCOCDR: At least I don't type lies, and I'm not an idiot.

Poor Big Dan,

No one here is calling you an idiot. Now be a good little boy and go back to Therapy.

I might be off topic here but...just read on americablog a comment which is very interesting. re. 21 billion lost on reconstruction in Iraq. A bill was passed to investigate. Bush did one of his I don\'t have to obey the law thingy...same with saying phone co.\'s don\'t have to comply with the law over wiretapping. Aren\'t all branches of govt. equal? Are we fascist yet?

I have a better quote from a greater patriotic American than comment #34:

"HCOCDR is a fake soldier and rightwing shill distractor." (Big Dan, June 12, 2006.)

I think Dr. Ron Baiman's statistical analysis just about sums this up:

"Unless San Diego is a veritable “hot bed” of third party and independent candidate activism (something that I wasn’t aware of), I find it hard to understand how a full 35% of voters (6,914 out of 19,739 votes) in the Busby/Bilbray 50th Congressional District run-off election who did not vote in the primary (in the same election) would vote for Libertarian and Independent candidates.

This represents an increase in third party and independent vote of 1,143% in the Run-Off relative to these votes in the primary! "

Please click on Brad's link above, to read his analysis. Reality & numbers...something the GOP doesn't want to address.

Actually...something the DEMS don't want to address either! I mean, SOMEONE EXPLAIN THE DOCTOR'S NUMBERS, PULEEZ... GOP exit poll voters were shy? OOPS! They used that to explain Bush stealing the 2004 election. What's their answer to pure numbers that don't make sense???

type type type like the wind, bd

For your Info I did my tour in Iraq with the 278th RCT (www.278acr.com) in the Provance of Diyala near Balad Ruz,and Barquba Iraq. There are a lot of good people there and no supprise they were the ones to turn in al-Zarqawi. I was blocked from the brad blog while there by winter patriot. Hard to fake a Iraq ip address. Now, back to Therapy with you.

NO WAY! I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT!!!

Where's Roy, Zigfried? (Ricky & HCOCDR)

Big Dan #31

What do you think of the new draft bill introduced into the House on 6/6/06? I calls for the mandatory draft of males and females age 18-42.

I asked Brad and he said he is for it, however, he did not say why.

It has a grande provision for civilian service in lieu of military service.

Nevertheless I sure disagree with Brad on this. I can not see how one can be against the "endless war on terror" because it is a ruse, and yet be for a mandatory draft.

It needs to be discussed because since I am flat out against it I may be missing something ...

Anyway since Rove was not indicted, and the machines are not being fixed, I am certain the republican dictatorship feels very empowered now.

Dredd: I understand where Brad is coming from, and Wrangel (if he's the one who introduced it). They are thinking that it will STOP war, because the rich elites' kids and politicians kids will be drafted, and it will stop future unnecessary wars.

Here's what I think: The rich elites and politicians' kids will find a way to not get drafted, and it will be a double-fuck for poor & middle class kids. Just like Vietnam, the rich elites and politicians' kids will find a way to avoid being drafted. AND...when this is pointed out, NOTHING will be done. We're seeing how Republicans can break the law left and right, and no one's doing a damn thing about it. Murder? That's OK, as long as a Republican is doing it. Corruption? That's OK, as long as a Republican's doing it. etc...etc...

They can't send the rich kids to war. They have to sit home and call Hannity. "You're a great American Sean"!

I think it was the lottery that helped end the Vietnam war, but I think Dan is probably right. These days the rich would just plain-not-go and nothing would happen to them.