Turnout is the only way Obama can win.

[riqster]

2000 was stolen, and it was a close election.

2004 was stolen, and it was a close election.

2008 was not stolen - it was not a close election.

Get the picture? Get to the polls.

[KaryninMiami]

1. Amen to this.

And you are correct- the only way we win, thanks to rigged machines and every other form of suppression they are bombarding us with is with a landslide turnout. Anything less being 3%-5% ahead in the polls puts us in severe danger of losing because that's the amount they can and will try to skim off.

[Pab Sungenis]

2. Volunteer, volunteer, volunteer.

Phone bank, knock on doors, GET OUT THE VOTE.

[timlot]

3. People are mistaking enthusiasm for 'not going to vote'

If people don't vote for nothing else they are going to get out and vote for the Presidency. I think the turnout is going to shock folks who thought there was going to be a big drop off.

[Jennicut]

4. The early voting in Iowa, Ohio and even the first day of NC

have all been very good, exceeding 2008 levels.

[ProSense]

5. You know why 2008 wasn't stolen?

Turnout. This is a circular argument. It's not wrong, but turnout is always key.

"2000 was stolen, and it was a close election."

Gore won the popular vote. While the 2000 selection in Florida was bad, the really nasty underhanded tricks surfaced in 2002.

2002 New Hampshire Senate election phone jamming scandal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_New_Hampshire_Senate_election_phone_jamming_scandal


"2004 was stolen, and it was a close election."

When people only pay attention to the MSM and don't challenge the polling, the Republicans are given a pass to employ every suppression tactic there is: thuggery at the polls, vote tampering, sending out false literature, and creating long lines by limiting the available polling places and early voting, etc.

The Republican attempts to suppress the 2012 vote are similar, but they're being exposed.

Arizona's largest county listed wrong date for the election on voter ID cards (but just in Spanish)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021566725

Virginia GOP Caught RED-HANDED Destroying Voter Registration Forms (Update: ARRESTED!)
http://sync.democraticunderground.com/10021572716

Other attemps have been more out in the open, voter ID laws and telling employers to pressure employees.

[riqster]

6. I agree with much of your post

A few quibbles: Gore won the popular vote but lost the one that matters (in the electoral college) because Florida was close enough to steal.

As to 2004, it wasn't just polling numbers: it was restricted access to to the polls, rigged tabulating devices, violations of law and procedure, and other chicanery that were enabled by a narrow margin. See the book "What Went Wrong in Ohio" for some examples.

Remember: votes are calculated by computers running black-box code, and if the margin is tight, the votes can be flipped without anyone being able to prove otherwise.

The fact that vote-suppression is out in the open is good news; but the fact that suppression is going on serves to prove my point.

[riqster]

7. Here's my blog post for today on this topic.

http://bluntandcranky.wordpress.com/2012/10/19/turnout-is-the-only-way-a-dem-can-win/

[riqster]

8. Oh, and with Mitt's son owning one of the vote-counting companies, it's gonna be rigged...

..like a Yankee Clipper Ship. Turn the Fucking Fuck Out!

[quaker bill]

9. It is always the only way anyone wins

[riqster]

10. Not these days, I'm afraid

Republicans own and control much of the mass media, and almost all of the vote-casting and vote-counting apparatus, so the Dems have to bring even more votes to the table to win. A small margin can easily be flipped, a larger one not so.