Reply #3: I'm one of the pessimistic ones.

[SheilaT]

Bush wasn't elected in 2000. He came to power in a coup, and isn't about to give that power up. There is no reason to assume there will be a fair, free, and honest election next November. Let me suggest a few ways by which it can be rigged.

Black box voting, no paper trail. This has been discussed at some length on DU.

Purging of voter rolls. It worked in Florida.

Cancel the election. If some kind of major terrorist threat or alert occurs at the very beginning of November, people may be required to stay home. Can't get to polling place. Maybe the election would be rescheduled, maybe not.

Red alert in certain, predominantly Democratic parts of the country. Again, people can't get to the polls. What a shame!

It's the state legislatures that actually certify the slate of electors who actually elect the president. All it would take is a very few Republican controlled legislatures to decide to certify the Republican slate, even if the Democrat won the popular vote in that state. Remember, three years ago that's exactly what would have happened in Florida had the Supreme Court not shut down the ballot count.

And none of this takes into account a phenomenally dirty campaign, in which the Democratic candidate will be utterly vilified, and any opposition to Bush will be framed as treason and probably terrorism. I expect a major theme of the Bush campaign will claim he's done so much to protect the Homeland against terrorists, and how he's turned the economy around. The three million lost jobs will be invisible unless we (us Democrats) bring that up over and over. The Bush campaign will selectively highlight people who've done better under their adminsitration, and all the cuts to education, health care, and every thing else will be ignored.

We are naive if we think we can win this election the old-fashioned way, simply by telling the truth and getting out the vote.