Fla. Lawmaker Says 2000 Election 'Stolen' (House strikes from record)

[enough]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=512&ncid=703&e=4&u=/ap/20040716/ap_on_go_co/house_florida_fight

WASHINGTON - Think the passions from the 2000 presidential election have cooled? Certainly not in the House, which voted Thursday to strike a Florida representative's words from the record after she said Republicans "stole" that closely fought contest.

The verbal battle broke out after Rep. Steve Buyer, R-Ind., proposed a measure barring any federal official from requesting that the United Nations (news - web sites) formally observe the U.S. elections on Nov. 2. His proposal was approved 243-161 as an amendment to a $19.4 billion foreign aid bill, with 33 Democrats joining all 210 voting Republicans in voting "yes."

Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., and several other House Democrats have made that suggestion. They argue that some black voters were disenfranchised in 2000 and problems could occur again this fall.

snip>

"I come from Florida, where you and others participated in what I call the United States coup d'etat. We need to make sure it doesn't happen again," Brown said. "Over and over again after the election when you stole the election, you came back here and said, 'Get over it.' No, we're not going to get over it. And we want verification from the world."

snip>

There was a blow-by-blow thread on this last night.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2000540

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. Why would we bar someone from monitoring our own elections?

Scared of what we're gonna find out?

[MaineDem]

5. And why would 33 Dems go along with it?

The roll call vote is here: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2004/roll385.xml

[underpants]

7. Bobby Scott voted against it

That's our guy!

[SEpatriot]

13. 33 wobblers

I am really sick of this nonsense. Even, if they are too cowardly to acknowledge that Bushco stole the 2004 election, they should let her speak her conscience and have it placed in the record. Or at least abstain. They will not learn until the Bushco rolls right over them - you cannot appease this bunch.

[MaineDem]

15. These 33 voted against allowing any UN observation

Not against striking the Congresswoman's words from the record.

That vote was completely along party lines, I believe.

[SEpatriot]

17. I see, but it doesn't make it any better

It looks like the vote on striking was 219-187 I would be interested in the exact breakdown of that vote - it may be strictly party, then that's OK. I still think its cowardly not to allow observers...kinda looks like you have something to hide.

[MaineDem]

20. No Repub voted against it and no Dem voted for it (striking)

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2004/roll384.xml

And on the other issue, I agree; I think prohibiting even the possibility of observers is wrong.

[lazarus]

25. actually, they didn't

Let's read the text of the Amendment:

10. H.AMDT.701 to H.R.4818 An amendment to insert at the end of the bill (before the short title) a new section stating that none of the funds made available in the Act may be used by any official of the United States Government to request the United Nations to assess the validity of elections in the United States.
Sponsor: Rep Buyer, Steve (introduced 7/15/2004) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 7/15/2004 House amendment agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Buyer amendment (A010) Agreed to by recorded vote: 243 - 161 (Roll no. 385).

All this did was prevent the specific funds from this specific act from being used to request the UN oversight. It did not bar "any UN observation."

(edited to fix html)

[nodehopper]

24. b/c it was a rider to a bill that many would be compelled to vote yes on

Remember F9/11
"sit down, my son, we don't actually read any of the bills"

[underpants]

6. Bush is the first President EVER to not let the UN observe elections

the mid-terms in 2002. We have always had UN observation of elections as does any uh legitimate democratic government.

[Ready4Change]

2. How often do representatives words get striken from the record?

Is that a common thing?

[Lancer]

11. It's more common for provisions in a bill itself

to be stricken from the Record, IIRC

Ms. Brown's remarks were "taken down," the phrase used to describe removal a member's comments from the Record. She was also forbidden to speak the rest of the day; reprimands like that are at the pleasure of the Chair.

Rules governing this sort of thing are found here:

http://www.house.gov/rules/debate_conduct.htm

[Raster]

3. once again, and now pay attention, in a democracy, ...

WE COUNT ALL THE VOTES!!! We do WHATEVER it takes for EACH AND EVERY CITIZEN TO HAVE THEIR VOICE HEARD!!! And if it takes advisors and representatives from around the world, then so be it!

[underpants]

4. Good for her. Thanks for stating the obvious

http://www.house.gov/corrinebrown/contact.shtml

Contact informatioin I don't see an e-mail address.

[UpInArms]

8. I'll "get over it" when these criminals are behind bars .......eom

[trumad]

10. Please remember this

if the recount went Gores way in 2000, the FL. Legislators were planning not to hand over Florida's delegates... I honestly believe that Feeney and gang would have tried it....

[UpInArms]

14. I have forgotten none of it

I was watching ABC coverage (and flipping channels throughout the night) and watched as GWB (sitting with his family in Texas) reacted with shock and horror (unlike his reaction on 9/11) to the Gore won Florida call -

He became very agitated and stated emphatically:

That's wrong! My brother promised me Florida!

[NewYorkerfromMass]

18. Yep.

Reminders never hurt.

[1monster]

26. They would not just have "tried" it. They would have done it.

Feeney's gang pulled the relevent text from the Constitution which states that the State Legislatures were to name the slate of electors. Nevermind that the Legislature is supposed to be guided by the will of the people and the 150 plus years that Florida has been guided by the will of the people. They wanted power and they were going to have power, by hook or by crook, fair or foul.

[AndyTiedye]

27. If they do THAT There is NOTHING We Can Do About It!

The Repubs still control the Florida legislature

They can just ignore the popular vote in Florida if it goes against them.
The legislature can pass a law saying that all Florida electoral
votes belong to the Republicans, and discarding the election results.

There are other states we are counting on that also have Republican-
controlled state governments. They could all do that. AFAIK there
are no red states with Democratic legislatures and governors, so
Democrats could not respond in kind.

[truthisfreedom]

9. hahahaha.

i love the actual record they are creating as a result of striking this from the record. sounds like a bunch of paranoid pansies.

[Mel]

12. Why would they strike Representative Browns remarks

but they didn't strike Rep. Barbara Cubin (R-Wyo.) racist remark? Huuummmmm?
Mel Watt's (NC) demanded Cubin's comment be "taken down," meaning it was inappropriate for a House debate. In a largely party-line vote, the GOP-controlled House voted 227 to 195 to uphold the chair's ruling that the remark fell within House rules.

This is what Cubin said during the gun control bill debate on the floor an amendment was brought up by Mr. Watts that would stop addicts or addicts in treatment from getting guns Cubin was arguing against this amendment and here are her words Cubin said, "So does that mean that if you go into a black community, you can't sell any guns to any black person?"

Cubin is a racist and her remarks remained. Rep. Brown was fighting for Democracy and her words where taken out she was punished for telling the truth!!

The House of Reps. is a dictatorship ran by the fascist Tom Delay and his brown shirts goobers follow!

[AFSCME girl]

19. Oh my God.........

what Cubin said is disgusting!!!! :grr: :puke: What a racist pig! November 2 seems so far away at this point.......... One more day with these idiots is ONE TOO MANY!!!!!!!!

[underpants]

16. Uh-oh the rightist machine is taking the high road on this.

Karl Rove, special advisor to President Bush (news - web sites), gestures with his hand during a speech saying that Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites) thumbed his nose to U.S. troops in Iraq (news - web sites) at a political rally in Irvine, Calif., on Thursday, July 15, 2004. (AP Photo/Francis Specker)

[truth2power]

21. Just called Rep. Brown's ofc.

AND followed with a call to ofc. of Rep. Buyer (the gentleman I talked to said it's pronounced "Booyer").

The assistant who took Ms. Brown's call said they have been getting many POSITIVE calls (some DUers I hope?). I told him Ms. Brown is right on the money and she should be proud to be standing up for the people of this country.

I told Rep. Buyer's asst. I had expressed my support to Rep. Brown's ofc. and that even tho' her words were "taken down", there are many of us who will not forget what she said and that she's a hero to us.

[lazarus]

22. I just talked to her office as well

He said they've been getting many MORE positive calls than negative.

Stupid freepers don't even have the guts to call, I guess.

I also told him that the Republicans were being stupid about this. Had they left the remarks alone, nobody would have heard of them.

He said the American people are tired of the Republicans' tactics, too.

[nodehopper]

23. pure evil. attachiing it to a bill it would be hard to vote "no" on

That is the problem with the whole mechanism behind "riders"

[BiggJawn]

28. That's my Buyer!

Pray for us, if you believe in such things....