Apparently, not everything's 'Archie' with Ohio Republicans these days.

[Philostopher]

Here's a link to the story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer (was also in the Dayton Daily News, that's where I saw it):

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1082885426201293.xml

Apparently, Householder's staff has (had) been planning activities to discredit Ken Blackwell. I love it when they start eating their own -- makes me wonder if they're worried about November. Of course, if Diebold is given carte blanche to 'deliver Ohio's electoral votes to George Bush' it won't matter, but I admit any time I see the Rwingers nibbling at each other like this, I'm tempted to pop up a big bowl of popcorn.

[Robbien]

1. This is NOT a good thing

Blackwell is the only one standing in the way of Diebold voting machines being in Ohio.

See this
http://www.wcpo.com/news/2004/local/04/23/vote.html

Even though I do not live in Ohio, I have been sending him emails of support. His fight effects the fight in every state.

[Philostopher]

2. Frankly,

if he's developed doubts about Diebold, it's a new thing. Originally, he was one of their biggest cheerleaders, mostly because the 'home office' is in Canton. The reference to Blackwell in this Mother Jones article pretty much outlines what I'd been reading about his 'activism' on the subject (you'll have to search for his name, it's a long article):

http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2004/03/03_200.html

So if he's had an eleventh hour conversion to voter-verified paper trails and concerns about the integrity of the vote using Diebold machines, good for him. He wasn't always there.

And it's never a bad thing in the 'big picture' when Ohio Republicans disagree. It definitely has implications beyond one jiggered election -- they've been so monolithic for so long, seeing them starting to turn on each other means the disarray among Ohio Democrats might be worth tightening up for the first time in a dozen years.

[Robbien]

3. Thanks, it appears I read something into that article which may

not be there.

Oh well, my emails basically told him that he shouldn't allow the machines in Ohio unless they had been retrofitted for the paper receipts.

Hope you are also right that the Ohio GOPers have some dissension in their ranks.

[asthmaticeog]

4. Not quite 11th hour

He first delayed the dicision to switch to Diebold machines back in December, due to "security concerns." Now I'll be the first to say that Blackwell's a god damn tool, but his hestiancy w/r/t BBV gives us a little breathing room.

[Philostopher]

5. Didn't the Ohio Election Commission

force his hand back then, though? I'm pretty sure he wasn't the one who started questioning the whole debacle, is all. As I say, if he's had a real conversion, good for him -- and better for Ohio voters. I just think he had to be dragged kicking and screaming into enlightenment on the whole subject.