Democrats Please Vow to Boycott States Which Have Evidence of GOP Election Fraud

[McCamy Taylor]

With the nation slipping into recession, many states are going to be counting upon tourism dollars to keep their economies afloat. Some of the states most likely to be contemplating Republican election fraud to aid the chances of John McCain are also states that will desperately need our tourism dollars this Christmas and next year to help make up for the decreased earning capacity of their own citizens. High on this list are the battleground states of Florida scene of outrageous GOP election fraud activity in both 2000 and 2004. Florida can not survive without the money it brings in from tourists. Virginia is another state that counts on visitors. Add Colorado to the list, as well as Nevada, Missouri , North Carolina and New Mexico . These are all contested states, some of which have a history of Republican election fraud, all of which have a healthy tourism industry and want to keep it that way.

After the 2000 election theft, Democrats made a mistake in not making the state of Florida pay for the crimes of Jeb Bush and Katherine Harris. This allowed the state to continue under the same GOP rule with the same corrupt election system that systematically disenfranchises voters. For those who say that voters can not change a corrupt government which controls their voting system, I present the case of Ohio. After the excesses of the 2004 election, voters in that state purged many of the corrupt Republicans who had denied them the vote by turning out in record numbers in 2006.
Had Democrats targeted Florida with a boycott after the 2000 election, it is possible that Florida voters might have turned out in 2002 to purge their own government in order to end a boycott that was damaging their economy. By doing nothing, the nation’s Democrats have allowed Florida to continue its illegal practices for three elections running (there is every likelihood that the same tricks will be played again, this time with their “no match, no vote” scam).

I vow that after the election, no matter who wins, I will look at the results, comparing exit polls to tabulated results. The Bradley Effect does not exit. That has been proven scientifically. The results had better be within the margin of error or someone cheated. And if it appears that someone within the Republican Party cheated on a massive scale with government help or if a state has used some method to systematically disenfranchise large numbers of Democrats or if Democratic voters were denied equal access to the polls even if it did not make a difference in the outcome of the election I will boycott that state.

There are going to be plenty of states that play by the rules. Hawaii, California, New York and others. Reward them with your tourism dollars. Make the citizens of the cheating states take a stand against their own corrupt government officials. They are the ones who are ultimately responsible for what their elected representatives do.

I live in Texas. If Texas is caught cheating, I advise all Democrats to find some other place to visit for a vacation. The United States should not tolerate individual states which do not play by the rules. The courts can only do so much. We have a lot more power through our pocket books.

[Tunkamerica]

1. That'll be kind of hard for me

since I live in one of those states.

[McCamy Taylor]

2. I am not going to boycott Texas if they cheat. I will vote them out.

But people who live in a state that cheats should be working hard to stop the cheating.

[LooseWilly]

3. I'm in...

of course, being in Cali... only place I'm liable to boycott is Nevada. That said... if Nevada's number don't look kosher... I'll blow off both Vegas and Reno/Tahoe for 4 years. They may not lose liquor monies off me, but they will lose all the blackjack monies that I lose while fishing for free drinks...

[HopeforChange]

4. I live in Texas and we will fight them a different way

We are working hard to help in swing States to make up for this.

[biglefthander]

5. This is essentially extortion...

...you are recommending here: Go our way in the election or we Democrats will engage in a tourism boycott of your state.

I like it. :applause:

[Edweird]

6. Collective punishment, huh? Get your authoritarian assholery while it's steaming.

That'll teach 'em. The best way to get people to come to your side is to 'make them pay'. :eyes:

I thought that kind of scummy behavior was typical of the RW.

[skepticscott]

7. There's so much wrong with this

that I hardly know where to start, but here's one place:

The Bradley Effect does not exit. That has been proven scientifically.

Yet you fail to even attempt to justify this statement, which underlies your whole argument, with any kind of evidence. And even if you could cite studies of past voting behavior regarding black candidates, this time we're talking about the highest office in the land, for which no African-American has every seriously contended before. That changes everything, and makes any "proof" you might rely on from the past essentially irrelevant.

[McCamy Taylor]

12. "The Myth of the Bradley Effect" My recent journal. Your argument is illogical in the extreme.

The research study cited shows that there was at most a 2.3% poll vs. performance effect that could be attributed to African-American race before 1996 but none since then.

You are using the logical fallacy of the collective wisdom necessarily being true, when it is really just a myth, an urban legend. You can not just assume that because this is a national race and there has never been a Black running for national office that this will mean that the Bradley Effect is in play until proven otherwise. Logically, this would be like saying you have to assume that some part of the moon is made of cream cheese because hundreds of years ago a lot of people said it was and no one has tested every single square inch of it to prove that some part of it is not.

The Bradley Effect Theory will only be resurrected from the junkyard of junk sociological theory if precincts with verifiable voting---i.e. paper trails which can be recounted---show a poll vs. performance effect for Obama.

Please read the link in my previous journal to "Myth Today". It helps a lot to remind us what is really proven and what is only talked up by the corporate media for their own purposes. The Bradley Effect Theory was proposed to obscure the fact that Bradley's opponent pulled an enormous number of absentee ballots that were cast for Republicans out of his ass and these changed the results of the election after it seemed to have been decided for Bradley. No one cried foul because they were all too busy looking at the specter of racist, lying, cowardly California voters lying to exit pollsters and pre-election pollsters. However, as later studies have shown, the front runner effect was probably in play, Bradley's leading status may have depressed turnout out and (I suspect) Republican election fraud made the final difference in the race.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/McCamy%20Taylor/312

[skepticscott]

18. Nice try

But you're the one making the illogical assumption. I'm not arguing that the Bradley Effect WILL be in play unless it is proven otherwise. I'm arguing that it can't be discounted based on any previous studies or experience, since there has never been a test of whether people will hesitate to pull the lever for a black man as president. What happened in the specific case you're discussing is completely irrelevant, since it did not involve the office of president. The simple fact is, you just don't know, which is why you hedge with phrases like "was probably in play", "may have depressed turnout" and "I suspect".

But aside from that, what you're advocating is wrecking a state's economy and ruining thousands of people's jobs and livelihoods on the basis of a poll that may or may not be accurate ("The results had better be within the margin of error or someone cheated.", you say) Even a proper poll is outside the margin of error sometimes. What will be your "proof" that any particular result is due to election fraud and not to a poorly conducted poll or a normal statistical anomaly in a properly conducted poll? How will YOU decide if that proof justifies putting people out of their jobs and homes?

And finally, how do you justify punishing people living in tourist-dependent states over something that they will have had NO control over?

[DeSwiss]

8. I think this is an excellant idea....

...because it hits at the primary thing Repukers live for: money, and the power it gives them to fuck up other people's lives.

Maybe it'd make a great online petition too, eh?


- K&R!!!

[formercia]

9. Agree in part.

I agree we should boycott those who engage in election fraud. The biggest culprit Is the Chamber of Commerce. They fund Rove's election fraud machine.
If I see a C of C sticker on the door of an establishment, I try not to give them my business. Ask the manager if they are a member, and if they say yes, tell them why you will shop elswhere.

[McCamy Taylor]

13. Boycott could be targetted towards communities within states that committed the fraud.

Therefore not the entire state of Florida, just the portions that turn in the 110% voting all for McCain. That would probably be more fair. However, it would have to be coordinated, since most people would not be able to figure out easily which counties they need to boycott.

[formercia]

16. The fraud is not committed by the vast majority of citizens

Why use collective punishment to hurt people that are victims in the first place?

Certain right-wing reactionaries want to control the political agenda in a given area because they don't want a bunch of Liberals coming in and telling them that wages are too low or social services are inadequate. This means higher taxes for them and less profit in their pocket. It's usually members of the business community, coordinated by the Chamber of Commerce, that are behind a lot of the election fraud.

You have to point-target the enemy, not use economic carpet bombing which hurts innocent people.

[bertman]

10. Good luck voting any Repukes out in Florida. You'll be fighting the DLC and Debbie Wasserman-

Schulz just to get a progressive Dem to run against the Repugs.

The boycott idea sounds good; although a lot of folks aren't going to have enough money to vacation anywhere if the economy continues to tank.

[PurpleChez]

11. My gut reaction is "it won't work," but...

such actions, or even the threat of such actions, had a lot to do with states like Georgia and South Carolina reconsidering the status of Klan imagery--oops, I'm sorry, Confederate flags--as state symbols. It prompted various changes (some at least superficial, others aesthetically disasterous) to the GA flag, and helped pull the Klan flag down from the SC state house. This is worth talking about!

[McCamy Taylor]

14. That is what made me think of it. However, if Obama wins, people will forget

and the places like Florida will do it again in 2012.

I have no doubt that if this election is stolen, the states that participate in the theft will rue the day they ever joined the union.

[bertman]

15. If Obama wins, the time will be ripe for the Democrats to sponsor legislation to get us

back to hand-counted paper ballots instead of giving more payoffs to Republican fundraisers who own the voting machine companies.

Or at least to come up with some idea other than computers with no receipt or paper trail to verify the accuracy of the vote count.

[wishlist]

17. NC has verifiable paper ballots, early voting, Dems in charge

Do not believe these blanket reports of voter fraud across entire states. Here in NC our Democratic election board head says any charges of voter fraud in NC are bogus and unsubstantiated and I believe him, since I have worked at many elections for my local board of elections for the past 4 years when we changed from touch screens to current paper ballots that can be recounted. We have staff from both parties at each voting location to balance and check one another. If McCain and Dole win, it can only be attributed to other causes besides voter fraud.

[Coexist]

19. No. there are good Democrats who own businesses down here, thank you.