A more poignant question is...

What will be decided?

Answer: Which puppets in this choreographed charade will dance forth, Team America-like, into the general election.   

But as Rob's question implies, we the citizenry are powerless to affect the choreographer.

Why is that?  Because, as the heavily censored Mike Gravel points out, "The central power of government in a democracy is lawmaking –– not voting. He who makes the rules controls the game."

by Jim Eldon (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 13 comments) on Tuesday, February 5, 2008 at 2:45:55 PM
 

Machine Resets from Obama to Clinton in NJ

by Christie (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 149 comments) on Tuesday, February 5, 2008 at 2:55:33 PM
 

sites posting such incidents

Black Box Voting has a forum thread dedicated to incident reports:

http://www.bbvforums.org/cgi-bin/forums/board-auth.cgi?file=/1954/71690.html

Or, for folks in Illinois, Illinois Ballot Integrity Project has an incident blog: http://www.ballot-integrity.net/blog/index.htm

by Jim Eldon (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 13 comments) on Tuesday, February 5, 2008 at 5:36:38 PM
 

THIS IS THE LAST BIG ONE

ROB ALL YOU SAY IS TRUE, BUT I THINK AFTER THIS ELECTION DECEPTION,THERE WILL BE NO WAY TO TURN BACK THE CLOCK, ALL THE CANDIDATES THAT COULD HAVE MADE A CHANGE WERE KNOCKED OUT BY MSM MACHINE, ITS GOING TO BE HILLARY OR MC-CAIN, AND THE KILLING IN IRAQ WILL NOT END, TO ME THIS IS THE SAD PART, HOW MUCH DO THE IRAQi PEOPLE HAVE TO ENDURE, AND SUFFER, JUST BECAUSE THEY HAPPEN TO LIVE IN AN OIL RICH COUNTRY. THIS EMPIRE IS ON ITS LAST LEGS, AND THE BOTTOM IS FAST APPROACHING. WE ALL HAD GREAT HOPES, BUT YOU CAN'T TAKE HOPES TO THE BANK, OR HOPES WONT PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE. I GUESS WE JUST GET OUR WOOL SHEARED, AND GO BACK TO THE FLOCK.

by RICHARD SHADE (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 460 comments) on Wednesday, February 6, 2008 at 12:36:57 AM
 

If this ends as it might....

are we allowed to bury a casket with Uncle Sam in it on the Mall and put up our own eternal flame to remember the days when America existed?

Maybe we can use a Diebold machine as a tombstone.

by Michael Morris (17 articles, 0 quicklinks, 14 diaries, 298 comments) on Wednesday, February 6, 2008 at 8:53:26 AM
 

IF THIS ENDS AS IT MIGHT

 YOU MIGHT BE LAUGHING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF YOUR FACE.

by RICHARD SHADE (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 460 comments) on Thursday, February 7, 2008 at 2:28:41 AM
 

super delegates

Like you, I'm very concerned about the super delegates. If they overrule the voters, it will be terrible for the Democratic party, and will hurt us in the general.

by Amy Fried (39 articles, 78 quicklinks, 46 diaries, 177 comments) on Wednesday, February 6, 2008 at 10:04:25 AM
 

Well I agree...

...with a whole lot of what you're saying here Rob, particularly concerning the split of delegates. It does present a strong advantage to republicans since they have the winner take all. If they didn't, this race would not have McCain's lead look like such a complete rout and it would also more clearly define the divisions and uncertainties in the republican party. The fact it gives republicans less time to pick their boy is a clear advantage and gives them more time to gather their base and attack democrats who continue to fumble along into March and perhaps even May. Also, if the dems were using the same guidelines as the republicans, Hillary's lead would be nearly as large as McCain's even when(if) she loses Virginia, Maryland and DC to Obama.

Actually the way the dems do it(splitting delegates) would be far more fair if there were no super delegates out there to decide the outcome.  I do think however if they throw their vote to the loser, there will be repercussions and divisions, something the dems cannot have if they expect to win. But I also think this scenario presents opportunity for the democrats to unite as they never have before in creating an Obama/Hillary ticket, something McCain would have a lot of trouble with. 

I also agree that all presidential candidates should get free and equal air time on our so called free air waves. That way folks like Kucinich and Paul would have had as much exposure as the current leading candidates.

In California Dennis Kucinich only received around ten thousand votes. Of course he no doubt would have had more if he stayed in the race. Those votes came for the most part from absentee ballots(I was one of them). But if his message had received the same air time as Hillary and Obama, I have no doubt he would have received a whole lot more than what he got. Same with Paul.

by Michael Shaw (7 articles, 1 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 310 comments) on Wednesday, February 6, 2008 at 11:11:44 AM
 

Oh, yeah ... I'm sure they'll get right on it ...

I can see them getting right on fixing our election process the moment the get off the phone, read our letters and emails, after all, they've been so responsive to date.

I was listening to BBC yesterday and they keep referring to our election process as "arcane". I think they were being polite. More like corrupt to the core. All the fixes you listed were evident since 2000 election and not only has nothing been done they have gotten measurably worse.

The whole process is set-up to be confusing to the average person, make it near impossible for Independent parties, or anyone that doesn't tow-the-line and I can absolutely promise you that no amount of petitioning is going to do a damn thing other than have those that do labeled a "trouble-makers" to be easily rounded-up when the time comes.

We're on the brink of total totalitarianism. And you don't think so I would beg for you to list - if you can think of more than one - which accomplishments have been achieved? Because I can't. On every front, from suppression of people, media, elections and accountability. How many of the real criminals are behind bars? What wars have been stopped? What real progress has been made towards honest elections? What disastrous bills that have stripped of our rights have been reversed? Please, tell us what we can point to and say that we're making progress?

Our government is our enemy. Petitioning them is akin to asking the fox to clean the hen house. Worse, because the fox will turn on you if you do.

We're just one collapsing economy, one "false flag" attack or one huge natural disaster away before the full weight of oppression lands on our collective throats. And the ones that know this truth are going to be the first ones they come after. Well, actually the second ones, it will be those that believed all the tripe coming from this so-called government that will feel betrayed that will be gunned down first.

And I'm not looking for this country to rise-up against this tyranny. Too many generations of destruction of our educational system and brain-washing by corporate owned media have turned this nation into a country of brain-dead, celebrity worshipping, spoiled, fat, religious fanatics that are too far gone for saving.

So, do what you feel compelled to do and come back and tell us just how much progress you've made. If you can make a dent I'd be impressed. Other than that I don't have any hope, none, zero, that anything we do short of a total revolution that would root out all of the corruption, the media, the puppet politicians and the elites behind them that really control everything that will save us from the inevitable. Because I've I mentioned, I haven't seen one thing yet to prove otherwise.

by Mr M (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 9 diaries, 1259 comments) on Wednesday, February 6, 2008 at 12:43:06 PM
 

IT DON'T GET AND STAIRT FORWARD

MR M THERE IS THE PROBLEM , YOU ARE RIGHT WE THE PEOPLE WILL TALK THIS ELECTION TO DEATH AND KNOW THAT WE HAVE NO VOTE OR SAY IN WHO WILL BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT. AND BY TIME THERE IS NO FOOD ON THE TABLE,MED-CARE, SOCIAL SERVICES, AND NO WEFARE CHECKS, AND GUN CONTROL, IT WILL BE A DAY LATE AND A DOLLOR SHORT. I AGREE TO EVERY WORD YOU SAID, THANKS FOR RIDE DOWN REALITY ROAD.

by RICHARD SHADE (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 460 comments) on Thursday, February 7, 2008 at 2:24:49 AM