The General Election – Division and Labels – Does it Ever Change?

Partisanship is the word of the day, (or has been since Barack Obama secured the nomination) - what one has to expect when two opposing political parties are campaigning for any office, that people will chose sides, it is expected. With each election the rhetoric is the worst it has ever been, the campaign advertisements are the worst they have ever been, and the polls are watched as if they are fact, not probability based on a small sample (generally 400 to 2,000 participants) of those who indicate they are most likely to vote. Pundits on both sides spar endlessly on the evening news and talk show circuits, extolling the virtues of their candidate and the vice of the opposition.

This year, it appears that partisanship has indeed risen to new heights, the media is more aggressive, op-ed pages are filled with hate couched in elite humor the “Non-Profit” organizations more aggressive in their “get out the vote” efforts. Has partisanship risen to new levels, or is it that the optimal conditions for one party over another, proven a bit overblown, and now, they must work harder to achieve their goals. Why is it that with an unpopular war, and the economy in a downturn, that Obama has still not sealed the deal, so to speak, with the media pushing as hard as it can to put him over the top? The answer is fairly simple, the electorate has not changed, not one bit, in four years. The country is still divided; however, it is not divided down the middle. Enter The Terrance Group and the Battleground Polls. This is the only poll that asks which way one’s political point of view leans, and surprisingly, one figure has remained consistent over the years, and that it the percentage of Americans who consider themselves “conservative”. Over 50% of the electorate still considers itself to be conservative, while 30% consider themselves to be liberal, and the balance leaning one way, or the other. Those inclined to live by polls, including those who had John Kerry changing the White House drapes by Mid-October, 2004, had apparently ignored the Battleground statistics. Full Battleground tables here The conservatives will elect a Moderate Democrat (A Clinton for example), but will not embrace a liberal thinker – go figure.

What is the influence on the American electorate? Morality and the ideology of Patriotism are clearly driving the voting patterns on both sides. Voters Guides are available for religious conservatives while those that feel religion should be left out of politics entirely turn to sor the Paper of Record, and or Katie Couric. One might argue, however, that the nation was founded upon the principals of religion; those who departed the Mayflower at Plymouth were seeking the freedom to worship outside the constraints of the Church of England, and God has played a pivotal role in every decision made in the foundation of this nation. One on the left could argue that the New York Times is also doing its part.

Will there be change, certainly, one or the other of these two candidates will be elected on the 4th of November, and as neither the Times nor the Polls, nor Nancy Pelosi has a crystal ball, it is anyone’s best guess as to who will be the next President. That said; History, my friends, is bound to repeat itself. Perhaps that is why the media is shriller and the operatives more desperate.

ACORN - A Mickey Mouse Operation!

Just when you thought it could not get more ludicrous! Mickey Mouse was registered by ACORN activists in Florida. First, how would one be able to tell if Mickey was truly a Democrat? If this were not so serious, it would be laughable - wait - this is laughable.

Bogus Voters are getting the boot in Ohio ( Acorn Registered) - perhaps Brunner (Democrat - Ohio Secretary of State), will knock of the partisanship, get her act together, and stop the nonsense in Ohio. That will leave an estimated twelve states that need to carefully montior each and every ACORN voter.

What ACORN has done, unintentionally, is make suspect legitimate voters they have registered. What a Mickey Mouse operation.

Acorn Voter Fraud - 2004 Revisited with a Vengeance

Voter fraud is nothing new – one must understand that ballot stuffing has been happening at least since Tammany Hall; it is the way of the Republic in which we live. When a group or an individual finds themselves in a situation where they feel that their position and/or candidate are critical to the nations survival, they will do whatever it takes in order reach their objective.
Actions can range from registering individuals who are deceased, trolling for votes in nursing homes and generally breaking laws and the bounds of decency as they go on their merry way. Normally, this type of political maneuvering is confined to districts and wards; however, this election cycle it is rampant, from the ward to Jennifer Brunner, the Secretary of State of Ohio.

Ohio, a must-win state for both major political parties, has had more than a few problems with voter fraud this election cycle. Acorn, a non-profit organization that has its fingers in the mortgage industry (Fannie and Freddie), voter registration and a lobbyist group, has been making local news in several states, but Ohio is the biggest threat to all voters. There are problems in every district of Ohio, multiple registrations and other anomalies have been taking place (most media outlets use alleged, regardless of the fact that there are multiple videos available outlining including one man who testified to registering multiple times Video Here Brunner, a Democrat, had been issued an order by US District Court Judge, George C Smith, to verify newly registered voters and to assist county commissions in this process, she declined and brought it to a Federal Appeals Court, which overturned the judges ruling. One has to wonder why, with all of the attention focused on Voter Fraud (with the exception of the major media outlets), that Brunner would seek to avoid certifying voters in every single district if the allegations against ACORN were false? One would have to believe that Brunner, in blind partisanship, has abused her position in order to push an agenda, or Brunner honestly believes that ACORN is doing a great job in turning out the vote, even if it means that some of those registered are dead and buried, or live in Chicago (Illinois). What might boggle the mind is that the Federal Appeals Court aided and abetted Brunner – that said, Courts are made up of judges who often side with a party or agenda rather than with the people (California 9th District Court, Massachusetts Supreme Court, the Connecticut Supreme Court). This has been said of the Supreme Court’s decision in the 2000 election – where Al Gore, of all people, asked the Court to decide and was not pleased with the decision. Go figure. Should American’s been scandalized and feel that their votes are being “stolen” by Brunner and ACORN –absolutely – but will it matter?

This is the most likely scenario – in every state, especially Ohio, where voter fraud has been confirmed (or as the press implies alleged), there is an opportunity to request a re-count, send in the lawyers and basically prolong the result of the election for several months; especially if the results appeared skewed (this can go to either political party). How likely is this to happen? A lot will depend upon the make-up of the electorate, if it has changed in the course of four years, or if it has pretty much stayed the same. One has to understand that the polls, the division, the bias on both sides, is a mirror of 2004, additionally, the voter demographics have not changed – therefore, the outcome should be similar – in that the race will certainly be tight – right up to the last week, barring any October Surprise (and Troopergate is not an October Surprise – an October Surprise defeats the base, and the Republican Base is energized). As of the moment, the only poll that would be of interest would ask the following question: Are you voting for President at all – not, which party are you, and how likely are you to vote, but specifically will you vote for the office of President. Those in both parties, who feel strongly about the presidency, and feel they cannot support the person running for president, will be drawing a line, voting for neither McCain or Obama, but addressing any state offices and resolutions on the ballot. Should the number of individuals not voting be substantial, depending upon the party, ACORNs efforts will have been, once again, for naught.