Blackwell, Diebold, and Campaign 2006
The common statewide wisdom is that “Ken Blackwell will never lose an election in which he is in charge of the vote count.” But Ohio Democrats never seriously questioned Blackwell’s rigged 2004 vote count that put Bush back in the White House.
An eyewitness ally of Blackwell told a small gathering of Bush supporters, with a Free Press reporter present, that Blackwell was in a frenzy on Election Day 2004, writing percentages and vote totals on maps of rural Republican counties, attempting to figure out how many votes, real or manufactured, Bush would need to overcome the exit poll results in Cleveland and Columbus.
The Democrats have mounted no serious campaign challenging Blackwell’s handling of the tally in 2005. They’ve presented no plan for guaranteeing the integrity of upcoming 2006 November election, which will again be run by Blackwell, even though he may be the GOP nominee.
Attorney-General Petro has become Blackwell’s sworn enemy. A rugged campaigner with extensive statewide connections, it’s not likely Petro would quietly accept an election being stolen from him. That might explain Blackwell’s vehement attacks on his fellow Republican.
But having accused his cohort of widespread corruption, and with a long history of scornful contempt for all those who challenge him, Blackwell’s own Diebold revelations have opened a Pandora’s Box. What comes flying out could affect state and national politics for years to come.
Pandora’s Box indeed! Blackwell will do anything to win. The no-holds-barred style that has served DeLay, Gingrich, Rove and the rest of the GOP sleaze machine so well is starting to turn people off. The only question is whether people will see through Blackwell’s brutality and lies in time to stop him in November.
So why aren’t you working to help the Dems here in Ohio and nationwide? Bob is a great guy and his cause is just, but the Greens can’t change the whole system overnight.
The Dems have had their chance. They sqeaked in during campaign 1992 because of Ross Perot, held on in 1996 by selling out the poor and gays, and then have not been able to stop the GOP sleaze machine.
Conyers, Feingold, Boxer, Tubb-Jones and the Progressive and Black caucuses have a backbone, but not the rest. Let them have their war and their world without universal healthcare. I’m going Green this time.
At minimum, with Bob on the ballot we are gonna see a fighter who can take on Blackwell’s machine and push for real reforms here in Ohio. Strickland and the Dems had better start coming out swinging. No more spineless Dems!