Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Wisconsin Election Official: We're Preparing To Go Forward With A Recount
Townhall.com ^ | November 26, 2016 | Matt Vespa

Posted on 11/26/2016 4:47:07 PM PST by Kaslin

Well, it seems the 2016 election will take another annoying and unnecessary turn since Wisconsin has granted Green Party candidate Jill Stein’s petition to recount the votes, despite no fraud or voter discrepancies that would warrant such a course of action. Yet, one thing is driving liberals insane to no end: Donald Trump won the election. Stein also got back up from the Reform Party, whose candidate; Rocky De La Fuente also filed a recount petition (via WaPo):

An election recount will take place soon in Wisconsin, after former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein filed a petition Friday with the state’s Election Commission, the first of three states where she has promised to contest the election result.

The move from Stein, who raised millions since her Wednesday announcement that she would seek recounts of Donald Trump’s apparent election victories in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, came just 90 minutes before Wisconsin’s 5 p.m. Friday deadline to file a petition. Now it will keep some hope alive for many Hillary Clinton supporters for another few weeks while Wisconsin recounts ballots before a Dec. 13 deadline.

[…]

To be on the safe side, the group of experts urged a recount — but it was Stein’s campaign that ended up demanding one, soliciting at first $2.5 million and later up to $7 million to fund the recounts. As of Friday evening, Stein’s campaign reported taking in over $5.25 million in recount-related donations — the most by a third-party candidate in history.

[…]

In a statement, Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Michael Haas guessed that the cost and complexity of the recount would be in excess of the state’s last recount in 2011, which carried a price tag of more than $520,000. In that recount over a state Supreme Court seat, the commission had to recount 1.5 million votes — about half the 2.975 million ballot votes that were cast during the 2016 presidential election.

“The commission is preparing to move forward with a statewide recount of votes for president of the United States, as requested by these candidates,” Haas added. Christine wrote yesterday how Stein pushed back the fundraising goal post, adding that this whole exercise looks like a giant fundraising scheme for the Green Party. Now, the former chair of the FEC said that he doubts the funds raised by Stein could be used for anything other than the recount effort, but this is just absolute cruelty being inflicted on Democrats by the Greens.

Former FEC Chairman @michaeletoner tells me he "doubts" FEC would allow Stein to use recount $$ for other activities pic.twitter.com/cBKjTFqhs4— Alexandra Jaffe (@ajjaffe) November 26, 2016

It’s tapping into the Kool-Aid of the liberal bubble that truly thinks something went wrong for Clinton to lose, because why wouldn’t a candidate, who is a liar, untrustworthy, dishonest, widely unpopular, and ignored millions of voters lose an election? Clinton’s entire narrative for her email server was a lie, her inability to actually own it only further destroyed her trust numbers with voters (and it mattered), the more she talked or was seen, the more people hated her, and she decided that white working class voters weren’t worth it. On top of that, her campaign thought the Obama people would turn out for her in record numbers, and that this unbeatable coalition would trounce Trump over his past colorful remarks. Nope. Millions of Obama voters flipped for Trump, Clinton’s own turnout operation may have driven Trump supporters to the polls, and many Democrats in the famed Blue Wall states stayed home. It’s that last part that the Left doesn’t seem to get.

She lost, guys. Even Philip Bump and Dave Weigel at The Washington Post noted that a) we’ve all seen this movie before with the same results; b) a recount wouldn’t unearth these shoddy allegations of voter fraud; and c) Clinton simply lost because she couldn’t get people energized in the areas that ultimately mattered. As with anything where competition is a factor, upsets can occur:

Via Philip Bump:

Clinton lost the election because it was close enough in those Midwestern states for her to lose. Because, as Nate Silver was noting even before Election Day, her firewall in those states was much shakier than it was for Barack Obama. Because her get-out-the-vote operation was not all it was cracked up to be.

She lost, in other words, because she got fewer votes where it counted. That was a surprise, and surprises can be awfully hard to accept.

Via Weigel:

The Green Party has done this before, to little result. In 2004, when many Democrats asked whether Ohio had been lost to voter suppression, the Green Party teamed up with the Libertarian Party to pay for a recount. David Cobb, the then-presidential candidate for the Green Party, had not even appeared on Ohio's ballot, but he helped raise $150,000 to start the recount process. “Due to widespread reports of irregularities in the Ohio voting process,” said Cobb and Michael Badnarik, the then-presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party, “we are compelled to demand a recount of the Ohio presidential vote. Voting is the heart of the democratic process in which we as a nation put our faith.”

The result: Democrat John F. Kerry gained a bit less than 300 votes on George W. Bush, making virtually no difference in the margin.

[…]

The inspiration for the recount: Theories ranging from sketchy to debunked. In 2004, Greg Palast was the most prominent of several analysts arguing that more Ohio voters intended to elect Kerry than Bush, but enough ballots were rejected and spoiled to stop them. He did similar work in the run-up to 2016, warning that voter suppression was going to “steal the vote” in key states.

[…]

Palast has celebrated and promoted the new effort, which could turn up additional votes as ballots are re-scanned. But the recount won attention because of an unrelated theory: That electronic voting machines might have been attacked by hackers. The Twitter hashtag #AuditTheVote was trending days before the Stein campaign began, and stories of how machines could be hacked have begun being shared again.

But voting machines can't be hacked from afar, and the people with the most to lose — Democrats, who literally lost — haven't been convinced that machines were hacked. They closely monitored Election Day, with volunteers at every swing state polling place, as is customary.

The Greens themselves have not endorsed any theory of what went wrong. The closest they've come was in Stein's RT interview, where she said “reports have come in from cyber experts, from security experts and others.” There you go.

[…]

If the election were hacked, a recount couldn't prove it. Most of Pennsylvania voters use DRE (direct record electronic) machines, with no paper ballot whatsoever. In other races where those machines have been probed — like Virginia's 2005 attorney general contest — the recount has consisted of the machine results simply being scanned again. The lost/spoiled votes Palast has talked about are not part of that system. (Meanwhile, nearly every Michigan vote has a paper record.)

Weigel added that even Clintonites feel this is a colossal waste of time. In short, where Clinton did poorly, rural counties used electronic ballots, whereas the urban areas used paper. Nate Cohn of The New York Times tweeted that Trump did well in Minnesota and he won Iowa decisively, both of which use paper ballots. So, there’s nothing suspicious going on here, folks. It’s a bunch of losers trying to keep this notion that Trump didn’t win alive. It’s just getting to be sad at this point.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Politics/Elections; US: Wisconsin
KEYWORDS: 20161213; 2016recount; gregpalast; hillaryrottenclinton; palast; recount; thirdpartylosers; wi2016
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-104 next last
To: Maudeen

If they insist on a hand recount of all ballots, Trump should insist on a ballot validity check on every one.

That should reduce about half of Clintoons votes.


41 posted on 11/26/2016 5:22:55 PM PST by American in Israel (A wise man's heart directs him to the right, but the foolish mans heart directs him toward the left.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: ml/nj

I think 270 is based on a scenario where all the states get their votes in. If they don’t, then the number needed is reduced by the amount of the missing electoral votes. So he’s still ahead.

I think this is mainly harrasment, but it should be stopped because otherwise every election that the Dems lose will end this way and we will be bogged down for months.


42 posted on 11/26/2016 5:23:17 PM PST by livius
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Ray76

I will even stick my red neck out so far as to say that something ELSE... but not this... may need some active populist input. And that the devil may even use Wisconsin to try to hide it from us.

But Wisconsin itself? This is going to turn into a train wreck. Barack Obama is smart enough to understand, one of the few times he has been. When the train wrecks, he’s the one who’s gonna jump because there are two locomotives that are gonna bump!


43 posted on 11/26/2016 5:24:45 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]

To: HiTech RedNeck

Now that they have their recount the next goal is impeach the tabulating machines. Once that is accomplished other states will be attacked.

There is no reason for this recount, Stein can not win. The goal is to impeach the tabulating machines.

You can sit back and watch.

I prefer action to oppose theft.


44 posted on 11/26/2016 5:25:19 PM PST by Ray76 (DRAIN THE SWAMP)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 38 | View Replies]

To: livius

I believe the spiritual dynamics have changed... the Wind that brought in Donald Trump is not going to give up. It has done many miracles already.

I expect this to be self-stopping. We need to (1) Praise the Lord for past victories (even those in Donald Trump’s past campaign) and then (2) Beseech the Lord for a future victory and then (3) Rest in Him until we hear otherwise and then (4) Praise the Lord for THIS victory.

Lather, rinse, repeat. It isn’t “complacency” at all. It is lack of “FRETTING” and presence of “WISDOM.” We may find we barely have to do ANYTHING as long as it is in the right direction. Like a motorboat in a current so strong that all it has to do is adjust to keep in it.


45 posted on 11/26/2016 5:29:18 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]

To: Newbomb Turk

That’s not how it works. Read the procedures.


46 posted on 11/26/2016 5:29:49 PM PST by LS ("Castles Made of Sand, Fall in the Sea . . . Eventually" (Hendrix))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Ray76

You’re singing a song of woe based on a now-past spiritual atmosphere, in which God was punishing America.


47 posted on 11/26/2016 5:29:52 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 44 | View Replies]

To: HiTech RedNeck

Singing a song of woe?

You’re out of your mind.


48 posted on 11/26/2016 5:31:46 PM PST by Ray76 (DRAIN THE SWAMP)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 47 | View Replies]

To: caver
How many electoral votes are there to recount?

46 between the three states. Enough to change the outcome of the election. But she'll need all three of them; a recount trifecta.

Statewide recounts tend to net anywhere from a dozen or so to a few hundred extra votes for one candidate or the other. Hillary needs to find 23,000 votes in Wisconsin, 11,000 in Michigan and 71,000 in Pennsylvania.

Not even the Democrats could coordinate such shenanigans.

This is nothing more than an opportunistic cash grab by Jill Stein, striking while the iron is hot with insincere promises of a magical election do-over.

49 posted on 11/26/2016 5:32:40 PM PST by Drew68
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: Ray76

Well yes, woe... and YOU are the one out of YOUR mind.

The woe about the success that this defanged snake will have.


50 posted on 11/26/2016 5:32:50 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 48 | View Replies]

To: Drew68

Calmly wait for the train wreck. With thanksgiving to God. Or will we continue to be turkeys?


51 posted on 11/26/2016 5:34:07 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]

To: cardinal4

They need fuel to keep the rage fires going, most of the rioters have never worked for more than a couple of weeks at any job before. Without claims that the election was stolen the rioters will spend their first paychecks on drugs instead of showing up for “work.”


52 posted on 11/26/2016 5:34:12 PM PST by American in Israel (A wise man's heart directs him to the right, but the foolish mans heart directs him toward the left.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]

To: Two Kids' Dad

“the electoral college would remove that state”

Where do people get this idea from?
It’s abcolutely false.


53 posted on 11/26/2016 5:34:54 PM PST by mrsmith (Dumb sluts: Lifeblood of the Media, Backbone of the Democrat/RINO Party!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

A Direct Threat to Democracy?

https://americanlookout.com/jpb-flashback-hillary-said-not-accepting-election-results-was-direct-threat-to-democracy-video/


54 posted on 11/26/2016 5:35:38 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: American in Israel

Right... and if they can get the rage fires going on the right too, they will have sapped some of its energy.

This isn’t saying that there is no theoretical chance of something happening when it makes sense to get a move on... but I say the adage applies right now that when your enemies are destroying themselves, do not interfere!


55 posted on 11/26/2016 5:36:10 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies]

To: mrsmith

When does the recount have to be complete? Thanks.


56 posted on 11/26/2016 5:36:26 PM PST by BunnySlippers (I Love Bull Markets!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 53 | View Replies]

To: Ray76

We all now they didnt work this hard when the a##hat was elected


57 posted on 11/26/2016 5:37:00 PM PST by ronnie raygun
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: HiTech RedNeck

What made a difference in the last 24 Hrs???


58 posted on 11/26/2016 5:37:47 PM PST by Ozark Tom
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: mrsmith

It wouldn’t be able to cast any electoral vote.

This is where a move on Donald’s part, calculated to keep this log jam from happening, MAY make sense.

We don’t make Donald’s move any better by getting our own hair on fire. We do by storming the throne of God with requests.


59 posted on 11/26/2016 5:39:23 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 53 | View Replies]

To: Ray76

I think “sit back” can be replaced with “keep your powder dry” and the comments above would have a more appropriate feel. There’s a time to charge, but many times it’s appropriate to do reconnaissance first. This situation is still new enough that intel is being gathered and “action” might best be held until after more information is in.


60 posted on 11/26/2016 5:39:50 PM PST by Two Kids' Dad (((( Hillary Clinton is a felon. As yet unindicted, but a felon nonetheless ))))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 44 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-104 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson