Posted on 01/06/2005 1:09:13 PM PST by hinterlander
[Below is the floor peech of Rep. Ric Keller (R.-Fla.) regarding Electoral Vote count delivered on January 6, 2005.]
There's a wise saying we've used quite a bit in Florida over the past four years that the other side would do well to learn -- GET OVER IT. Isn't it ironic that the only people who refuse to "move on" are the people from MoveOn.org and their hero Michael Moore?
My colleagues across the aisle have two sides to choose from, the John Kerry side that acknowledges the election is over and President Bush has won. Or the Michael Moore side that defines "democracy" as Democrats going to the polls, and "conspiracy" as Republicans going to the polls.
The election is over and the results couldn't be clearer. We know that President Bush won the electoral vote by 286 to 252. We know that President Bush won the popular vote by 3.3 million votes. We know that President Bush won Ohio by more than 118,000 votes, an overwhelmingly comfortable margin. We know that in every area of Ohio, bipartisan county boards have verified and vouched for the integrity of the Ohio election results.
Why are we here wasting time on silly Hollywood inspired conspiracy theories?
Well, since Hollywood likes conspiracy's so much, here's a real one. On June 23, 2004, the Michael Moore movie Fahrenheit 911 premiered in Washington, DC. According to U.S. News & World Report, New York Times, and National Journal, one of the few Senators who attended this premier was Senator Barbara Boxer. In this movie, Mr. Moore said it was shameful that not one U.S. Senator objected to the electoral vote count in Florida. Two days ago, on January 4, 2005, the same Michael Moore published a new letter to Senator Boxer and other Senators reminding them that they didn't object to the electoral vote count four years ago, and requested that they rise and object to the vote count from Ohio today. Today, in fact, Senator Barbara Boxer just objected to the Ohio vote count.
Is this all merely a coincidence? Is this pandering to the Michael Moore wing of the Democratic Party? Is it worth wasting two hours of Congress' time? The only bigger waste of two hours would be to go see Fahrenheit 911.
Do the people in the Michael Moore wing of the Democrat Party really think that the American people and their congressional representatives, are so stupid that they could be tricked into objecting to these electoral results? Well, the answer is "yes."
Michael Moore told a British newspaper "Americans are possibly the dumbest people on the planet...We Americans suffer from an enforced ignorance. We don't know about anything that's happening outside our country. Our stupidity is embarrassing."
In Germany, Mr. Moore told the German people "You can see us (Americans) coming down the street...We've got that big grin on our face all the time because our brains aren't loaded down." He further asked the German people, "Should such an ignorant people (as Americans) lead the world?...Don't go the American way when it comes to economics, jobs and services...it is the wrong way."
Regarding those who are now killing Americans in Iraq, he said, "The Iraqis who have risen up against the occupation are not insurgents or terrorists or the enemy. They are the revolution, the minutemen and their numbers will grow -- and they will win."
How many normal people in this country really believe that a terrorist like Al - Zarqawi, who chops off the heads of Americans over in Iraq, is on the same level as Paul Revere, the folk hero of the American Revolution?
Here's some straight talk. In 2000, they didn't like the way the votes were counted in Florida. Now, they don't like the way the votes are counted in Ohio. In the blue states, they call it a recount. In the red states, we call it what it is: sour grapes.
Mr. Speaker, President Bush has clearly won the electoral vote and the popular vote. Certifying these electoral votes is the only course for us to follow. Why allow the conspiracy theorists to undermine the public confidence in the electoral system itself? Let us vote down the objection, certify the electoral college results, and prepare to celebrate the happy day of January 20, 2005, when President George W. Bush is once again sworn in as the President of the United States.
it seems Michael Moore has started his campaign for the DNC chair...
Michael Moore has to be a Republican plant.
Marching orders from Michael Moore.
Maybe Mikey thought her name was Barbara Boxedlunch and gave her a call...
Bit#@ Boxer (and I use the term in an affectionate way ala 9th Circus Court Of Appeals) is now attempting to disenfranchise 62 million voters who voted for W (and we know how much liberals hate to be dissed!).
Excellent!
Awesome speech.
Yup!
Isn't that a federal crime, to interfwere with an election, to influence its results?
I'm sure France will take him.
They keep this up an' there won't be no Hellywood ... they'll all leave the country.
Look at the good side. By wasting two hours of congress' time, we had no tax increases or liberty-losses during those two hours.
Now I know why Boxer was crying when she objected! She thought about it and was like.."I'm taking orders from Jabba The HUT!"
Actually, I'm hearing that many normally Democratic leaning Ohio voters are getting really annoyed with the national party's aspersions on our electoral process. If I'm not mistaken, the only Ohio congressman to sign onto this clusterclinton is Stephanie Tubbs Drone.
Perhaps a couple GOP Congressman (and one Senator) should challenge Pennsylvania's vote. IIRC it was closer on a percentage basis and certainly Philadelphia deserves some scrutiny.
-Eric
I've lurked at conservative and liberal blogs/discussion forums for some time now. Rarely do I ever comment on anything. But I can't hold my tongue on this one. The conservatives are raising hell about fraud in Washington State. Now the Democrats are doing the same about Ohio. Both sides are throwing stink bombs at each other.
Are fair elections a partisan issue? Who are the conspiracy theorists anyhow? I guess it depends on which party you belong to, or what election you're talking about...
What gripes my butt is the left wing-nuts keep trying to show what they believe to be Republican fraud. They won't say nothing about fraud attributed to their party. The goons that invaded Republican Party headquarters around the country, the slashing of tires on vehicles in Wisconsin that were to be used to help get Republican voters to the poles that needed help to get to the polls (one of the suspects is Rep. Gwen Moore's son), and the thousands of voter registration cards that had no legitimate addresses. You don't hear about that and they don't want you to. I think the only thing that will make the left wing-nuts happy is the day when there is only a one party system (Democrats and everyone else being denied the chance to vote). Only then will they be truly happy.
John Kerry says that the election is over, but then he undermines the process by encouraging recounts, encourages protests of the electoral vote and does all in his power to undermine the country's faith in the sysem.
And haven't you been here under another name?
No.
I don't see Republicans contesting election after election, refusing to concede and dragging the country through hell while completeley undermining our electoral process.
what is going on here is obvious.
Sorry, but in my conservative mind I cannot see how these two issues are the same. Maybe you can explain that to us ignorant conservatives?
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