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Election protest shows why Dems don't count
Chicago Sun Times ^ | January 9, 2005 | Mark Steyn

Posted on 01/09/2005 6:05:03 AM PST by finnigan2

Thought for the day, from a gloomy party member on the Democratic Underground Web site: ''Reality sucks. That's the problem. We want another reality.''

Well, they're doing a grand job of creating their alternative universe. At midday Thursday, as George W. Bush was about to be confirmed formally as the winner of the presidential election, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, described by Agence France-Presse as the ''Democratic former presidential hopeful,'' led 400 other Democrats in a protest outside Congress. Presidential-wise, they may be former but they're still hopeful. So they were wearing orange, the color of the election protesters in Ukraine, who overturned their own stolen election with an ''orange revolution.''

Now, on the one hand it's very brave for the Rhymin' Reverend to lead an orange protest. There is no rhyme for the word ''orange.'' Irving Berlin tried and the best he could manage was ''door-hinge,'' which just about works in certain boroughs of New York but would make an unreliable jingle for the Rhymin' Rev to bellow at Bush from outside the White House:

''We're here, we're orange

We're pushing at your door-hinge . . .''

On the other hand, what's he really saying? That Americans are in the same situation as Ukrainians? That their election was stolen? In Ukraine, the one side poisoned the other side's candidate. His face broke out and his hair turned gray. John Kerry's hair is fabulous and for much of the campaign his glowing moisturized skin looked like an orange revolution all by itself. He was obviously worried about being poisoned, which is why he nibbled so tentatively during his pretend lunch stop at Wendy's and only took a couple of sips when he was doing his impression of a regular guy drinking beer at that sports bar in Ohio. But he managed to dodge that bullet and Jesse Jackson never got a chance to channel Danny Kaye: The pellet with the poison's in the Brahmin with the Botox.

But I'm beginning to wonder if Karl Rove didn't manage to slip something into the whine cellar at Democratic headquarters. It beggars belief that Rev. Jesse on the steps of Congress, and the Congressional Black Caucus in the House, and Barbara Boxer in the Senate would start the new term with yet another reprise of the same old song from the last four years -- that Bush, the World's Biggest Moron, somehow managed to steal another election. That makes three in a row. The GOP's obviously getting better at it.

As usual, the media did their best to string along with the Democrats' alternative reality. For the most part, the press now fulfill the same function for the party that kindly nurses do at the madhouse; if the guy thinks he's Napoleon, just smile affably and ask him how Waterloo's going. So Alan Fram of the Associated Press reported with a straight face that Sen. Boxer, Congressman Conyers and the other protesting Democrats ''hoped the showdown would underscore the problems such as missing voting machines and unusually long lines that plagued some Ohio districts, many in minority neighborhoods.''

I think not. What it underscores is that the Democrats are losers. Speaking as a foreigner -- which I believe entitles me to vote in up to three California congressional districts -- I've voted on paper ballots all my life and reckon all these American innovations -- levers, punch cards, touch screen -- are a lot of flim-flam. I would be all in favor of letting the head of Bangladesh's electoral commission design a uniform federal ballot for U.S. elections. But that's not the issue here. What happens on Election Day is that the Democrats lose and then decide it was because of ''unusually long lines'' in ''minority neighborhoods.'' What ''minority neighborhoods'' means is electoral districts run by Democrats. In Ohio in 2004 as in Florida in 2000, the ''problems'' all occur in counties where the Dems run the system. Sometimes, as in King County in Washington, they get lucky and find sufficient votes from the ''disenfranchised'' accidentally filed in the icebox at Democratic headquarters. But in Ohio, Bush managed to win not just beyond the margin of error but beyond the margin of lawyer. If there'd been anything to sue and resue and re-resue over, you can bet those 5,000 shysters the Kerry campaign flew in would be doing it. Instead, Boxer and Conyers & Co. are using a kind of parliamentary privilege to taint Bush's victory without even the flimsiest pretext.

And that's sure to work, isn't it? Another two years of Tom Daschle obstructionism and Michael Moore paranoia. You don't need to run a focus group to know that's the formula that will sweep Dems into office on Election Day 2006, right?

A Democrat chum said to me on Thursday, oh, well, they're just doing this to toss a bone to the base. But they're running out of bones to toss, and the base needs a reality check, not more pandering. One reason why the party has shriveled away to Greater New England plus the ''minority neighborhoods'' of a few cities is that it's all fringe, and no mainstream. The base is out of control; the kooks still holding their post-election vigil outside one of John Kerry's mansions sound no loopier than the big-time senators. The party has no urge to move on from moveon.org.

I say all this -- takes out onion and starts to peel -- more in sorrow than in anger. Two plausible parties are necessary for a functioning democracy, especially in war, especially in a long war which will inevitably have to be fought by presidents both Republican and Democrat. The Dems might get lucky. The GOP might nominate some freaky goofball in '08, and the other fellow will win by default. But, as the 2004 field reminded us, this isn't a party exactly brimming with talent and fresh faces. And, as for ideas, when was the last time you heard a fresh policy from a Democrat? The serious arguments about war, social security, immigration and pretty much everything else are all within factions of the right. The Democrats' only contribution is to insist that someone in Halliburton has figured out a way to get the touch-screen voting machines to make Democrats' votes vanish. Democrats' votes are vanishing because Democrat voters are vanishing because Democrat intellectual energy has all but vanished. Or as Republican Congresswoman Deborah Pryce summed up Thursday's Boxer rebellion: ''Their objection is a front for their lack of ideas.''


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: boxerrebellion; kerrydefeat; lostdems; marksteyn; steyn
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To: Grampa Dave
hahahaaaa! :^D

101 posted on 01/09/2005 9:18:09 AM PST by MeekOneGOP (There is only one GOOD 'RAT: one that has been voted OUT of POWER !! Straight ticket GOP!)
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To: PolishProud
" Anyone know his email address? I would like to send him kudos for his fine writing."

- Go to Steyn's own web site at: http://www.marksteyn.com/
and you should be able to find a link to his e-mail address listed. Steyn has not updated his web site since just after the November elections. I don't know whether this is due to exhaustion or what, but he offers a note which seems to indicate that he intends to reopen the site soon.
102 posted on 01/09/2005 9:24:01 AM PST by finnigan2
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To: Ditter
My personal estimation: about 1/3 to 1/2 of them. Sometimes real DUmmies break through the fog that is their minds. For instance, Walt Starr was making sense about "election fraud" until recently. Then when Obama made his speech, he again swallowed the Kool-Aid

Ditter: These people need absolutely no help being delusional. None. Everyone of the real DUmmies seems to be in an abusive relationship or just out of one, in therapy, recovering alcoholic, unemployed, etc. They all have a problem that President Bush isn't solving to their satisfaction. They feed each other, and all we can do is sit back and feel both sorrow and anger for them. Or try to inject a reasonable thought into the discussion. Which is what I meant by "p*** them off".
103 posted on 01/09/2005 9:29:33 AM PST by chesley
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To: Popman
I bet the guys at google would like to believe that. It's a good point. A bit overstated.

You're right of course. Let me restate that to say that the Internet rivals the invention of the printing press and writing.

104 posted on 01/09/2005 9:43:16 AM PST by PMCarey
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To: JennysCool
This may be the DU post that encapsulizes the whole bunch:

Actually Al Gore is still my President until Jan 20th. Then Kerry.

105 posted on 01/09/2005 9:46:24 AM PST by JennysCool (QuarkXPress has caused an error in QuarkXPress. QuarkXPress will now close.)
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To: JennysCool

They are just so self-righteously stupid...completely ignorant and yet arrogant about their ignorance.


106 posted on 01/09/2005 10:03:36 AM PST by EllaMinnow (The horse is dead. Stop beating it!!)
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To: xp38

Interesting, thanks. I always wondered about Boxing Day. Every day is boxing day in Houston. The poor/homeless bums stand on the street corners and hold plastic cups/hands out for money/food. Even I, a cold heartless Republican, am moved to give them money/sandwiches sometimes, but only if they are missing a limb or have a dog. I don't always let the fact that they might be sitting in a wheelchair influence me. I have seen several get up out of their wheelchairs and push them away. Kinda spoils the effect.


107 posted on 01/09/2005 10:19:42 AM PST by Ditter
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To: mainepatsfan

In today's opinion section they ran an editorial from a guy who did not register for the selective service in 1985. The main thrust of the article is that President Bush is going to bring back the draft and the US is the devil. Also, the article had a lot of Marxist propaganda. This guy works for a "Peace" council. The paper should of had an opposite viewpoint editorial, but did not as usual. Finally, the day after the election, I called our local newspaper and told the person who answered my call that your editors won't be too happy that Kerry conceded and said your right.


108 posted on 01/09/2005 11:00:11 AM PST by JonDavid
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To: tsmith130
Do a search on here for Steyn...you can catch up & you'll love what you read. He is the best - nobody says it like Steyn!

Ann Coulter might be better to look at, but I'll take an editorial from Steyn any day of the week... I actually wish he had a daily column.
109 posted on 01/09/2005 11:18:56 AM PST by kingu (Which would you bet on? Iraq and Afghanistan? Or Haiti and Kosovo?)
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To: JonDavid
My local paper is just as bad. Nothing but anti-Bush editorials and stories. We complain a lot about the MSM but the local media can have just as much if not a bigger impact.
110 posted on 01/09/2005 11:19:17 AM PST by mainepatsfan
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To: finnigan2

"the base needs a reality check, not more pandering"

This statements proves once again that the dems cannot be trusted to govern America. They cannot even govern their own party. They are just appeasers .. they continue to try to appease their own party members.

I find it hysterical that the dem leadership is trying to appease the kooky party members who believed the kooky statements made by the dem leadership about the Bush admin.

Great analysis from Steyn as usual.


111 posted on 01/09/2005 11:27:55 AM PST by CyberAnt (Where are the dem supporters? - try the trash cans in back of the abortion clinics.)
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To: mainepatsfan

Last year, Rush Limbaugh on his radio program, said that the Soviet Union planted "Seeds" in the United States and these "Seeds" have sprung up in the Democratic Party. Since the Democratic Party controls the MSM media, these Soviet "Seeds" have also sprung up there too. When Rush emphasized the Soviet “Seeds” being planted in the Democratic Party, I am now confident that President Bush is also aware of this. Also, I sure some of those “Seeds” are in the Republic Party too. Hagel, McCain & Luger come to mind. Finally, Rush said that Arnold never said that the Republic Party should move to the left. He said it was made up by the Media. No, I don’t support Arnold for President. I am Pro Life & against Foreign born Presidents


112 posted on 01/09/2005 11:41:41 AM PST by JonDavid
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To: finnigan2
''We're here, we're orange

We're pushing at your door-hinge . . .''

Well, Jesse could always chant: "we're orange, we're here. I got mine by selling beer!"

113 posted on 01/09/2005 11:45:27 AM PST by LexBaird ("Democracy can withstand anything but democrats" --Jubal Harshaw (RA Heinlein))
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To: EllaMinnow

Those people are delusional and crazy.


114 posted on 01/09/2005 12:25:27 PM PST by Kath (Luvya Dubya)
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To: Ditter

Here in Canada as far as I can tell its just another holiday attached to Christmas with frenzied bargain hunting shopping thrown in. No poor boxes anywhere that I know of.


115 posted on 01/09/2005 1:09:53 PM PST by xp38
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To: finnigan2

Mark Steyn gets it right again! I hazard a guess we'll see two conservative parties fight it out in 2008 more than we'll see the GOP and the Democrats have another match. For the Democrats don't have any great ideas except to toss what few marbles they've left into the asylum. We're in the process of witnessing the implosion of the world's oldest political party. You can only guess the future once not even Humpty Dumpty's men can put it back together again. But it'll be a vast improvement over the one we have now.


116 posted on 01/09/2005 1:20:03 PM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: xp38
Thank you, I needed that.

Parents gave their children small gifts such as, oranges, handkerchiefs, and socks.

My how times have changed, LOL.

117 posted on 01/09/2005 1:41:50 PM PST by Mister Baredog (PLEASE be sure you have a flag up on your FReeper homepage.!!!)
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To: Pokey78
LOL! I love it. I should use this as my tagline.

"Their objection is a front for their lack of ideas."

118 posted on 01/09/2005 3:22:11 PM PST by Victoria Delsoul
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To: finnigan2

Another Steynpiece.


119 posted on 01/09/2005 4:09:26 PM PST by Ruth A.
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To: finnigan2

Great read.


120 posted on 01/09/2005 4:25:31 PM PST by sweetliberty (Just because we CAN do something, doesn't mean we should.)
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