Thune Response to Close Vote

KSFY ^ | 11-7-2002

[unspun]

News

Thune Response to Close Vote

After hours of meeting with his campaign staff, Congressman Thune addressed his supporters about the narrow margin of defeat during his race for the U.S. Senate.

Thune: "After a long night and a long morning, the preliminary results of last night's election show Senator Tim Johnson with a 528 vote advantage. The next step in the process is the official canvass of the election results. A canvass is done after each election, and the results will be released as soon as that process is finished. Essentially, the canvass is our election system's process for checking everyone's math."

"If there is a change in the numbers or evidence of irregularities after the official election canvass, I will look at pursuing the next step in the process, which is a formal recount."

"However, I do not wish to put the people of South Dakota through this process unless it is absolutely necessary. Therefore, if there is no change in the vote totals or any irregularities after the official canvass, we will pursue no further action and the results will stand."

"I called Senator Johnson this morning to congratulate him on today's results. I'd like to thank my supporters and all those who've worked so hard on my behalf over the course of the last year. No one would be happier than I to see those numbers change as the process continues. However, if the numbers stand, I am prepared to accept the outcome and know that my supporters and all those who have stood with me during this process will accept the outcome as well."

[johnb838]

Ashcroft walked away from numerous potential legal challenges only to be grilled over an open fire months later during confirmation hearings to be Attorney General

heh heh. They got more than they bargained for with Ashcroft! at Justice, didn't they? heh heh.

[ninenot]

What will Daschle and the DNC do, race-bait the FBI?

No.

They will race-bait Ashcroft, the Big Guy in the Justice Department.

[joebellis]

Sorry about that, my error. The county with the discrepancy is Falls River.

[johnb838]

Did Tony ever concede? OK, you all have convinced me that Thune needs to tread very very carefully here or he's going to get blasted as a racist. It's almost a booby trap.

So SD gets two minority party senators. What I think would be best is to seat Johnson but work to see some people doing the perp walk over the fraud. People going to jail somehow seems to have a "chilling effect" on those that would follow in their footsteps.

[sissyjane]

Why don't you contact Thune yourself and encourage him not to give up? His contact information is included in this thread.Be active! Don't wait for others to do it for you.

[hchutch]

But they're in the position of calling the FBI liars.

In any fight, who is Joe Sheeple going to believe, the FBI or the DNC?

[Geezerette]

Your post deserves a big bump!! So well-put!

g

[Cold Heat]

It was because it asked racially based questions. Apparently some libs took offense. Frankly, the offense was just PC bull hockey! (It was libs that designed it, IE: Richard Daley, Clinton Admin)

Americans are of all extractions. A persons race should never be something to get bent over. The liberal elements in the census commitee were trying to determine hispanic/black/asian and white distribution etc. They wanted to know things about the families. The questions were voluntary, as stated in the document. It was the libs who raised hell over a lib idea. I found it to be a hysterical reaction to a some simple questions that were optional to begin with.

As it turned out, the information was in fact quite valuable. The libs needed it for recruiting, and it woke up the republican caucus to changes in the electorate.

[unspun]

Thanks to those who have thanked me ;-`

I like the idea of doing some FREEPing of the RNC, too! --to "encourage" them to use their lawyers, etc.

Anyone suggest contact info, there?

[beckett]

Anyone suggest contact info, there [RNC]?

I don't have that info -- but it's not a bad idea.

[MrPeanut]

Thune came up at the President's news conference. I think he is about to get an appointment somewhere in this adiministration for showing alot of class. The American people do not want leaders with recounts- they want leaders with class.

[ninenot]

In any fight, who is Joe Sheeple going to believe, the FBI or the DNC?

Recently the FBI's credibility has diminished greatly. And, of course, they will NOT use the DNC as the 'voice;' it will be some much more sympathetic figure--maybe not even Johnson.

[hchutch]

Perhaps, but most folks on the street will still trust the FBI - and the state investigators as well. This can be won, but we have to play it right. Keep in mind what Poohbah and others are saying.

You don't have many sympathetic voices that can successfully attack the FBI, IMHO. Particularly if we let them do their job.

[beckett]

The American people do not want leaders with recounts- they want leaders with class.

I guess you think this is a clever literary formulation, but it's clever without content.

The "American people" want and require a safeguarded ballot. It is not an act of "class" --- but rather an act of cowardice --- to walk away from a very close count without being absolutely certain that fraud has not played a role in the balloting.

[wastoute]

IF it turns out to be fraud? Have you seen those numbers farther up the thread? Three counties with MORE VOTERS than people!!! It isn't a matter of "if there is fraud". It is a matter of the party I vote for protecting my vote.

[SauronOfMordor]

If the FBI investigates thoroughly, people are caught, and sent to prison, then there will be a reduced probability of this happening again.

DemonRats will engage in vote fraud only as long as it is an essentially-riskless undertaking.

[hchutch]

Yeah, I saw the numbers, but that is only part of what we need to SUCCESSFULLY protect the votes as opposed to trying and failing.

We need the whole chain of people. We need to identify the people who signed the phony registrations, the folks who sent out the forged absentee applications, the folks who either winked at or authorized the effort, even some of the folks who fradulently voted - we need ALL of that to PROVE this case. And it needs to come form a source that the average person will believe is CREDIBLE and UNBIASED. That rules out the Thune campaign, the state GOP in South Dakota, the RNC, and the NRSC. The good news is that the DNC, the state Democratic Party, the Johnson Campaign, and the DSCC are also ruled out - heck the state Democratic party is under FBI investigation in this - and has been SINCE OCTOBER.

The best course is to let the FBI and other investigators do their job. If you have information like the numebrs on this thread, SEND IT TO THE FBI AND THE STATE INVESTIGATORS, with a copy to the Thune campaign. But let them do their jobs.

Doing this RIGHT beats doing it QUICK. Being thorough and conducting it with class beats being aggressive about this. For all their missteps, the FBI is still among the best investigative agencies in the world, and I'm VERY sure they can quantify the fraud, and ID the perps.

The Dems have set this up so that if the GOP goes in, they play the race card against the Republicans. But one of their operatives screwed up and got caught last month, and the FBI was called in to investigate. (National Review is reporting on that here: http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-lauck102902.asp if you'd like to look it over.)

The RNC can best protect people who voted for Thune's votes by letting the FBI do its job. The Senate Republicans can help by CONDITIONALLY seating Johnson pending the outcome of the FBI investigation. When the FBI gets the results of the investigation (which I am DARN sure WILL prove have the whole chain - the number of questionable applications, the activists, the supervisors, and all rest of the EVIDENCE), THEN the Republicans in the Senate can act by seating Thune or declaring a vacancy.

It comes down to this question: Who is Joe Schmoe, an average American who doesn't pay attention to politics until after the World Series, going to believe in this matter, the RNC, the DNC, or the FBI?

I'd put my money on the FBI - they are the only entity of the three that does NOT have a vested interest in the outcome of this matter. The RNC and the DNC do. If we do this right, we not ONLY protect the votes and get the seat, we also take down an entire vote fraud operation and send a message to others. I want SUCCESS, not a brave but badly-implemented ATTEMPT.

[unspun]

Hear! Hear!

[wastoute]

We'll just have to see. But as I recall, no one went to jail for the fraud in Florida two years ago, no one went to jail for the fraud in Missouri two years ago, no one went to jail for the fraud in LA when Dornan got screwed. I ain't holding my breath. But if they want me to keep votin' they need to wake up.

[hchutch]

Do you think the FBI starts major investigations just for kicks? They're going ot get it. All we have to do is convince Thune to request that the Senate seat Johnson conditionally pending the results of the FBI investigation.

The lady they have right now has been all but hung out to dry - I've heard she's already been talking and has implicated some supervisors in the South Dakota Democratic Party.