Posted on 07/12/2003 1:27:36 PM PDT by FractalSphere
Whether, Not Who, is the Question About the 2004 Election
Ted Rall
NEW YORK--He has canceled elections in Iraq. He will probably cancel them in Afghanistan. Will George W. Bush put the kibosh on elections in the United States next year?
Frightened by Bush's rapidly accruing personal power and the Democrats' inability and/or unwillingness to stand up to him, panicked lefties worry that he might use the "war on terrorism" as an excuse to declare a state of emergency, suspend civil liberties and jail political opponents.
People who have spoken out against Bush are talking exit strategy--not Alec Baldwin style, just to make a statement, but fleeing the U.S. in order to save their skins. "Do you or your spouse have a European-born parent?" is a query making the rounds. (If you do, you can obtain dual nationality and a European Union (news - web sites) passport that would allow you to work in any EU member nation.) Those whose lineage is 100 percent American are hoping that nations like Canada and France will admit American political refugees in the event of a Bushite clampdown.
To these people, whether or not the 2004 elections actually take place as scheduled is the ultimate test for American democracy. At Guantánamo Bay the United States is converting a concentration camp into a death camp where inmates will be executed without due process or legal representation. Never before in history has a U.S. president contemplated the denaturalization of native-born citizens-thus far even people executed for treason have died as Americans--but Bush has drafted legislation that would allow him to strip anyone he calls an "enemy combatant" of their citizenship and have them deported. By any objective standard he has already gone way too far, but for many it would take the cancellation or delay of the elections to confirm that we are trading in our wounded democracy for a fascist state.
Lincoln considered suspending the 1864 election because of the Civil War, but ultimately tabled the idea. To date nothing has ever prevented an American presidential election from being held on time.
It's easy to come up with a scenario in which canceling the 2004 election could be made to appear reasonable. Imagine that, a few weeks before Election Day, "dirty bombs" detonate simultaneously in New York and Washington. Government, media and political institutions and personnel lie ruined in smoking rubble and ash; hundreds of thousands of people have been murdered. The economy, already teetering on the precipice, is shoved into depression. How could we conduct elections under such conditions?
Republicans have already floated the don't-change-horses-in-midstream argument. After Democratic presidential Sen. John Kerry criticized Bush recently, GOP National Committee Chairman Mark Racicot took him to task not for his specific remarks, but rather for "daring to suggest the replacement of America's commander-in-chief at a time when America is at war." The White House website's "frequently asked questions" section indicates that the "war" is expected to continue well beyond 2004: "There is no silver bullet, no single event or action that is going to suddenly make the threat of terrorism disappear. This broad-based and sustained effort will continue until terrorism is rooted out. The situation is similar to the Cold War, when continuous pressure from many nations caused communism to collapse from within. We will press the fight as long as it takes."
The Cold War lasted 46 years; does Bush intend to remain in office that long?
Our boy president has plenty of reason to worry about his election chances. A new CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll says that only 50 percent of Americans would vote for Bush over a generic unnamed Democrat--the lowest number since 9/11. Two-thirds say that Bush lied about or exaggerated the threat from Iraq's WMDs, and a steady flow of body bags from Afghanistan and Iraq has made 53 percent aware that the occupations are going poorly. Pollsters report that most people trust Democrats to rescue the sinking economy--and few believe that Bush's tax cuts will help them.
Bush may be the kind of guy who sees 99 percent odds as 2 percent short of a sure thing, but I bet he'll look at his $200 million campaign war chest and decide to let the people decide. He'll surely want to win legitimately in 2004--albeit for the first time. Though they're capable of anything, Bush's people probably know that Americans wouldn't stand for two putsches in four years. Still, you have to hand it to him: The fact that Democrats are terrified of ending up imprisoned by an American Reich is the ultimate tribute to Bush's artful bullying--and sad confirmation of the impotence of his would-be, should-be opponents.
(Ted Rall is the author of "Gas War: The Truth Behind the American Occupation of Afghanistan," an analysis of the underreported Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline project and the real motivations behind the war on terrorism. Ordering information is available at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.)
Well... since the people don't actually elect the president anyway, I don't see the problem. The state legistatures would simply certify the electors the way it was invisioned by the founding fathers.
After about 15 minutes of reading that stuff I couldn't hit the back arrow fast enough........wheeew back to sanity
Starting with certain ex-President and his missus? ;-)
At the end, he was signing about one per minute. We were all in agony.
The far left go orgasmic over this stuff
Y2K IS COMING!!!!
I wish they would leave and shut the hell up already. Save their skins??? Gimme a break, these assholes have made tons of money in the U.S. all under the protection of the American flag. If they don't like it they can go to Mexico or France as far as I'm concerned. Bunch of low-life scum sucking pukes !!!
He didn't after 9/11. "Managing" New York was quite properly left to Giuliani and Pataki. There was no curfew declared, only certain areas declared off-limits. And a request for people not to come to work in the city on 9/12.
Your scenario would only sound reasonable to someone who believes that Bush actually wants to cancel the elections rather than be re-elected.
________________________________________________________
By Ted Rall
Sexual Liberation Comes Courtesy of the Supremes
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NEW YORK--Sodomy is now the law of the land, but like other precious freedoms it could be lost unless we citizens make the most of it. That's why I'm declaring an Era of National Sodomy (ENS). All patriotic Americans are hereby urged to track down a consenting adult of the same or opposite sex and shout out: "Hey! How about you and me hooking up for some newly-legalized oral and/or anal intercourse?" It is your patriotic duty to drop by your local high school nurse's office, pick up some free condoms, and start sodomizing for America!
In a decision that nearly makes up for Bush v. Gore, the nation's highest court has stricken a Texas statute that banned back-door love between gay men and women. (In a little-used loophole, the practice would have been legal between gay men and gay women.) "[Gays'] right to liberty under the Due Process Clause gives them the full right to engage in their conduct without intervention of the government," wrote Justice Anthony Kennedy (news - web sites) for the 6-to-3 majority. "The Texas statute furthers no legitimate state interest which can justify its intrusion into the personal and private life of the individual."
Baghdad Bob Alert!
The part about his tinfoil helmet being wound too tight?
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