Night Owls, a themed open thread, appears at Daily Kos seven days a week
Robert Kuttner at The American Prospect—Georgia on my mind:
Almost everything that could go wrong with an election did in Tuesday’s Georgia primary election. Is this a harbinger of November? At the very least, it’s a wake-up call.
The state had ordered 30,000 new machines, and these machines are tricky to use and prone to malfunction. Critics had warned that an election year was no time to try out new hardware. Voters had to wait while inexperienced poll workers tried to figure out the machines. [...]
This seems more a case of incompetence than willful suppression—but the two tend to merge when predominantly African American and Democratic bastions such as Atlanta are hardest hit. Even relatively decent Republican election officials in purple states don’t seem to mind snafus and depressed turnout.
Can nothing be done? Actually, plenty can be done. Atlanta and Fulton County are both governed by Democrats. They can train more poll workers, demand more machines, test them early, and press the state to be more proactive on absentee ballots. They can file suits where they suspect deliberate sabotage.
That said, Georgia is a preview of November, and Republicans are in charge of elections in several swing states. It’s urgent that voting rights activists get into high gear right now.
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QUOTATION
“John Brown's raid upon Harper’s Ferry was all his own. … His zeal in the cause of freedom was infinitely superior to mine. Mine was as the taper light, his was as the burning sun. I could speak for the slave. John Brown could fight for the slave. I could live for the slave. John Brown could die for the slave.” ~~Frederick Douglass (1881)
TWEET OF THE DAY
BLAST FROM THE PAST
At Daily Kos on this date in 2002—Mixed messages:
The Bush Administration announced that US intelligence and law enforcement agencies thwarted a "dirty bomb" attack on the US. However, I'm confused. President Bush said:
I can tell you that we have a man detained who is a threat to the country, and that thanks to the vigilance of our intelligence-gathering and law enforcement, he is now off the streets, where he should be.
The defense department's resident hawk, Paul Wolfowitz, said:
He did indicate some knowledge of the Washington, D.C., area but I want to emphasize again it was not an actual plan.
So, not only does Bush not mention anything about a dirty bomb plot, but Wolfowitz actually stresses that there is no plan. So, at best we have someone, who perhaps consorted with known terrorist, that has "some knowledge" of the DC area. If he truly is a threat, then bravo. But given the known facts, does his capture really merit the victorious headlines today? […]
What gives? How can the US arrest someone from planning an attack when there is no actual plan? Just another attempt by the Bush Administration to divert attention from explosive hearings on Capitol Hill?
On
today’s Kagro in the Morning show:
Greg Dworkin comes with the polls, and Trump's tanking. National Guard troops speak out, and they're feeling used. Putin talks to Trump, and troops are suddenly pulling out of Germany. Hmm! Plus a bonus 2 minutes unheard on the live stream!
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