Be warned and Be aware.
There is a lethal epidemic spreading around this site of a potentially fatal form of "Premature Congratulatory Disorder" (PCD).
The basic symptom is
profuse congratulations of ourselves which brings a premature climax of the upcoming election.
We regale each other with dairies that show how stupid and evil Romney/Ryan are and how smart and good we are; how we will beat them because of all the gaffes, stupid mistakes of their staff, and how no one really likes them. We further reassure ourselves at how seniors will never let them rip SocialSecurity/Medicare from their liver-spotted hands. And basically, we'll win because we're snarkier and funnier. (We definitely are, but that won't win elections.)
Right now, we are in danger of not holding it long enough to go the distance and achieve a mutually satisfying outcome with the one and only partner that truly matters, the Electoral College (EC). The night of Nov. 6, the only relationship that will have of any meaning will be the one with the EC. All the other flings of the past year will fade into memory as we wait for an unequivocal 'yes' from her that she will be ours!
But EC is a very sensitive sort and will not be a very willing partner that night unless we court her properly in the build up to the election. (You know how that goes.) In order to win over the Electoral College we need to first treat our "Premature Congratulatory Disorder" (PCD), and prove to her that we can do the hard work to go the distance necessary to win the numbers necessary to win her on election night.
So what is the treatment for this "Premature Congratulatory Disorder" (PCD)?
Simply to pay attention RIGHT NOW to the the NUMBERS and the issues that directly impact these numbers which will prevent a win, rather than be distracted by all the flashy and funny distractions the media throw our way.
These are the NUMBER ISSUES WHICH WILL PREVENT A WIN unless we take them seriously and take some serious action on them. (You can be sure that the Republican's have taken these issues seriously!)
1) Rampant Voter Suppression
2) Fraudulent Voting Machines
These issues have not been properly dealt with and can easily cost us the election, while we are distracted and caught in our 'Premature Congratulatory Disorder.' (PCD)
Right now WE MUST FOCUS ON:
FIRSTLY, the rampant VOTER SUPPRESSION that Alec has put in place. There has been some reporting in the media about Florida, Ohio and now Pennsylvania's attempt to make it impossible for whole swaths of people to vote. We cannot let that happen and we have to get this information known by lots of voters and we must DO something about it. Numbers are what win elections and the R's know this and have found ways to cut down the D-numbers in key states. We cannot let this stand.
Essential reading about this matter is to be found:
1) in JekyllnHyde's diary yesterday:
Upd. - "Voter ID which is going to allow Governor Romney to win the State of Pennsylvania... Done!"+ There is some serious organizing going on in this diary which I am sure that you want to join: a rally is being planned and a DK group is being set up.
2) Meteor Blades has written several diaries about Voter Suppression. MB's diary yesterday:
This week in the War on Voting: Three court decisions on voting—good, half-good, and hmmmmph+. Not only does MB give a very helpful explanation of what is going on, he also lists DK diaries on this issue.
Bookmark, share, FB, etc. these diaries.
SECONDLY, unfortunately, I have not read about any attempts to address the FRAUDULENT VOTING MACHINES/HOURS&DAYS ISSUE. At the least, we need to keep these issues fresh in people's minds. We need some sort of verifiable way of tracking votes. Doh! (Just having to say this makes me think I am in some sort of banana republic.) We need to make sure that voters are not disenfranchised by cutting back on voting times or too few machines in Democratic areas or machines that are hacked or pull a 'switcheroo'. (Not that that would ever happen! Yeah, right.)
Some good viral videos on all these issues would be in order, in addition to action.
These issues are the main problems which have not been properly addressed and which can be the cause of our loss of this election through theft. (AGAIN!). If we can't get our folks re-elected, then game over. Climate change, gay/women's rights, etc., etc. won't matter, because we will not have a chance to address these important issues.
JekyllnHyde gave excellent advice yesterday about voter suppression in his diary (linked above):
Write about it as often as you can on Daily Kos and other blogs. Important: I urge all of you who are prolific writers - and whose diaries often end up on the Recommended List - to focus on this issue like a laser beam and blog regularly about the injustices involved. This country had a turbulent Civil Right Movement many decades ago and most people thought that the Jim Crow era was behind us. We are better than these slimy Republicans!
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on ME. Except this time, shame will have nothing to do with it. We will be permanently cut out of the picture as the Norquist plutocrats establish Rove's wetdream of "a permanent Republican Majority." And then, god/dao help us all!
(The above is extracted from comments I made in JekyllnHyde's diary yesterday.)
WE MUST CURE OUR 'PREMATURE CONGRATULATORY DISORDER' (PCD), so that we can focus on and take action on the VOTER SUPPRESSION/FRAUD ISSUES all the way to Nov. 6.
Now, as Thom Hartmann says,
"Tag You're It!"
Who will write the next diary on this topic tomorrow?
UPDATE ONE:
Please T&R JDWolverton's diary on Florida Voter Suppression
which has a lot of very helpful information about what is going on in Florida. You might also note a good explanation of the REAL ID ACT in this diary:
In our post 9/11 world a Republican majority in 2005 passed the REAL ID Act requiring the States update their State ID and Driver's License issuance requirements so State ID"s and Driver's Licenses could be used for ID to fly or enter federal buildings. The REAL ID Act is now the basis for Voter ID laws in about 31 states. Laws that disproportionately affect voters most likely to vote for Democrats. People who are poor. People who are minorities and people the GOP wants to marginalize. Florida is one of those states that disenfranchises voters.