Since the Ohio wars are back with a vengeance, I thought I would re-post a diary which I wrote previously on the subject (with some slight edits). At the end, I'll have an update and pass some somewhat harsh judgments.
Does anyone here think Christmas is "under attack"?
Of course not, the idea is laughable. Yet all the networks and papers are running prominent stories on the issue. Why? I'm not 100% sure, but it has something to do with the elite Republicans not being embarrassed to push marginal "red meat issues" favored by their base.
Which is why I think we should be pushing the Ohio fraud issue. Is it marginal factually? Yes (sorry, guys, but it is, with the caveat that there is strong evidence of voter suppression). But should we be respecting the deep grievances underlying our activists' feelings on the matter? Absolutely!!
I'm a little disturbed by the battles between the folks trying to prove election fraud in Ohio, and the folks that think it's a battle we shouldn't be fighting. My view doesn't fall neatly within either of the two camps, but it is, I hope, a view that can safely accommodate both of them. I'll explain:
I believe:
(1) There likely was no organized election fraud in Ohio, despite the fact that there was plenty of thuggish and unsophisticated voter suppression activities
(2) Despite my view on #1, I nevertheless believe that the Ohio election fraud battle is one we should in fact be fighting.
Confused? I will explain my point of view by sharing a secret.
Back in May, I surreptitiously tape recorded a conversation between Karl Rove ("KR") and a Republican Nerd ("RN").
Now, for the first time ever, I will reveal a transcript of the tape recording:
RN: Karl, my lord, a bunch of whack-job Vietnam veterans have told me that they think Kerry lied about his medals in Vietnam, and they want to go public with their story. I'm really worried here, oh dark one, because there's no evidence whatsoever for their accusations, and if this goes public, this whole thing will backfire and we'll look like a bunch of weasels who traffic in lies and are willing to defame honorable Vietnam veterans. Help help! What do I do, how do I stop these people from embarrassing us??!!
KV: Listen my loyal subject, Mr. Republican Nerd, you really need to learn to relax. More importantly, do not stop the efforts of these Vietnam veterans. Instead, give them what they need to do their job. You are making the fundamental mistake of worrying about "evidence" at the expense of "story." As long as this is a good "story" that will take Kerry down a few notches, the effort must be supported behind the scenes, with a perfunctory level of deniability on our part. These Vietnam veterans will only help us in the end, and the worst thing we can do is to get in their way because we're worried about being embarrassed. Just let them do their thing, without embracing it too explicitly, and we're going to be just fine.
RN: Thank you, oh dark one, your wish is my command.
KV: Go forth and slime, grasshopper, and, as per usual, this conversation never took place.
Now, the players in the Swift Boat Veteran brouhaha are all players in the Ohio Election Fraud "Scandal." We have the Swifties (those giving their life to push the Ohio fraud story), the Republican Nerd (those who think the fraud people should shut up), and, finally, Karl Rove (Kos).
All I ask of everyone here is that we play our roles properly. The Ohio Fraud people (the Swifties) shouldn't be attacking Kos, but should aim their fire at their target, the Ohio and National Republicans responsible for the mess, and perhaps fraud, in Ohio. The fraud-skeptics (the Republican Nerds) can cluck a bit about evidentiary standards, but they shouldn't lose sight of the fact that the Ohio Fraud people are pursuing a great "story" that can't help but hit the Republicans hard, whether or not they ever come up with some fire to go with all that smoke we've seen so far. And finally, I think Kos is playing his role perfectly - and is being Karl Rove to the hilt. He is letting the Ohio Fraud stuff percolate, without tying himself too closely to what potentially could be an embarrassment - unsubstantiated accusations of fraud.
So, it's all good. Now go out and have a drink on me! And when you come back, let's all remember our roles in this drama, and let's keep playing them!
New update: I've been wrestling with my view of Markos's main page post. I give Kos a wide berth with respect to his judgemnt because he's accomplished so much and done so much good. However, I think Kos made an error by disrespecting the enormously energetic and committed activists who have been tirelessly working the vote fraud issue - a story we all care about even if we have differing views on the state of the evidence. I think he failed to "play his role right" as I originally thought he was doing. He stopped being "Karl Rove," and became a "Republican Nerd." He should have continued to let the Ohio fraud research percolate because a lot of good stuff was happening there (See Georgia10's magnum opus, for example).
Are people in the "mainstream" going to look down their noses at the efforts -- yes, but so the f-ck what. The mainstream mostly dismissed the swift boat veterans, and look what they accomplished. [NOTE: I am comparing the Ohio fraud folks to the Swift Boat veterans for illustrative purposes only. There are clearly vast, vast differences between the two groups, so please don;t jump to conclusions that I am trying to tar the Ohio Fraud folks with this comparison]
We need vote reform. The "fraudsters" are doing more work in this regard then any of us. Kos should keep a safe distance (since there's a lot of crap floating in those waters), but should NOT disrepect their efforts -- because out of those efforts could grow the arguments and evidence which will ultimately persuade "the American People" that we indeed not just need, but must have vote reform.