We all still hope it won't come to this, but I am becoming more and more convinced that a just result in this
second stolen election will not be achieved with recounts and legal maneuvers.
The combination of concerted vote suppression and invisible vote-count padding may well be successful.
Therefore I think we should be prepared to achieve a political solution. And it can only help to make it clear that we are prepared to make our final plea to the American People directly. Or rather through our representatives in Congress.
I (and others) are proposing that we take action now!
We must do all we can to get each and every Member of Congress (yes, Republicans too) to sign this Declaration of Intent.
The simple question is "Are 10-hour poll-tax-lines for poor, minority voters AND no lines for affluent, white voters tolerable? In short, are you a racist or not?"
Declaration of Intent
As a Member of Congress it is my sworn duty to uphold and defend the US Constitution. Being mindful of that oath, I believe that the single moral tenet on which that document, and therefore the nation, rests is the principle that government power can only be derived from the consent of the governed.
Consequently, the right of the People to have confidence that they are being afforded free and fair elections for their government officials is a right that no other consideration can supersede. A free and fair election is one in which all citizens have been afforded equal access and opportunity to cast their vote and have that vote accurately counted.
I choose to make this declaration at this time because it has now become clear to me that several states have, to this point in time, failed to fully provide for what would generally be regarded as a free and fair election for their citizens. And consequently, they have generated an insufficient level of confidence in their official result.
There can be no arbitrary point in time -- whether it be a date scheduled for appointing electors, electoral voting, or electoral vote counting -- that can limit the right of the People to have their consent justly measured and expressed. An election is a survey not a contest.
With these principles in mind I would urge the duly authorized election officials in each and every state to make every effort -- whether it be ballot recounting, independent auditing, reopening voting, or even judicially-sanctioned statistical adjustment of results -- to assure that their election truly reflects the will of the citizens of their state.
I wish to recognize that efforts are ongoing in some states -- by candidates, election officials, the news media, and citizens groups, through recounts and other means -- to clarify and adjust the official results in order to increase the level of public confidence. These efforts are necessary, however, they cannot be sufficient.
This is true because by far the most disturbing circumstances that have occurred in this election are the confirmed cases of disparate treatment being afforded to certain classes of voters. If systemic barriers to exercising the franchise existed that correlate to a citizen's age, race, religion, gender, socio-economic status, military status, partisan status, absentee status, immigration status, or other identifiable characteristic, the election was neither free and fair, nor lawful in the absence of any corrective remedy being applied.
Therefore, in keeping with my oath of office, I publicly declare my intention to act on January 6th 2005 and object to any presidential electors that I believe to have been unlawfully appointed. To do less would make me complicit with a violation of our shared democratic principles.
___________________________
Member of Congress
Who knows?
Perhaps they can be shamed into not allowing the Congressional Black Caucus to, once again, stand alone in defense of our (former) democracy.
If we can email, FAX, snailmail, phone, stalk(?)...do whatever we can to put each and every congress person on the spot (yes, repubs too), they will have to confront the simple question this declaration poses.
Any questions? Look here for answers.