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NH Vote Recount Pursued and Kucinich is excluded from NBC debates
Dennis Kucinich, who has been locked out of the NBC presidential debates, is pushing for a New Hampshire Vote Recount.
As The Associated Press reports on the recount:
In a letter dated Thursday, Kucinich said he does not expect significant changes in his vote total, but wants assurance that "100 percent of the voters had 100 percent of their votes counted."
Kucinich alluded to online reports alleging disparities around the state between hand-counted ballots, which tended to favor Sen. Barack Obama, and machine-counted ones that tended to favor Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. He also noted the difference between pre-election polls, which indicated Obama would win, and Clinton's triumph by a 39 percent to 37 percent margin.
Candidates who lose by 3 percentage or less are entitled to a recount for a $2,000 fee. Candidates who lose by more must pay for the full cost. Kucinich's campaign said it was sending the $2,000 fee to start the recount.
This isn’t about Clinton vs. Obama – it’s about election integrity. If the Republican-dominated companies which own and operate our nation’s voting machines are allowed to proceed without oversight, then we might as well throw in the towel for November 2008. This will be a very interesting story to watch.
In other news, NBC has just flip-flopped, and withdrawn an invitation for Kucinich to appear on its upcoming presidential debates. The Kucinich campaign reports:
Less than 44 hours after NBC sent a congratulatory note and an invitation to Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich to participate in the Jan. 15 Democratic Presidential debate in Las Vegas, the network notified the campaign this morning it was changing its announced criteria, rescinding its invitation, and excluding Kucinich from the debate.NBC Political Director Chuck Todd notified the Kucinich campaign this morning that, although Kucinich had met the qualification criteria publicly announced on December 28, the network was "re-doing" the criteria, excluding Kucinich, and planning to invite only Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and former senator John Edwards.
The criteria announced last month included a fourth-place or better showing in a national poll. The USA/Gallup poll earlier this month showed Kucinich in fourth place among the Democratic contenders.
AlterNet’s Joshua Holland is calling for a boycott of the NBC debates. Here’s an excerpt of a letter Holland wrote to NBC officials:
His "viability" is not an issue; Kucinich is not in this race to win. He’s in it to influence the political discourse within the Democratic party, and as a Democratic-leaning independent, I would like to see the full spectrum of Democratic opinions aired and debated. It is maddening to have NBC deny us that process, especially so many months before the convention and with only a few small states having gone to the polls.But even that isn't nearly as infuriating as the egregious disrespect shown to a member of the House of Representatives who’s been sent back to Washington by his constituents five times. I’ll be frank: to extend the invitation, and then rewrite your own rules in order to withdraw it makes it difficult for me to even maintain a civil tone.
I won’t be watching your debate — it will be the first one I skip — because I don’t want to support the idea that the media decides these elections and the voters are merely an afterthought. I will also write about your network’s hubris on my blog and urge my friends and acquaintances to boycott the debate as well. Hopefully, General Electric will receive a lot of correspondence like this one, see a smaller-than-expected audience and finally figure out that while it has its hands in many businesses, electing a president isn’t one that We the People will accept.
If you don’t want NBC unilaterally deciding whose opinion you can hear, then let them know. Call NBC/MSNBC at 212 664-4444 and ask for the Comment Line or mail NBC/MSNBC at letters@msnbc.com
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This isn't about Clinton or Obama, it is about Kucinich...
who by anyone's count, is not a presidential candidate in any ongoing part of the election process. This is about Dennis, since he didn't lose by 3% or less, wanting a free ride to get some public attention--more attention than he has gotten so far with all his strange disclaimers, lawsuits, complaints, whinds and cries. It is most certainly not about the vote count. He is not entitled to a recount(his % of loss was much greater than the 3%)for $2000. He is, as a declared candidate to have a recount for full price. Thats what he is entitled to.
My question is, if he gets away with this in NH, will he do this for every primary in the remaining states?
Kucinich loses credibility in this effort, and in his so-called campaign, since he never questioned the production of flawed voting machines in his own district/state(Diebold). That is/was his responsibility to the State Of Ohio and to the nation.
Kucinich does strange things. This is one of them. Why does he not sue the network and force them to include him. It is obvious that very few voters across the nation care much about allowing him to participate. Even a smaller percentage of voters will cast a vote for him. This is, after all, his second failed attempt to be the nominee.
Maybe the questions should be: Should Dennis be allowed to participate? Should the network be allowed to cut the top four to the top three?
By cutting, they allow more time for those who have an actual chance to be the nominee.
You have to wonder why Dennis finds himself locked out of everything. Much of his problems stem from his organization and management of his campaign.
Is Dennis a serious contender?
A mind once expanded can never return to its original dimensions.
Anne Hathaway: 1556-1623
The greatest derangement of the mind is to believe in something because one wishes it to be so.
It appears that Dennis can't
It appears that Dennis can't do the math very well. He lost by a heck of lot more than 3%, but he expects to "start a re-count" for the second-place price of $2,000? Even Edwards didn't get close enough to get the bargain basement price.
The rationale that: "His "viability" is not an issue; Kucinich is not in this race to win. He’s in it to influence the political discourse within the Democratic party..." does not hold water with regard to the debates. Political debates are designed for the People to determine which serious, and viable, candidates to vote for, based on their positions on the issues that matter to voters. How in the world can Kucinich "influence the political discourse," if he cannot influence his own Congressional peers? Does anyone seriously believe that the other candidates, or the grassroots voters (other than his most rabid supporters) will be "influenced" by anything Dennis says during a debate?
Dennis reminds me of the kid in school who was always picked last when choosing up teams, and if he can't get in the game, he wants to be the coach. Dennis is a good Democratic Representative, but he is not presidential material in the eyes of the voting public. Neither are Richardson and Dodd, and Iowa and New Hampshire highlighted that fact about all three of them.
Contrary to allegations by some, the MSM has not picked the Democratic candidates -- Democrats have. Edwards, Obama, and Hillary are equally qualified to sit in the Oval Office, and are head and shoulders above any two Republican candidates.
Let's count our blessings and support realistic Democratic candidates, and say thanks to those who tried, but couldn't get the votes or support. Every race has losers, and most of them accept that outcome gracefully.
To go even further, how about the ethics...
or lack of them...by Dennis who, as a candidate can challenge an election process as a Representitive. Seems like it ought to be someone else, not connected with the campaign at all.
He talks long and hard about ethics--or the lack of them--but falls into the pit of using his position, not as a candidate--but as a Rep. to challenge a vote count that affects him not at all, but with which he is involved.
This is, after all, the guy who would not accept the Texas Democratic Party's rules about getting on the Texas ballot and was told, probably politely, just leave. He failed to get on the ballot.
Boycott Michigan? OK. He joins the boycott but fails, intentionally or not, to get his paperwork completed on time. So, he is on the ballot along with Hillary who was too experienced to remove her name from the ballot. The others who took their names off the Michigan ballot just show their lack of experience at the national political level.
Instead of being called Dennis, he ought to adopt the name 'Showboat Kucinich' because that is what he is. That and certainly no more.
A mind once expanded can never return to its original dimensions.
Anne Hathaway: 1556-1623
The greatest derangement of the mind is to believe in something because one wishes it to be so.
More on Dennis's recount check...
the $2000 check that Dennis said he sent to NH for the recount of course will not cover the cost of the recount. He is not a candidate who lost by 3% or less therefore he is not entitled to the discount. He has already emailed his supporters to raise extra funds(Dennis has extra funds?)to pay for the recount.
Got an email this morning from our local Klamath Basin Peace Forum(Klamath Falls OR)who are fundraising to send an auditor back to NH for a recount. Dunno why they got involved, but in just a couple of days, they already have over $31,000 in their fund toward the recount. What will a regular recount cost? Maybe somewhere between $50K and $100K.
Seems to me that since most states are still using the Diebold machines(or ES&S and other), can we now expect that every primary count will be challenged?
What a botch the mechanics of this election may turn out to be. Lawsuits already flying in Nevada. Some pending in Michigan since only Hillary and Dennis are on the Dem ballot.
Dennis may be financially sorry he demanded the recount and kicked up all the fuss. Had some of our leaders handled the machine problem back in 2000, we wouldn't be going through this now.
A mind once expanded can never return to its original dimensions.
Anne Hathaway: 1556-1623
The greatest derangement of the mind is to believe in something because one wishes it to be so.