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What Is Cheney's Secret Plan to "Retain Control" of Congress?

Submitted by Bob Fertik on October 5, 2006 - 12:54pm.

If you obsessively track each day's polls over at MyDD (as I do), you're probably feeling optimistic that Democrats will likely win a majority in the House (15 pickups needed), and possibly even the Senate (6 pickups needed).

And those polls were conducted before Predatorgate, which has stopped the GOP election machine dead in its tracks. Now the GOP is forming a circular firing squad and alienating the honest Christians in their base. Nora O'Donnell reports overnight polling by Karl Rove shows Predatorgate is killing Republican chances.

But if you're feeling optimistic, this should send a chill up your spine:

Cheney flatly rejected predictions by pundits that Democrats will take control of the House and Senate in November.

“We will retain control of both houses,” he said.

Cheney didn't predict Republicans would actually win the elections - just that Republicans will retain control.

What does that mean exactly?

Will the Bush Administration create a national crisis and cancel the November election? (New Yorkers remember that 9/11 was Primary Day - and the polls were closed after the attacks. That election was postponed for 2 weeks, but then-Mayor Giuliani suggested the election be cancelled altogether.)

Or will the Bush Administration let the election go forward, but steal the election by rigging electronic voting machines?

Or if the election isn't even close enough to steal, will the Bush Administration simply appoint the winners - as they did after the special election in CA50, when Speaker Hastert swore in Brian Bilbray (R) as the new Congressman even before he was certified as the winner?

Or if they can't appoint enough "winners" for a Republican majority, will they bribe "Democrats" like Joe Lieberman to switch parties?

These are all real possibilities that Democrats need to start thinking about seriously - and soon.

Update 1: How deep is Dick Cheney's contempt for democracy? On top of stealing Presidential elections, starting illegal wars, authorizing torture, and telling senior Democratic Senators to go f*** themselves, Cheney has American citizens arrested if they simply criticize the Iraq War in his presence.

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cheney's comments

Submitted by lyn on October 5, 2006 - 2:08pm.

The only thing it could mean is that 1- Cheney needs rehab time in a mental institution he's so divorced from reality or 2- the voting machines are already set- i.e., rigged and they can fine tune them to make it look like a closer win by making some changes remotely, which can be done in just a few minutes. Cheney is no crazier now than he was 5 years ago (or more) so I think we have to go with #2. The question is how to counter and expose this election fraud before and during the process, not afterwards when it's already a done deal.

This

Submitted by RDillon on October 5, 2006 - 2:57pm.

worries me immensely too. What if the machines are rigged? I still have serious doubts about the elections of 2000 and 2004. The only thing I am hoping is that in those years basically it was one state that decided the election (FL and OH), and they both had Repug leadership that could have pulled it off. Hopefully since especially these House races are in a bunch of different states some may be where Democrats may have some power to keep it from happening. In KY we have a Democrat AG who I guarantee would not stand for voter fraud in any way. Hopefully more states have a Greg Stumbo too!!!

Until we get rid of the machines

Submitted by dinamic on October 5, 2006 - 4:35pm.

Until we get rid of the machines and/or get a clear paper trial I won't feel secure about our votes, but these numbers look pretty good.

Democrats lead in 11 of 15 key House races
October 5, 2006 6:29 AM

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/content/2006/10/democrats_lead.html Democrats lead in races for 11 of 15 crucial Republican-held U.S. House seats a month before Nov. 7 elections, putting them within reach of seizing control of the chamber, according to Reuters/Zogby polls released Wednesday.

Republican incumbents are at particularly high risk, the polls found, with seven of nine trailing their Democratic challengers in the high-stakes battle for control of the U.S. Congress.

Democrats must pick up 15 seats to reclaim control of the House, and the polls found Republicans were also behind in four of six open seat races in districts they won in 2004.

"This is a dismal showing for Republicans," pollster John Zogby said. "Republicans ought to be very, very nervous."

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross." ~ Sinclair Lewis

In a time of deception telling the truth is a revolutionary act. ~ George Orwell

not just machines

Submitted by jallen on October 6, 2006 - 1:35pm.

Its a mistake to focus so much on the machines. I agree that we shouldn't have them, but that wouldn't make everything okay. I think its safe to assume everyone here has read Bobby Kennedy Jr.'s piece, and maybe Fooled Again by Marc Crispin Miller too, so you know that a lot of what was done had nothing to do with the machines. If you haven't read them, do it. Old fashioned dirty tricks are as important to Republican victory as voting machines. State races for Secretary of State are usually pretty tame, but its time to make the SOS a main priority where they supervise elections.

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