You guys say that the Keery gaffe is eating up valuable space and time - yet you can not seem to shut up about it.

Just finished reading an article on www.arstechnica.com that describes how easy it is to "steal" a vote. A link to a video produced by some researchers at Princeton show exactly how it's done and how easy it is.

I am not so sure that we're going to "win" anything next Tuesday. I predict that the Republicans, regardless of what the exit polls say, will win this thing, and they will do it be rigging the election.

A scary thought: Getting fucked next without knowing that you're getting fucked, and after you're done getting fucked there is not a shred of evidence that fucking even took place.

I doubt that Cheney will be breaking any ties concerning foreign policy or the Iraq occupation. Liebermann will take care of that.

What the polls don't indicate are the 500,000 voters in Ohio since 2004 who, unbeknownst to themselves, have been purged from registration lists in heavily Democratic precincts, while similar purges have not been conducted in Republican-leaning precincts. Nationwide, how many registered voters have been secretly unregistered? What proportion of these voters are Democrats, Republicans, or independents?

Perhaps these are "THE numbers" Karl Rove was referring to on NPR last week when he stated that the polls numbers Juan Williams was looking at weren't the REAL numbers.

Added (subtracted?) to this: The fact that some asshole who doesn't even live in my district can "challenge" my right to vote, forcing me to use a provisional ballot which in all likelyhood would not be counted; the fact that several states have changed their voting rules several times in the past few weeks, thus ensuring that people on the street will have no clear idea about what the rules are; the fact that 80% of the votes being cast will be cast on electonic machines, the security and integrity of which is questions by members of both parties; the fact that there are clear conflicts of interest amongst candidates and those whose job it is to ensure free and fair elections; the fact that several states have computer systems that purge voter rolls if information on the registration isn't letter for letter identical to other state records ... etc.

In short, everybody's allowed to respond to a telephone poll, and their reponse is accurately recorded and tabulated. On Nov. 7, not everybody who should be allowed to vote will be allowed to vote, and there's no gaurantee that votes that are cast will be accurately recorded or tabulated.

Your 50-50 tie scenario won't happen, because passage of a Constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds vote in each house. Cheney will never have to cast a vote on the issue.

modeler: I wasn't specifically referring to Diebold. And I'm neither speaking for nor against any particular theory of why the Dems didn't measure up to expectations in 2004 (GOP vote suppression or otherwise).

I'm just hoping to see soon some detailed reporting that examines the latter subject and puts it in the current context.

Sorry if someone already commented, I didn't have a chance to read the other comments...

Here's my "come home to roost" prediction, that would actually sweeten the bitter taste should Dems not succeed in a majority in the senate but rather a tie.

Gay Marriage bill: The rebulicans bring a vote on amending the constitution, and it looks close, many voting right along party lines...The vote, it's a tie! What to do....VP Cheney would have to break the tie, (actually cast a vote on record) which would DIRECTLY affect his daughter and bring Cheney front and center on the values debate AGAINST his daughter.

Sleep well Dick.

Were you thinking of Diebold the vote thief?

While I agree with meffert, the hundred days or so that house and Senate are in session each year should give Cheney enugh time to shoot his friends in the face.

I hope to see a story this week on what the risks are that 06 won't be replay of 04 (all this giddy anticipation followed by the unexpected outcome and resultant letdown), and why that could or could not happen. In other words: What's different this year? Or isn't?

I like the idea of our secretive vice president having to spend the next 2 years showing up for work every day and sitting there on CSPAN to make sure he's available to cast that tie breaking vote. It certainly will cut into his hunting time.

I so want to believe that the politics of the country can be shifted. I want to believe that the "good guys" can win; that torturers and frauds and players of dirty tricks will get their just due. I am held by the possibilty of the restoration of order like a fly in amber. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick" is a bibical quote we don't hear much lately but I think that is the reason we can't just celebrate the way things look and be confident. We have had our hope deferred for the last 6 years and the devestation to the planet, Iraq, drinking water, New Orleans, human rights, a generation of young soldiers, and personal privacy has made us sick with fear.

I, for one, want to risk being wrong, and its disappointment, one more time. I'm so glad those aggressively ignorant pundits of the right are going to have to face loss and heart sickness next week. I think I'll go ahead and start celebrating our victory today.

If the election were held today, and if the latest polls turned out to be accurate predictors of the outcome -- and let's be clear here, it's too early to start assuming either of those things --

I'm glad you're clear about that.

In Virginia the race is going to hinge on getting out the vote in rural areas. The very people who need to come out (minorities) to ensure a Webb win have the least experience with using electronic voting machines -- all new this year -- and may decide to just skip the election. That would be disastrous. I imagine the same situation exists in TN and MO and every other state where the race is close. Everyone who cares about the future of this country must jump in to give it all they got to ensure a Democratic victory. Give your dollars and more important your time for phone banking, canvassing, putting up signs, rallying at events, giving rides to the polls, etc. The fate of the Senate rests with each of us.