Will George W. Bush put the kibosh on elections in the United States next year? [says leftist media]

Yahoo news ^ | Sat, Jul 12, 2003 | Ted Rall

[FractalSphere]

Whether, Not Who, is the Question About the 2004 Election

Ted Rall

NEW YORK--He has canceled elections in Iraq. He will probably cancel them in Afghanistan. Will George W. Bush put the kibosh on elections in the United States next year?

Frightened by Bush's rapidly accruing personal power and the Democrats' inability and/or unwillingness to stand up to him, panicked lefties worry that he might use the "war on terrorism" as an excuse to declare a state of emergency, suspend civil liberties and jail political opponents.

People who have spoken out against Bush are talking exit strategy--not Alec Baldwin style, just to make a statement, but fleeing the U.S. in order to save their skins. "Do you or your spouse have a European-born parent?" is a query making the rounds. (If you do, you can obtain dual nationality and a European Union (news - web sites) passport that would allow you to work in any EU member nation.) Those whose lineage is 100 percent American are hoping that nations like Canada and France will admit American political refugees in the event of a Bushite clampdown.

To these people, whether or not the 2004 elections actually take place as scheduled is the ultimate test for American democracy. At Guantánamo Bay the United States is converting a concentration camp into a death camp where inmates will be executed without due process or legal representation. Never before in history has a U.S. president contemplated the denaturalization of native-born citizens-thus far even people executed for treason have died as Americans--but Bush has drafted legislation that would allow him to strip anyone he calls an "enemy combatant" of their citizenship and have them deported. By any objective standard he has already gone way too far, but for many it would take the cancellation or delay of the elections to confirm that we are trading in our wounded democracy for a fascist state.

Lincoln considered suspending the 1864 election because of the Civil War, but ultimately tabled the idea. To date nothing has ever prevented an American presidential election from being held on time.

It's easy to come up with a scenario in which canceling the 2004 election could be made to appear reasonable. Imagine that, a few weeks before Election Day, "dirty bombs" detonate simultaneously in New York and Washington. Government, media and political institutions and personnel lie ruined in smoking rubble and ash; hundreds of thousands of people have been murdered. The economy, already teetering on the precipice, is shoved into depression. How could we conduct elections under such conditions?

Republicans have already floated the don't-change-horses-in-midstream argument. After Democratic presidential Sen. John Kerry criticized Bush recently, GOP National Committee Chairman Mark Racicot took him to task not for his specific remarks, but rather for "daring to suggest the replacement of America's commander-in-chief at a time when America is at war." The White House website's "frequently asked questions" section indicates that the "war" is expected to continue well beyond 2004: "There is no silver bullet, no single event or action that is going to suddenly make the threat of terrorism disappear. This broad-based and sustained effort will continue until terrorism is rooted out. The situation is similar to the Cold War, when continuous pressure from many nations caused communism to collapse from within. We will press the fight as long as it takes."

The Cold War lasted 46 years; does Bush intend to remain in office that long?

Our boy president has plenty of reason to worry about his election chances. A new CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll says that only 50 percent of Americans would vote for Bush over a generic unnamed Democrat--the lowest number since 9/11. Two-thirds say that Bush lied about or exaggerated the threat from Iraq's WMDs, and a steady flow of body bags from Afghanistan and Iraq has made 53 percent aware that the occupations are going poorly. Pollsters report that most people trust Democrats to rescue the sinking economy--and few believe that Bush's tax cuts will help them.

Bush may be the kind of guy who sees 99 percent odds as 2 percent short of a sure thing, but I bet he'll look at his $200 million campaign war chest and decide to let the people decide. He'll surely want to win legitimately in 2004--albeit for the first time. Though they're capable of anything, Bush's people probably know that Americans wouldn't stand for two putsches in four years. Still, you have to hand it to him: The fact that Democrats are terrified of ending up imprisoned by an American Reich is the ultimate tribute to Bush's artful bullying--and sad confirmation of the impotence of his would-be, should-be opponents.

(Ted Rall is the author of "Gas War: The Truth Behind the American Occupation of Afghanistan," an analysis of the underreported Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline project and the real motivations behind the war on terrorism. Ordering information is available at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.)

[Willie Green]

NEW YORK--He has canceled elections in Iraq.

Well I certainly ain't no bushbot. But this is a pile of hooey.

[=Intervention=]

This is pure, unadulterated, lunacy.

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It is in the breaking news sidebar!

[Batrachian]

I guess you believe this stuff too, otherwise you might have included a "barf alert", which this "article" certainly deserves.

[Aeronaut]

Doesn't pass the "smell test". It smells too bad.

[Norse]

You're right - this is complete lunacy. These people are absolute boneheads

[mountaineer]

He'll surely want to win legitimately in 2004--albeit for the first time

This intelligent (not) comment says it all.

[Wordsmith]

Shouldn't you be looking for a job instead of posting ridiculous leftist rants?

[Congressman Billybob]

Ted Rall is a liar, a moron, and a screaming lefty. Presumably, whoever decided at Yahoo that this is a "news" article, shares some of those traits.

Have I missed anything?

Congressman Billybob

Latest article, now up FR, "Fear and Loathing in the Supreme Court."

[ChadGore]

Yet another smarmy, underhanded attempt to compare this great nation to a tin pot dictatorship, and a poor attempt that that.

[not_apathetic_anymore]

Until this piece I've never read an article by Ted Rall. I've seen others whine about him and his lunacy. Now I understand why. I never liked the previous administration and I continue to think that Clinton (via the UN) and his wife with her aspirations for the white house are a threat to the US. But even at the height of my Clinton paranoia I never thought things like this.

[Chi-townChief]

I love when they come up with this kind of crap to show how f**ked in the head they are; discredits the lefties.

[wordsofearnest]

Surely this is sarcasm. Was it in the onion?

[jern]

I have linked to a lot of Rall articles before, but this one takes the cake. He has lost it. I wonder if the far far right sounded this crazy during the Clinton years.

[linn37]

koo koo ka choo

[e_engineer]

PROJECTION ALERT!!!

If Clinton had tried it, most of the liberal base would have supported him.

If Bush tries it, conservatives will scream louder than the liberals.

[alnick]

I was getting a good laugh out of this outrageously stupid article until I got to the part where he suggests that GWB might arrange for dirty bombs to go off in NY and DC a few weeks before the election. What a filthy pig Rall is.

[stand watie]

HI guy! long time, no see.

free dixie,sw

[11th Earl of Mar]

Bush has drafted legislation that would allow him to strip anyone he calls an "enemy combatant" of their citizenship and have them deported.

Isn't this the same legislation that Hillary Clinton and nearly every Democrat voted for? Are they also part of the conspiracy?

[Cicero]

Actually, if you read his emergency decrees, there was good reason to believe that clinton was thinking of suspending rights and making himself President for Life. But the people who worried about that happening had plenty of evidence to put forward, including a while series of emergency Executive Orders, the Waco affair, and the placement of his Arkansas State Police cronies in FEMA.

What precisely does this whiner have to offer as evidence that Bush is thinking along these lines.

Clinton passed a new Executive Order almost every day. Has Bush done the same?

[Senator Pardek]

"dirty bombs" detonate simultaneously in New York and Washington. Government, media and political institutions and personnel lie ruined in smoking rubble and ash

To paraphrase Jackie Chiles: Does this moron even know what a "dirty bomb" is?

[Cultural Jihad]

From your profile page:

I think Bush is an idiot. The word is "nuclear" not "nucular" Vote for anyone but him.

Go back to DU, fool.

[Allegra]

What's this? All of a sudden, everybody wants in on the New York Times Fiction-Presented-as-News Award?

Gimme a freakin' break.

[chiefqc]

If these f'n morons are so upset with our ELECTED president, why don't they just go live in a place where they would be shot for saying such stupid things.

These moronic liberals are so affraid of our ELECTED president, that no lie or smelly garbage is out of bounds for them.

Their president? bent willie the pervert made fools of them and this great country, and they are to stupid to even know that.

[Willie Green]

I wonder if the far far right sounded this crazy during the Clinton years.

Only to somebody who had never heard Klintoon say anything.

[Norse]

When I see comments like that, it just convinces me more and more that this is not a fight between liberals and conservatives...it is more of a fight between good and evil. People like that are absolutely hateful and evil. Thank God there are people like you and others standing up to evil.

Our system doesn't guarantee victory over evil - it just gives the side of good a better chance of preventing their victory.

Fight on friend

[Athwart]

Wow. This is one of the most impressively stupid pieces of leftist lunacy I have ever read. However, even in the midst of this bizarre, drooling, lying rant is a piece of bright sunshine. The thought of leftists fleeing en masse to Europe, full of noisy pretended fear, is most pleasing. May I suggest that the author of this piece lead the migration?

[Paul Atreides]

Is Rall related to Michael Moore? If I did not know that they are two separate people, I would swear, by their rants, that they are the same person.

[Airborne Longhorn]

"Ted Rall is the author of "Gas War: The Truth Behind the American Occupation of Afghanistan..."

It would appear that gas is Rall's primary resource...do you think he's a buddy of Clymer?

[DoughtyOne]

More theater of the absurd from the left.

It's hard to imagine a scenario that doesn't see this and other recent actions by the left,
as exhibiting anything other than desparation and futility in thier inner sanctums.

Try some pepto boys, it's only going to get worse.

[William McKinley]

LOL

[Cultural Jihad]

I only wish these leftists would for once make good on their threats to leave the country.

[Publius6961]

Dear admin...

Why do we allow this crap to remain posted?

[FractalSphere]

Habeas Corpus is being rapidly pushed under the rug in this country. See the articles about "only 50 or so" people being held for almost 2 years without any criminal charges being pressed and no access to lawyers or family (American citizens, no less!). The Patriot act I and II are truly orwellian if you take the time to really dig thru and read them. FEMA regulations have been in place for decades. Most media outlets gloss over the news so much (which is mostly spin nowadays anyway) it's hard to really know whats going on.
Which is why I like FreeRepublic so much. (BTW, I'm glad I'm getting response to this!) ;)
I wouldn't put it past GWB to attempt something like this. Think about it, if there WERE some sort of national emergency like 9/11 again, he would put military personnel into a domestic arena to manage the situation (bypassing Posse Comitatis in the process) and probably declare some sort of local curfews. Then VERY QUICKLY (because of real Americans resentment/protest of those actions) would come martial law. Once that's happned, forget the elections.

I'm not saying this is a likely scenario, but it's possible. Considering all that's happened over the last couple years we need to question our elected leaders more than ever and hold them to the standards and principles that this country was founded on.

[William McKinley]

Ted Rall is the author of "Gas War

He should know about fighting a gas war. He just let some rip here.

[DoughtyOne]

If they truly desire the European model as much as they profess they do, then why don't they just move there? Leave us with a free society and enslave themselves to the whims of the European Union.

[theFIRMbss]

>This is pure, unadulterated, lunacy

Yes, it is, but let
the Left have fun. Remember
our daily fright threads

that Clinton would not
go? That Clinton would declare
martial law to stay?

We had so many,
that -- I'll admit -- some got through
my tin foil jump suit...

[Militiaman7]

The guy who wrote this crap must be smoking some bada$$ weed.

This stuff is totally wacko.

[Jim Robinson]

The far right loves this stuff.

[HapaxLegamenon]

It's easy to come up with a scenario in which canceling the 2004 election could be made to appear reasonable. Imagine that, a few weeks before Election Day, "dirty bombs" detonate simultaneously in New York and Washington. Government, media and political institutions and personnel lie ruined in smoking rubble and ash; hundreds of thousands of people have been murdered. The economy, already teetering on the precipice, is shoved into depression. How could we conduct elections under such conditions?

Well... since the people don't actually elect the president anyway, I don't see the problem. The state legistatures would simply certify the electors the way it was invisioned by the founding fathers.

[ThreePuttinDude]

I can't believe I went to the site on Yahoo and got caught up reading all of that nonsense. Those people over there are just really PHUQED UP for sure........

After about 15 minutes of reading that stuff I couldn't hit the back arrow fast enough........wheeew back to sanity

[varon]

.......... and jail political opponents...

Starting with certain ex-President and his missus? ;-)

[hellinahandcart]

Clinton passed a new Executive Order almost every day

At the end, he was signing about one per minute. We were all in agony.

[Quix]

Just because it's Dilldo and Shrillery Hellery Anotinette de Fosterizer de Marx de Sade's basic values, psychology etc. and modus operendi doesn't mean it's anyone else's!

[ThreePuttinDude]

"The far right loves this stuff"

The far left go orgasmic over this stuff

[Guillermo]

This is hilarious.

How can someone actually live like this?

[AppyPappy]

the "war on terrorism" as an excuse to declare a state of emergency, suspend civil liberties and jail political opponents.

Y2K IS COMING!!!!

[AppyPappy]

You should have been in here in 1999. Clinton was going to do the same.

[Paul Atreides]

I would settle for them moving to that country, whose leader they so dearly love, admire, and cite as the perfect example: CUBA!