COUP WATCH: Upside-Down-Backwards Land -- From Red Rock Eater News Service\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCOUP WATCH: Upside-Down-Backwards Land -- From Red Rock Eater News Service<\/b><\/p>
\r\n\r\n\r\nBy Phil Agre<\/b><\/p>
\r\n\r\nSat Dec 09 16:28:45 2000<\/p>
\r\n\r\n[Anybody who was surprised by the Florida Supreme Court's order to\r\nfinally count the votes in the presidential election has been sucking\r\nright-wing media exhaust. Al Gore won the election, except that the\r\nRepublican machine in Florida insists on counting illegal ballots and\r\nnot counting legal ballots, and accuses the Democrats of stealing the\r\nelection for insisting otherwise. Florida Republicans stole the 1998\r\nMiami mayor's race using illegal absentee ballots, and now they insist\r\nthat illegal absentee ballots be counted in the 2000 race, and excoriate\r\nthe Democrats for circulating a memo that summarizes Florida absentee\r\nballot laws. It's incredible. Welcome to Planet Whacko.<\/p>
\r\n\r\nMeanwhile the Republicans accuse the Democrats of trying to change the\r\nrules after the election simply for going to court to make the election\r\nboards follow the Florida election law, even as the Republican Florida\r\nlegislature attempts to change the rules after their election with their\r\nutterly illegal attempt to replace the citizens' votes with their own.<\/p>
\r\n\r\nWe see here the central principle of the new jargon: whatever you're\r\ndoing, falsely accuse your opponents of doing it. Now the far-right\r\nwing of the US Supreme Court has engaged in the most extreme case of\r\njudicial activism in American history, staying action by the Florida\r\nSupreme Court under the very clear authority granted to the Florida\r\ncourts by the Florida legislature, shutting down the contest procedure\r\nthat Florida law provides and thus effectively throwing the election\r\nto its preferred conservative choice. In response to all of this,\r\nthe sidewalk of the federal building in Los Angeles is filled with\r\nright-wing protesters whose signs use words like \"fascism\" and \"evil\"\r\n-- to describe what the *Florida* court did.<\/p>
\r\n\r\nAmerica is now Upside-Down-Backwards Land; it is filled with people who\r\nare capable of doing *anything*, because whatever they do, no matter how\r\ncrazy or extreme, they hallucinate that it is really being done to them.\r\nHow do they get themselves into that state? Let me give you an example.\r\nLooking at the map of which American states voted for which presidential\r\ncandidate, conservative pundit Mike Barnicle remarked on MSNBC that the\r\nsouthern and middle states, which voted for Bush, represented \"family\r\nvalues\", and that the northeastern and west-coast states, which voted\r\nfor Gore, represented \"entitlement\". <\/p>
\r\n\r\nIn a normal country this sort of\r\nthing would be denounced as ugly and divisive stereotyping. Instead,\r\nGore supporter Paul Begala responded in a polite way by arguing that\r\nthe situation is more complicated, and that every state has both good\r\nand bad aspects. To illustrate this, and clearly in that context, he\r\npointed out that the states that Barnicle praised where also the states\r\nwhere James Byrd was lynched, Matthew Shepard was crucified, a federal\r\noffice building was blown up, and so on. He continued by repeating\r\nthat each of those states also has good attributes, and repeated that\r\nthe picture is complicated. He concluded by calling Barnicle a \"gifted\r\ncommentator\".<\/p>
\r\n\r\nThen Peggy Noonan, writing in the Wall St. Journal, took out of context\r\nthe bit about the Bush states being places where people got lynched and\r\ncrucified and so on, and presented it as if Begala were claiming that\r\nthose events defined the states they happened in. She mentioned nothing\r\nof Barnicle's comments, or of the message about things being complicated.\r\nNoonan's out-of-context quote was then repeated over and over by the\r\nconservative media echo chamber, Michael Kelly in the Washington Post\r\nfor example. The quote bounced all over the Internet, and was mailed to\r\nme by several different people. <\/p>
\r\n\r\nIn each case, starting with Noonan, the\r\nargument was the same: this is the viciousness of Democrats to which we\r\nmust respond in kind. Can you see the projection? Republican columnist \r\nissues vicious stereotype of Democratic states. Nobody expresses outrage.\r\nDemocrat responds that the picture is complicated and that stereotypes\r\ndo not apply. Republicans quote Democrat out of context, accusing *him*\r\nof issuing vicious stereotype of *Republican* states, using said accusation\r\nto justify further vicious behavior of their own. That's how it works.<\/p>
\r\n\r\nHere's another example. The Republicans have incessantly used the word\r\n\"selective\" to suggest that there is something wrong with the Florida\r\nlaw that allows a party to an election to ask for recounts in particular\r\ncounties. This law is not remotely unusual, and Republicans have asked\r\nfor recounts under similar laws in many jurisdictions. Now, however,\r\nthey claim to discern a 14th amendment equal-protection problem, an idea\r\nthat the courts have basically laughed at.<\/p>
\r\n\r\nLike so many words of the\r\nnew jargon, the word \"selective\" is nicely ambiguous: it has one meaning\r\nthat is true but trivial, and another meaning that is menacing but false.\r\nThe true-but-trivial meaning is simply that the recounts are to be held\r\nin some jurisdictions and not others; a more suitable word might perhaps\r\nbe \"selected\". But \"selective\" carries a negative connotation that the\r\nselection has been made in an arbitrary, unfair, or biased way, and this\r\nis the second, menacing, false meaning -- false because, as everyone on\r\na sane planet would clearly recognize, the Republicans had a perfectly\r\nequal right to ask for recounts of their own, and simply declined to do\r\nso. They've even been criticized by some Republican lawyers for this\r\ndecision.<\/p>
\r\n\r\nBut asking for their own recounts would have legitimized the\r\nvery idea of recounts, and by any kind of fair recounting the Republicans\r\nwould lose. No, their strategy throughout has been to twist language so\r\nas to delegitimate perfectly ordinary statutes and procedures, including\r\nsome that reflect practices that have been commonplace for hundreds of\r\nyears. So they endlessly repeat this word \"selective\" that is balanced\r\nbetween the trivial and the false, hoping to wear down rational thought\r\nand replace it with blurry connotations. Notice the projection: the\r\nfact that only Democratic areas are being recounted is a choice that\r\nthe *Republicans* made by their own conscious acts of omission, and yet\r\nthey are presenting it as some unfair thing that is being done to them.<\/p>
\r\n\r\nEvidence of the Republicans' great success in this blurring of rational\r\nthought has flowed into my mailbox since the controversy started, in\r\nthe form of indignant messages about the unfairness of these \"selective\"\r\nrecounts. People will say things like \"Democrats insist on selective\r\nrecounts only in heavily Democratic counties -- what could be fair about\r\nthat?\". Do you see how twisted that is?<\/p>
\r\n\r\n Or listen to George W. Bush\r\nhimself: \"Unfortunately, what the vice president proposed is exactly\r\nwhat he has been proposing all along: continuing with selective hand\r\nrecounts that are neither fair nor accurate\" (NY Times 11\/16\/00).\r\nOr Karen Hughes: \"we are increasingly convinced that a manual recount,\r\nwhich is now underway in selective, heavily Democratic, hand-selected\r\ncounties cannot produce that fair and accurate result\" (NY Times\r\n11\/14\/00) -- she manages to get in both \"selective\" and the extra-\r\npejorative \"hand-selected\". This kind of strategic ambiguity is very\r\ncommon in the new jargon, and it helps to account for the distressing\r\nstate of confusion that many otherwise healthy people experience when\r\nthey are exposed to it.<\/p>
\r\n\r\nI want finally to point to the irony of Judge Nikki Clark's decision\r\nin the Seminole County absentee ballot case. Republicans defamed Judge\r\nClark, as is their habit, because she is a liberal judge. But precisely\r\nbecause she is a liberal judge, she didn't strictly apply the law and\r\nprecedents that dictate throwing out the absentee votes whose applications\r\nhad been improperly prepared and illegally tampered with. Instead,\r\nand precisely because she is a liberal judge, she tried to be fair.<\/p>
\r\n\r\nShe tried so hard to be fair that she even suggested that the Democrats\r\nhadn't been treated unfairly because they hadn't asked for the same\r\ntreatment that the Republicans got, even though the treatment that they\r\nshould supposely have asked for was a felony! A principled conservative\r\njudge -- if principled conservative judges exist, as opposed to judges\r\nwho always rule in favor of conservatives -- would have thrown the book\r\nat the defective absentee ballots and imprisoned the people who modified\r\nthe applications. But Judge Clark, soft on crime, gave them a break.<\/p>
\r\n\r\nOne small correction. The Supreme Court decision that invented a new\r\nprotection for states against lawsuits by their citizens under federal\r\nlaw was in June 1999, not a few months ago as I said. The case was \r\nAlden vs. Maine .\r\nThis decision was not a fluke, and the same activism can be found in\r\nanother decision issued at the same time as Alden, College Savings Bank\r\nvs. Florida Prepaid, and in a 1996 case, Seminole Tribe of Florida vs.\r\nFlorida. (Observe that two of these three cases both came from Florida.)<\/p>
\r\n\r\nThe big picture couldn't be clearer: Bill Rehnquist got his start as a\r\nRepublican lawyer agitating against minority voting rights, and now the\r\nRehnquist Court is returning the United States to the \"states rights\"\r\nera before the civil rights movement, and ultimately back to the\r\npolitical world of the Articles of Confederation. The same majority\r\nthat decided those federalism cases has now thrown the election in\r\nFlorida, and if they succeed in their rampage then the United States of\r\nAmerica will effectively cease to exist.<\/p>
\r\n\r\nHere are some more election-related URL's:<\/p>
\r\n\r\nSupreme Court order stopping recount
\r\n http:\/\/www.cspan.org\/campaign2000\/Florida\/00-949x.pdf<\/p>
\r\n\r\n W Stands for Wrongful
\r\n \r\nhttp:\/\/www.skirsch.com\/politics\/whowon.htm<\/p>
\r\n\r\n____________________________________________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\n*************ACTIVIST LINKS*******************
\r\n____________________________________________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\nThe Florida Republican leadership needs to know that
\r\nthe rest of the country does not want the Florida
\r\nlegislature to select our next President.Tell the
\r\nFlorida legislature to respect the courts and honor
\r\neach voter and each vote.
\r\n \r\nhttp:\/\/www.workingforchange.com\/activism\/action.cfm?itemid=9012<\/p>
\r\n\r\n_____________________________________________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\nRespectfully submitted,
\r\nJane C.
\r\nAltroute66@yahoo.com
\r\noffleash@hotmail.com<\/p>
\r\n\r\n<\/p>
\r\n\r\nDate: Fri, 8 Dec 2000 18:32:23 -0800 (PST)
\r\nFrom: \"jane c.\"
\r\nSubject: Jane's handy gator-gate links 12\/8\/00<\/p>
\r\n\r\n ****JANE'S HANDY GATOR-GATE LINKS 12\/8\/00*******
\r\n______________________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\nPlease feel free to copy and cross post:
\r\n_______________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\nRevenge of the Democratic governors? If the Florida
\r\nLegislature picks its electors, others states could
\r\nfollow suit -- and give the election to Al
\r\n Gore.http:\/\/www.salon.com\/politics\/feature\/2000\/12\/08\/legislature\/index.htm\r\n
\r\n________________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\nDavid Bois: Poster Boy for the Lamest Generation Gets
\r\nBattered But N.Y. Lawyers Say They Couldn't Have
\r\nDone Better
\r\n http:\/\/www.observer.com\/pages\/frontpage5.asp\r\n
\r\n________________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\nToday on \"The Connection\" Heather Gerkin and Lani
\r\nGuiner discuss the right to vote:
\r\n http:\/\/www.theconnection.org\/archive\/2000\/12\/1208a.shtm\r\n<\/p>
\r\n\r\nerrata: The Connection is on in NYC at NPR AM
\r\n 820http:\/\/www.theconnection.org
\r\n_______________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\nSic 'em: Republican's Bash Seminole County Judge
\r\nNikki Clark
\r\n http:\/\/www.prospect.org\/webarchives\/00-12\/sobel-l1206.htm\r\n
\r\n________________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\nDo courts give results legitimacy?
\r\n http:\/\/www.consortiumnews.com\/120600a.htm\r\n
\r\n_________________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\n\"The Nation\" magazine gets tough w\/ electoral college:
\r\n http:\/\/www.thenation.com\/doc.mhtml?i=20001225&s=editors
\r\n_______________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\nWasted labor - The Democrats told AFL-CIO activists in
\r\nFlorida to take affidavits and act \"nice,\" while the
\r\nGOP mobilized its troops and got tough -- and won the
\r\npolitical battle.
\r\n http:\/\/www.salon.com\/politics\/feature\/2000\/12\/07\/labor\/index.htm\r\n
\r\n_________________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\nEliminating fraud -- or Democrats? Florida's
\r\ncontroversial crusade to purge its voter rolls has
\r\nrevived an old partisan debate: Can states crack down
\r\non fraud without disqualifying eligible voters?
\r\n http:\/\/www.salon.com\/politics\/feature\/2000\/12\/08\/integrity\/index.htm\r\n
\r\n________________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\nNY Times 12\/8 Storm Over Election Casts Cloud on
\r\nProspects of the Younger Bush - By RICHARD L. BERKE
\r\n http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2000\/12\/08\/politics\/08JEB.htm\r\n
\r\n_______________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\nThe Last Green Mile By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN With Gov.
\r\nGeorge W. Bush likely to be declared president, a
\r\ncouple of things are becoming clear: Bush voters are
\r\nthe winners. Gore voters are the losers. And all those
\r\npeople who voted for Ralph Nader are the really big
\r\nlosers.
\r\n http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2000\/12\/08\/opinion\/08FRIE.html
\r\n__________________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\nFor more information about exit poll results -
\r\n http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/ELECTION\/2000\/results
\r\n__________________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\nFor a more detailed discussion on Social Security and
\r\nGore's late surge,see this article in the Weekly
\r\nStandard from the Nov. 27 issue:
\r\n http:\/\/www.weeklystandard.com\/magazine\/mag_6_11_00\/bell_cannon_feat_6_11_00.as\r\n
\r\n________________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\nFor info on the CNN-Larry Flynt item, see
\r\n http:\/\/www.american-politics.com\/20001022CNNCensorsFlynt.htm\r\n
\r\n________________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\nComplaint filed against Bush DWI tipster:
\r\n http:\/\/dailynews.yahoo.com\/h\/ap\/20001207\/el\/bush_dui_complaint_1.htm\r\n
\r\n_____________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\nExpose on Bush family:<\/p>
\r\n\r\n http:\/\/www.almartinraw.com\r\n
\r\n______________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\nDem activists pressuring electors to switch votes to
\r\nGore:
\r\n http:\/\/www.boston.com\/dailyglobe2\/343\/nation\/Activists_lobby_electors_to_switch_to_GoreP.shtm\r\n
\r\n_____________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\na Bush-connected media company is under FBI
\r\ninvestigation for the delivery of a videotape of Bush
\r\npracticing
\r\nfor the debates to a Gore campaign advisor. This
\r\nhappened while
\r\nthe debates were still going on in October.<\/p>
\r\n\r\n http:\/\/www.abilene2000.com\/elec\/tape1003.htm\r\n
\r\n http:\/\/www.abcnews.go.com\/sections\/politics\/DailyNews\/DEBATETAPE001008.htm\r\n
\r\n http:\/\/www.king5.com\/elections\/storydetail.html?StoryID=7331\r\n
\r\n______________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\nTALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - On the eve of a special
\r\nsession with
\r\nnational implications, a leader of Florida's
\r\nLegislature acknowledged Thursday he has received
\r\nadvice from intermediaries of George W. Bush as
\r\nlawmakers move toward appointing a slate of electors
\r\nloyal to the Republican
\r\npresidential candidate.
\r\n http:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/wire\/Politics\/ap20001207_1910.htm\r\n
\r\n_______________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\n*********ACTIVIST LINKS*******
\r\n_______________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\nMSNBC anchor Brian Williams has been airing audio of
\r\nRush Limbaugh's hate radio shows with absolutely no
\r\ncommentary to
\r\nbalance it out as part of their Election 2000 coverage
\r\n-<\/p>
\r\n\r\nemail : thenews@msnbc.com
\r\nPhone : 1-888-MSNBCUSA
\r\n____________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\nIf you wish to support the recount committee, you can do so on line at:
\r\n https:\/\/www1518.boca15-verio.com\/gorel8\/secure
\r\n______________________________<\/p>
\r\n- Florida Vote News
\r\n http:\/\/andrys.com\/flballot.html
\r\n_______________________________<\/p>
\r\nboycott Florida petition
\r\n http:\/\/www.boycott-republicans.com
\r\n________________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\nLeadership of the Florida State Senate <\/p>
\r\n\r\nJohn McKay
\r\nPresident of the Senate
\r\n941\/727-6349
\r\n850\/487-5078
\r\nmckay.john.web@leg.state.fl.us <\/p>
\r\n\r\nGinny Brown-Waite
\r\nPresident Pro Tempore
\r\n352\/544-2344
\r\n850\/487-5040
\r\nbrown-waite.g.web@leg.state.fl.us<\/p>
\r\n\r\nJames King, Jr.
\r\nSenate Majority Leader
\r\n904\/727-3600
\r\n850\/487-5030
\r\nking.james.web@leg.state.fl.us<\/p>
\r\n\r\n
\r\nLeadership of the Florida State House<\/p>
\r\n\r\nTom Feeney
\r\nSpeaker of the House
\r\n407\/977-6500
\r\n850\/488-0468
\r\nfeeney.tom@leg.state.fl.us<\/p>
\r\n\r\nMike Fasano
\r\nHouse Majority Leader
\r\n727\/848-5885
\r\n850\/488-8528
\r\n__________________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\n
\r\n______________________________
\r\nFL LEGISLATOR'S FAX NUMBERS<\/p>
\r\n\r\nFlorida:
\r\nGovernor Jeb Bush
\r\n850-487-0801
\r\nGovernor Jeb Bush
\r\n850-348-6873
\r\nSecretary of State Katherine Harris
\r\n850-487-2214
\r\nAttorney General Bob Butterworth
\r\n850-487-2564<\/p>
\r\n\r\n
\r\nSpeaker of the House Tom Feeney (Rep)
\r\n850-488-1456
\r\nSpeaker of the House Tom Feeney (Rep)
\r\n407-977-6504
\r\nSpeaker of the House Tom Feeney (Rep)
\r\n850-488-6074
\r\nHouse of Representatives Majority Office - Republican
\r\n850-922-5912
\r\nHouse of Representatives Minority Office - Democratic
\r\n850-922-6002<\/p>
\r\n\r\n
\r\nFL Senator Mandy Dawson-White (Dem)
\r\n954-467-4331
\r\nFL Senator Buddy Dyer (Dem)
\r\n850-487-5418
\r\nFL Senator Buddy Dyer (Dem)
\r\n407-317-7399
\r\nFL Senator Steve Geller (Dem)
\r\n954-893-5091
\r\nFL Senator Ron Klein (Dem)
\r\n561-279-1990
\r\nFL Senator Bill Myers (Rep)
\r\n561-221-4059
\r\nFL Senator Tom Rossin (Dem)
\r\n561-837-5716
\r\nFL Senator Jim Scott (Rep)
\r\n954-566-0618
\r\nFL Senator Daniel Webster (Rep)
\r\n850-487-5527
\r\nFL Senator Daniel Webster (Rep)
\r\n407-297-2064<\/p>
\r\n\r\n<\/p>
\r\n\r\nFL Representative Bill Andrews (Rep)
\r\n561-279-1618
\r\nFL Representative Fred Brummer (Rep)
\r\n407-884-2025
\r\nFL Representative Lee Constantine (Rep)
\r\n850-413-0401
\r\nFL Representative Lee Constantine (Rep)
\r\n407-262-7580
\r\nFL Representative Lois Frankel (Dem)
\r\n561-681-2599
\r\nFL Representative Addie Greene (Dem)
\r\n561-837-5254
\r\nFL Representative Ed Healey (Dem)
\r\n561-434-3953
\r\nFL Representative Suzanne Jacobs (Dem)
\r\n561-433-3668
\r\nFL Representative Randy Johnson (Rep)
\r\n850-922-5334
\r\nFL Representative Randy Johnson (Rep)
\r\n407-877-2816
\r\nFL Representative Curt Levine (Dem)
\r\n561-637-7060
\r\nFL Representative Sharon Merchant (Rep)
\r\n561-625-5103
\r\nFL Representative Rick Minton (Dem)
\r\n561-279-1634
\r\nFL Representative Rick Minton (Dem)
\r\n561-595-1382
\r\nFL Representative Bill Posey (Rep)
\r\n407-690-3486
\r\nFL Representative Alzo Reddick (Dem)
\r\n407-858-5965
\r\nFL Representative Debby Sanderson (Rep)
\r\n954-958-5505
\r\nFL Representative Bob Starks (Rep)
\r\n850-922-6002
\r\nFL Representative Bob Starks (Rep)
\r\n407-623-1129
\r\nFL Representative Bill Sublette (Rep)
\r\n850-922-7664
\r\nFL Representative Bill Sublette (Rep)
\r\n407-897-4389
\r\nFL Representative Tom Warner (Rep)
\r\n561-221-4906<\/p>
\r\n\r\n______________________________<\/p>
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\n","contact":"","link":"http:\/\/dlis.gseis.ucla.edu\/people\/pagre\/florida.html","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/html","summary":"Anybody who was surprised by the Florida Supreme Court's order to finally count the votes in the presidential election has been sucking right-wing media exhaust. Al Gore won the election, except that the Republican machine in Florida insists on counting illegal ballots and not counting legal ballots, and accuses the Democrats of stealing the election for insisting otherwise.","numcomment":0,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/2000\/12\/rre_fl21.htm","filesize":"37.8 kibibytes","article_url":"\/news\/2000\/12\/4825.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[]}