Luke_Wilbur

Now that the elections are finally over, let's look at one of the other losers: Exit polling. During Election Day, exit polls showed that Kerry was on his way to a clear-cut victory. What went wrong? Did pollsters sample the wrong precincts? Did voters lie (perhaps embarrassed to tell "the media" they were voting for Bush)? Was it because most of the polling were done in mainly in urban centers. Did those electronic voting machines do exactly what everyone had feared – skew the election? The only the exit that that was true was Kerry's exit.

DCpages is going on 10 years now. This would not be possible with a great staff, energetic volunteers, and readers like you. So thanks and I hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season. P.S. You may be interested in reading our Thanksgiving Guide. http://www.dcpages.com/Events/Holidays/Thanksgiving/ Please feel free to give comments and suggestions. P.S.S Jenna I love you.

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years. [u.S. Constitution, Article I, section 3, clause 1] The six-year Senate term represented a compromise between those constitutional framers who wanted a strong, independent Senate and those who feared the possible tyranny of an aristocratic upper house, insulated from popular opinion. A six-year term would control turnover in the legislature, allow Senators to take responsibility for measures over time, and make senators largely independent of Public Opinion.

WASHINGTON – President George W. Bush today announced he will ask the Republican National Committee (RNC) to elect Bush-Cheney ’04 Campaign Manager Ken Mehlman as its chairman at the RNC’s winter meeting in Washington, DC, January 18-19, 2005. Current RNC Chair Ed Gillespie announced on Friday that he will not seek another term, but will serve until the winter meeting. “Ken Mehlman has served the Republican Party and the Administration with honor and distinction. As Campaign Manager, he helped us achieve our historic 2004 election night gains. Ken has a clear vision for making our gains durable while continuing to help expand the message and reach of the Republican Party. He’ll be a great success at the RNC with his boundless energy and commitment to continue growing Republican majorities,” said President Bush of Mehlman. Ken Mehlman most recently served as the campaign manager for the President’s historic re-election. Prior to joining the campaign, Mehlman worked as the White House Director of Political Affairs for President Bush’s first two and a half years, during which he oversaw and executed the President and the Administration’s political strategy with state parties, national committees, candidates, and state and local elected officials in support of the President’s agenda. Mehlman served as National Field Director for Bush-Cheney 2000, where he worked with the campaign leadership in all fifty states and the Republican National Committee to execute winning political plans and mobilize strong grassroots. Before joining President Bush, Mehlman was Congresswoman Kay Granger’s (TX-12) Chief of Staff and Congressman Lamar Smith’s (TX-21) Legislative Director. He practiced environmental law in Washington and assisted campaigns in Massachusetts, Ohio, Virginia, Texas, and Georgia, as well as the 1992 and 1996 Presidential campaigns. Ken is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He is a native of Baltimore, Maryland.

Keep a watch out for people standing near you in the checkout line at retail stores, restaurants, grocery stores, etc., who have a camera-cell phone in hand. With the camera-cell phones, they can take a picture of your credit card, which gives them your name, number, and expiration date. CBS reported this type of identification theft is one of the fastest growing scams this month. Be aware of your surroundings and please forward this to your family and friends.

Everywhere you look, people are talking about China as the world's next economic superpower. The world's most populous nation is poor, but a growing middle class hungry for technology makes it the largest potential consumer market in the world. And the country's large concentration of universities also makes it a hotbed of technology innovation. I am just worried that America is loosing everything to them. Is anyone scared?

DNC Urges Secretaries of State to Outline Process for Counting Provisional Ballots The Democratic National Committee called upon all 50 Secretaries of State to, "explicitly outline the standards and timelines that will be used to count the remaining votes for the 2004 election." In the letter to the Secretaries of State, Chairman Terry McAuliffe said, "After such a highly charged and competitive election, I want to make sure that every American can be confident that our electoral process worked and continues to be the model for the world. The best way to achieve these goals is to ensure that every vote cast has been accurately counted. This is in no way an effort to question the outcome of this election, but to ensure trust in the outcome of every election going forward." He continued, "One of the most important things we have learned during this election is that if voters don’t have faith in the infrastructure for casting and counting votes, they will not participate in the process. The critical issues confronting this nation require full participation by the electorate. I strongly believe that your efforts at transparency will go far to affirm the American people’s belief in our Democracy."

"The vitality of America’s democracy depends on the fairness and accuracy of America’s election. Over two centuries our country has broadened the right to vote and sealed that right in law, making our government more accountable to the people, and more representative of the people. When problems arise in the administration of elections we have a responsibility to fix them. Every registered voter deserves to have confidence that the system is fair and elections are honest, that every vote is recorded, and that the rules are consistently applied. –President George W. Bush, upon signing the Help America Vote Act, October 29, 2002 I wonder even if all your statements of voter fraud are true Caroleeena would they equate to enough difference in the vote totals to give Kerry enough of the electorate to win the nomination. Never the less, it can possibly help improve the system in the future. The "system" can always use improving. I have read that Republican dominated corporations, Election Systems & Software (ES&S), and Diebold Voting Systems, now control 80% of the vote count in the United States. I also found that Walden O'Dell, chief executive of Diebold Inc. told Republicans in a fund-raising letter that he was "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president." This needs to be verified. Here is the voting totals on the States Bush won that you mentioned: Ohio Secretary of State Division of Elections General Election Results Bush / Cheney (REP) 2,796,147 Kerry / Edwards (DEM) 2,659,664 Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb declared that in all likelihood he would demand a recount of all the votes in the Presidential election in the state of Ohio. Since David Cobb's name appeared on the Ohio ballot, it is his legal right to ask for a statewide recount. Ralph Nader is also pushing for a vote re-count in Ohio, alleging wide-spread voter irregularities. Nader blasted Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, saying he should resign in disgrace. "When people are standing in line for four or five hours and they are told they've go to stand in line for another five hours and they leave because they've got to go to work or they got to pick up their child at day care, that's a constitutional crime," says Nader. Warren County Ohio Board of Elections General Election Results Bush / Cheney (REP) 66,523 Kerry / Edwards (DEM) 25,399 Warren County officials, facing scrutiny of their decision to lock down the administration building on election night, say they were responding to a terrorist threat that ranked a "10" on a scale of 1 to 10. The information, which Commissioner Pat South said was previously deemed confidential, is coming out a week after the public was barred from viewing the Warren County vote count. The Ohio Secretary of State's office doesn't know of any other county in the state to impose such a restriction. County officials initially said they feared that having reporters and photographers present could interfere with the ballot counting. They subsequently cited homeland security concerns. Now, they say an FBI agent told them that Warren County ranked a "10" on a terrorism scale. However, state and federal homeland security officials said Tuesday they were unaware of any specific threat against the county. County officials locked down the administration building on Justice Drive after the polls there had closed. Officials say having both a polling place and the board of elections in one location increased security concerns. Franklin County Ohio Board of Elections General Election Results Bush / Cheney (REP) 234,196 Kerry / Edwards (DEM) 275,573 A computer hiccup gave President Bush an extra votes in Franklin County precinct 1B. The county’s electronic voting machines gave Bush 4,258 votes in precinct 1B, but Matthew Damschroder, director of the Franklin County Board of Elections, told USA TODAY that that precinct only had 638 total voters. Florida Department of State Division of Elections General Election Results Bush / Cheney (REP) 3,956,346 Kerry / Edwards (DEM) 3,575,056 U.S. District Court Judge Alan Gold denied the motion for a preliminary injunction to include the late ballots in the final vote tally entered before the Nov. 12th election certification deadline. The ruling comes after 13,300 absentee ballots were sent to voters late by the Broward County Supervisor of Elections office. In fact, 9,000 of those ballots were mailed to voters on the Saturday prior to the Nov. 2 election. In addition, the Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections office expressed concern that "they had been put in a difficult position by their vendor, who still had not completed the delivery of absentee ballots" by as late as Oct. 27. Expected voter turnout among Republicans increased by 128.45% in counties using optical scan voting machines while Democrats showed a -21% loss. Here are some of the Florida counties with optical scan voting machines that showed the largest discrepancies with voter turnout: Baker, Bradford, Calhoun, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Holmes, Lafayette, Liberty, Suwannee, Taylor, Wakulla, Washington Nevada Secretary of State Division of Elections General Election Results Bush / Cheney (REP) 418,691 Kerry / Edwards (DEM) 397,186 South Dakota Secretary of State Division of Elections General Election Results Bush / Cheney (REP) 232,584 Kerry / Edwards (DEM) 149,244 North Carolina Secretary of State Division of Elections General Election Results Bush / Cheney (REP) 1,910,936 Kerry / Edwards (DEM) 1,484,158 I added an 2004 election map done by Robert J. Vanderbei

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A friend sent this to me. Find out about political donors in your neighborhood: http://www.fundrace.org/block_party.php Fundrace Block Party searches political donor databases and, with the input of your address and zip code, will give you a map (and spreadsheet if you like) which tells you the names and addresses of your neighbors who have supported national political candidates, and how much they contributed. 1934 Upper Lake Dr, Reston, VA 20191 0.19 miles William Chadsey (Information Requested, Information Requested) $2,000 Wesley Clark 1935 Upper Lake Dr, Reston, VA 20191 0.19 miles Pat Sartorius (International Developeme, Social Impact) $200 John Kerry 11421 Great Meadow Dr, Reston, VA 20191 0.15 miles Mr. Allan Ratner (Attorney, Freddie Mac) $2,000 DNC 1938 Upper Lake Drive, Reston, VA 20191 0.20 miles Mrs. Diane H May (Requested) $200 RNC 1940 Upper Lake Dr, Reston, VA 20191 0.21 miles Jewel Boyd (Information Requested, Information Requested) $500 John Kerry 1918 Winterport Cluster, Reston, VA 20191 0.23 miles Ms. Madeline Nelson (Consultant, Icf) $1,450 DNC Ms Madeline Nelson (Consultant) $1,000 John Kerry 11435 Great Meadow Dr, Reston, VA 20191 0.21 miles Ida Morgan (Software Engineer, Software Productivity Co) $250 Howard Dean 1928 WINTERPORT CL, RESTON, VA 20191 0.24 miles MS. DONNA ROWLAND GOUGH (Manager, U.s. Government) $500 George W. Bush 1894 Winterport Cluster, Reston, VA 20191 0.24 miles Alexey Lopukhin (Language Specialist, Defense Threat Reduction) $650 John Kerry Alexey Lopukhin (Interpreter, U.s. Dept. Of Defense) $250 DNC 2009 Halyard Lane, Reston, VA 20191 0.31 miles Inder Sud (Professor, George Washington Univer) $1,000 DNC Inder Sud (Consultant, Self Employed) $1,000 John Kerry Stephanie Sud (Student, Not Employed) $500 John Kerry 11428 PURPLE BEECH DRIVE, RESTON, VA 20191 0.33 miles MR. JOSEPH F CAMPAGNA (Chairman, Trans Capital) $2,000 George W. Bush 2007 Upper Lake Dr, Reston, VA 20191 0.34 miles William Penniman (Attorney, Self Employed) $450 John Kerry 2023 Wethersfield Ct, Reston, VA 20191 0.30 miles Tom Zaug (Manager, Hendrick Honda) $350 John Kerry 2008 Cutwater Court, Reston, VA 20191 0.36 miles Dr. CarlN. Grant (Sr. Vice President, U. S. Chamber Of Commerc) $675 RNC DR. CARL N GRANT (Chmn., Pres. Advisory Gr, U.s. Chamber Of Commerce) $500 George W. Bush Dr. Carl N Grant (Sr. Vice President, U. S. Chamber Of Commerc) $250 RNC 2011 Approach Lane, Reston, VA 20191 0.32 miles Stephen Cerny (Attorney, U.s. Dept Of Hud) $250 Dennis Kucinich 2031 Chaddsford Drive, Reston, VA 20191 0.41 miles Ms. Drena M Gohn (Retired) $1,500 RNC 2033 Chadds Ford Dr, Reston, VA 20191 0.41 miles Jerry Walz (Attorney, Self) $200 John Kerry 2023 Peppermint Ct, Reston, VA 20191 0.35 miles Patrice BF Garver (Physician, Self) $1,000 John Kerry Dr Patrice Garver (Physician, Self Employed) $1,000 John Edwards 2020 Chadds Ford Dr, Reston, VA 20191 0.42 miles Stuart Rakoff (Management Consultant, Self) $850 John Kerry Stuart Rakoff (Consultant, Self) $500 DNC Stuart Rakoff (Consultant, Self Employed) $200 Howard Dean 2011 Chadds Ford Dr, Reston, VA 20191 0.43 miles Jonathan Derose (Software Developer, Booz Allen Hamilton) $500 Wesley Clark 1831 Wiehle Ave, Reston, VA 20190 0.43 miles Ms. Mouza C Zumwalt (Requested) $4,000 RNC MS. MOUZA C ZUMWALT (Information Requested Pe, Information Requested Pe) $2,000 George W. Bush 11321 Sunset Hills Rd, Reston, VA 20190 0.46 miles Mr. Richard L Harlow (Insurance Broker, Self-employed) $1,500 RNC MR. RICHARD L HARLOW (Insurance Advisor, Self-employed) $750 George W. Bush 2002 Turtle Pond Drive, Reston, VA 20191 0.44 miles Stephen Ward (Consultant, Self) $2,000 John Kerry Emily Ward (N/a, N/a) $500 DNC Emily Ward (Information Requested, Information Requested) $500 John Kerry Emily Ward $250 DNC Emily Ward (Information Requested, Information Requested) $250 Howard Dean 2046 SWANS NECK WAY, RESTON, VA 20191 0.47 miles MS. SHIRLEY ANN ELLIOTT (Marketing, Sales Up, Inc.) $550 George W. Bush MR. JOHN L SCHWARZMAN (Information Requested Pe, Information Requested Pe) $250 George W. Bush 1925 Lakeport Way, Reston, VA 20191 0.40 miles Mr. Daniel R Bannister (Consultant, Dyncorp) $2,000 George W. Bush

CD Spice, Tell me more about your company.

Dennis, Please give a better description of your company.

Human, I am with you on this one. Do Americans want to surrender our Nation’s largest and most pristine arctic wilderness refuge to exploitation by oil companies. Here is a picture of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for to you to decide.

Human, What did you do for the Republican Party? I do respect your courtesy and candor over the past few months I have been reading your posts. I do hope that both Republicans and Democrats can work together now that the elections are over. I also hope that you consider registering with DC Discussions. You would be a valuable member to our community.

Senator John Kerry has just conceded the Election to President Bush. Senator Kerry called and congratulated President Bush for historic race.

Pending election kudos goes out to Karl Rove, the chief political strategist for President Bush's reelection campaign. Rove's message of America needs President Bush for moral clarity and courage to do what is right seems to be what voters wanted to hear.

Mr Bush is delaying a formal victory claim to give Senator Kerry "time to reflect" on the results, chief of staff Andrew Card said. The president is expected to make a statement in the next few hours. The Democrats are so far refusing to concede, saying a substantial number of uncounted provisional ballots could yet give them victory in Ohio, which has 20 votes in the Electoral College. Current projections give Mr Bush 254 Electoral College votes and Senator Kerry 252.

It appears that the GOP moral agenda was the decisive factor in this election. The majority of people who attend Church voted Republican. President Bush and the Republican Party stand to gain complete control of Congress and the Supreme Court.

John Kerry would have to mimmick the Boston Red Sox to win this race. President Bush has now won the State of Nevada.

Iowa has stopped vote counting due to machine malfunctions.

Michigan projects John Kerry as winning their 17 electoral votes. Current Electoral Vote Totals George BUSH currently has 249 John KERRY currently 238

John Edwards just announced that that Kerry and him would wait until every vote is counted.

If this Presidential race turns out to be a tie. The newly elected House of Representatives would have to vote for the New President. This will depend on the Provisional ballots in Ohio. It really looks an uphill battle for Senator Kerry.

Kerry has just taken New Hampshire. Bush has 249 electorial ballots. Kerry has 221.

With 94% of the precincts in Ohio, George Bush is winning 51% to 49%