For your OWN SAKES, give it up, folks!

I got this from Fox News (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,143510,00.html). My own notes will be within the text.

Lawmakers Dispute Electoral College Results
Thursday,
January 06, 2005

WASHINGTON — Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.),
and Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio), on Thursday contested the results of the
Electoral College that would give President Bush a second term.

My thoughts pretty much are that this is nothing more than a giant episode of grandstanding, and very unprofessional at that. Where is the House Democratic leadership? Either this is a sign of tacit agreement with the grandstanders, or it's a definite sign that the Dems in Congress have no leadership whatsoever to corral stupidity like this. Either no leadership, or people who are afraid to truly lead.

A joint session of Congress met to certify the election on Thursday but quickly recessed per congressional rules to go to their respective chambers to debate certification for up to two hours. "I raise this objection neither to put the nation in a turmoil of proposed overturn election," Jones said afterward in the House. "I raised this objection because I am convinced that we as a body must conduct a formal" debate and "protect the integrity of the true will of the people."Boxer said on the floor of the Senate that she joined with Jones to "shed some light" about the issues of reported voting irregularities in Ohio as well as election reform throughout the nation. The California Democrat said that even though the last Congress passed the Help
America Vote Act, lawmakers had not done enough to examine voting problems. Boxer said, "the centerpiece of this country is democracy and the centerpiece of democracy is ensuring the right to vote." "Our people are dying all over the world ... to bring democracy to the far corners of the world," she said. "Let's fix it here."

I suspect that they really don't care about a "formal debate" insamuch as a chance to completely shout down the opposition. If they truly cared about the will of the people, they'd realize that even Kerry realized that there was no way that he could win in Ohio, and gave it up. And that Bush has a margin of well over 2 MILLION voters supporting him; in which he gained in nearly every state in the Union, even the ones he lost. The Dems should dwell on that, rather than sniping like this. And I especially take umbrage to their line about "our people are dying all over the world". They know that the rest of the public knows that they sneer at the military whenever they get the chance, and that's just fluff rhetoric from them. Not only are they incessantly whining here, they're also being haughty about it. Never a good combo.

After the two-hour debate in each chamber, the House and Senate are to vote separately on whether to uphold the objection or go back and certify the president. The two bodies are expected to reconvene later in the day in a joint session to report their respective actions.Boxer decided late Wednesday that she would challenge the results of Ohio's 20 Electoral College votes for Bush. She sent a letter to Jones saying she was "moved" by Jones' concerns about reported election irregularities in the decisive swing state. "I have concluded that objecting to the electoral votes from Ohio is the only immediate way to bring these issues to light by allowing you to have a two-hour debate to let the American people know the facts surrounding Ohio's election," Boxer said in the letter.

This is just self-serving. They're acting like they're some form of messianic help coming to everyone's aid. Right. And, Mrs. Boxer, your view of a two hour debate wouldn't just happen to be a litany of accusations that the Dems have, would it? Or would you really want to have a true debate about the election- in which the Republicans would get equal shrift about Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, and also about the problems with the now infamous exit polls. But I have a sinking feeling that the Dems don't want to talk about that. Boxer's concepts of debate, in this instance, are more likely a one sided arguement that would be cannon fodder for their liberal friends in the media. It can only cause more harm than good- to both America, and to the Democratic Party. Oh, and Mrs. Boxer, your form of debate did exist in this world; but you can thank Ronald Regan for getting rid of the Soviet Politburo in 1989.

Earlier on Thursday, Boxer and Jones held a news conference and acknowledged they are not expecting to overturn the November election results. But they stressed the need to have a debate on voting irregularities, which they suggested would not happen if it weren't for this formal challenge. Boxer characterized the objection as "the first round in the battle for electoral justice."

Like I've said, this is nothing more than a cheesy attempt at grandstanding. How will California voters- especially in the Californian north- react to Boxer's transparent attempts here? And how will the American public at large react to something as politically lazy as this? The Democratic Party has big problems on it's hands, especially if this is how they deal with internal crisises. Oh, and by the way, while OTHER Dems are trying to be bipartisan about the Tsunami relief (which I applaud), we get these hacks hurting everyone, as well.

Boxer also said she regrets that she didn't object to the certification four years ago when the controversial election put Bush over Al Gore."Yes, I think there are people who wish we didn't do it, but we're doing it for the right reasons," she said, adding that she was also going to introduce with her House colleagues legislation to standardize elections nationally.Jones added that she couldn't let the election go without assuring democracy applies to everyone in the United States."I can't let it go because there are people in my congressional district, there are people in this country who said, 'Stephanie, I did not get my vote counted. My vote did not count. I was denied the opportunity to vote.'"

Yes, her true colors come out- Anybody But Bush. She still hasn't gotten over Al Gore's loss over 4 years ago, and doesn't care that Republicans do bother to vote. When will some Dems stand up to the Boxers of the world, and tell them that they're going far over the line- especially with her last comments. A wee bit facist, I think. Think about it, folks, the only way she'd ever give a damn about her vote is if every Republican vote didn't count. What she ultimately wants is a one party system in which the opposition is silenced by any means necessary. You Dems better start reigning in the fringe elements of your party, unless you want to become as irrelevant as CBS has. Somewhere in his grave, Harry Truman is crying.