Just how corrupt are our elections?

OMG! Russian twitter bots!
Because the problem with our "sacred" elections is Russia! ROTFL

Let's forget for the moment that the primary corruption of our elections is legal bribery.

Let's also forget for the moment the complete corruption of the DNC, if only because it's been done.

And then there is the super-delegates.

However, it's a mistake to forget that the Republican primaries were corrupted too.

Colorado GOP leaders canceled the party’s presidential straw poll in August to avoid binding its delegates to a candidate who may not survive until the Republican National Convention in July.
“Instead, Republicans selected national delegates through the caucus process, a move that put the election of national delegates in the hands of party insiders and activists — leaving roughly 90 percent of the more than 1 million Republican voters on the sidelines.

colorado-gop.jpg

But that was 2016.
Instead I'd like to look at new revelations of corruption for those that like video testimony.

“Now it’s just an oligarchy, with unlimited political bribery being the essence of getting the nominations for president or to elect the president. And the same thing applies to governors, and U.S. senators and congress members.”
— Former President Jimmy Carter

Who could have seen this coming? Well, the Federal Election Committee's head in 2015.

The leader of the Federal Election Commission, the agency charged with regulating the way political money is raised and spent, says she has largely given up hope of reining in abuses in the 2016 presidential campaign, which could generate a record $10 billion in spending.
“The likelihood of the laws being enforced is slim,” Ann M. Ravel, the chairwoman, said in an interview. “I never want to give up, but I’m not under any illusions. People think the F.E.C. is dysfunctional. It’s worse than dysfunctional.”
Share
up
0 users have voted.

Comments

Pricknick's picture

And don't bother asking your states attorney general for relief.
They're in on it.

up
0 users have voted.

Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

snoopydawg's picture

The third sentence says it all, doesn't it? All of the other problems people have with voting is just a cherry on top of that.

This has been posted here numerous times, but it sums up how bribery is legal in America. With all of the millions and billions spent on elections, why are people so convinced that a measly $100,000 spent by Russia was what caused Her to lose? I mean seriously, who can really believe that? Especially when most of the ads were placed after the election? Sigh ...

[video:https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5tu32CCA_Ig]

The nuclear clock is at 2 minutes to midnight. Or closer. We are experiencing an Orange Revolution.

up
0 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

new poll

The healthcare system supported by Bernie Sanders and many liberal-leaning Democrats has begun gaining steam with more Americans, according to a new poll.

The poll, from the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health policy think tank, found that:

59% of respondents supported a Medicare-for-all healthcare system in which all Americans would get coverage through a government program like Medicare or Medicaid.
Moving to a public-option model, under which people could sign up for the Medicare-like program, would be even more popular.
About 75% of the public would favor a program framed as a public option for anyone who wants it.

mfa.jpg

up
0 users have voted.

They would rather lose than piss off their billionaires. Until people vote third party, it is the mindless backlash of voters ricocheting between two walls.

up
0 users have voted.

"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Lookout's picture

(2.5 min)
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Btq9RrXj7c]

What democracy?

up
0 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

As very few pundits have noted, only the people inside the system can defraud and cheat. The idea that some hacker half a world away who doesn't speak English nor ever been to America can change vote tallies is utter bullshit. And not only that, but knew which states and which county in those states to hack.

A point BTW about paper ballots. As the reformer said, there is no transparency into the counting of absentee ballots, and those are paper ballots. While paper ballots may be a good vote capture system, they do not stop fruadelent counting and talleying. When I worked elections it was all flip machines. I doubt if anybody could rig the machines, but not necessary. The "election commissioner" who broke the seal at the end of the day could easy "mis-read" and give his guy more votes and the opponent less votes, keeping the overall number the same. Look at the case of Tim Conova where the election commission just said "fuck you" and destroyed paper ballots.

Update on 2016 Destroyed Ballots: Canova vs Wasserman Schultz
https://medium.com/@Tim_Canova/update-on-2016-destroyed-ballots-canova-vs-wasserman-schultz-eadf828e0ed

The democratic party Russiangators (is there a distinction now), complain that Trump has done nothing to stop the Russians in this years elections. First, states control the election process, and secondily, why should democratics or republicans reform anything in states where they benefit by cheating.

What Russiagate has done is convince people that Putin violated our sacred and fair and honest voting systems. Which of course is bullshit and actually stops real reform as the systems will be hardened against outside intrusion, when the problem lies inside the system.

Also, reform and safeguarding agaisnt cheats inside the system will not happen as long as major cheated candidates cover up the fact that they were cheated. Bernie can talk all he wants about policy, but in the primaries those progressive candidates will be mostly cheated out of victories as happened in IL.

up
0 users have voted.

The DNC aint learned a goddamn thing since that SHITSHOW that was called a DEM primary.They havent addressed the corruption that ended up costing the party the presidency.Worst of all the party wont recognize that they HAVE the person and message that the American people would rally behind in Senator Sanders BUT the vindictiveness of the HILIBOTS and turdway corp DEMS are dividing the party.I cant understand this crazy loyalty to the Clintons that the party still has,Hillary was a terrible candidate anyone who has followed her career knew she was going to lose.I think thats why Bernie decided to run,he knew she would lose and he wasnt going to sit back and watch the GOP complete the hat trick of owning all branches of government.The DEMS should be hailing Bernie as a HERO and jump on board his bandwagon of bringing back FDR NEW DEAL policys that this country desperately needs.
I am TERRIFIED of what has become of this country,TRUMP is destroying the country and the DEMS sit on their hands helpless or they enable TRUMP when the wallsteet types need their votes.Its a GODDAMN DISGRACE!WAKE UP DEMOCRATS!YOU HAVE THE PERSON TO FIX THIS MESS IF ONLY YOU WOULD WAKE UP!

up
0 users have voted.

DW

Amanda Matthews's picture

@LEFTYFRIZZLE

firmly in “The Russians Did It” party. That doesn’t give him much credibility as a candidate.

up
0 users have voted.

I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa

@LEFTYFRIZZLE

the CorpoDems themselves are half of the corruption making up what passes for a US government. The corruption is a feature not a bug, and the last thing they want is to be individually completely replaced, as in the Berniecrat's desperate effort, (producing results, despite obstacles, attacks and cheating; just wait until they get enough in to form a power-bloc and affect who gets into committees and the Party structure) with actual public servants forming a legitimate US political Party and government of, by and for the people, with equal rights, treatment and opportunity for all, when they've worked so hard over so many decades toward a fascist totalitarian State and have so much of the population carefully programed to accept it.

The CorpoDems aren't going to change into decent, patriotic human beings from the pathologically greed-rotten psychopaths that they are any more than are the Corporate Republicans; they must be replaced with people who believe in democracy, intrinsic human worth and all of the human survival values psychopaths inherently lack the capacity for.

up
0 users have voted.

Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

how is anybody supposed to take seriously the nonsensical bleating about threats to our democratic institutions, when both sides exploit the districting process to undermine democratic representation?

ultimately, the greatest threat to our civil society, nevermind our democratic institutions, is the cheerful smarmy contempt that our "leaders" show for integrity and for ethics. i believe we now have a culture in which the majority of the population stands in agreement with those leaders. politics, and indeed all social competition, are treated as childish games in which pedantic evasion of the intent of the rules is part of the entertainment value.

up
0 users have voted.

The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.