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A Daily Chronicle of Bush Administration Distortion September 28, 2004

     

Bush Restricting Democracy As Election Nears



President Bush has opined about the need for democracy to be preserved, and for U.S. elections to be fair. In 2002, he said "Every registered voter deserves to have confidence that the system is fair and elections are honest."1 In 2003, he gave a speech to the National Endowment for Democracy claiming he had a "commitment to democracy."2 But, as a new report shows, Bush and the Republican Party are doing everything they can to reduce democracy at home as the election approaches.

As an article in In These Times notes, in August 2003 the CEO of one of the biggest manufacturers of new voting machines wrote a fundraising letter saying he is "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."3 In June 2004, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) tried to remove 48,000 traditionally Democratic voters from the Florida voter rolls,4 prompting the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to demand an investigation.5 In July, a top GOP official in Michigan indicated his party's effort to reduce minority voter turnout, saying that the GOP will have "a tough time [in this election]" if "we do not suppress the Detroit vote."6 In August, Jeb Bush's political appointee tried to hire two top Bush fundraisers to represent the election office in Broward County in the case of a recount.7

See the full article at www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/1115.

Sources:
  1. "President Signs Historic Election Reform Legislation into Law," The White House, 10/29/02.
  2. "President Bush Discusses Freedom in Iraq and Middle East," The White House, 11/06/03.
  3. "Voting Machine Controversy," Common Dreams News Center, 8/23/03.
  4. "Rights leader scolds Bush on use of felon purge lists," Miami Herald, 6/22/04.
  5. "Voting worries just won't go away," Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 7/18/04.
  6. "Groups Say GOP Moves to Stifle Vote," Washington Post, 8/26/04.
  7. "Elections Supervisor Rapped for Hiring Lawyers With Bush Ties," Law.com, 8/30/04.



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