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Democrats must engage in election recount efforts.
John Kerry's concession speech on November 3rd not only disappointed those of us who voted for him, it also put a stumbling block in front of those who wanted to see every vote counted. The message was, in effect, counting the votes before the Electoral College meets is unimportant because statistically we couldn't win. Progressive Democrats of America came out against the swift concession, pointing out it hampered our right to have every voter's voice heard and to research any irregularities. It now appears that the concession also lulled Democrats into a false sense there was nothing they could do. As news of voting irregularities has poured in from all over the country, particularly in Ohio, Democrats are scrambling to engage in the process of demanding and supporting recounts.
While the Democratic Party has failed to take the lead, the Green Party and the Libertarian Party have been doing the hard work of defending our right to have our votes counted. As most of the Democratic Party leadership looked on, apparently sitting on a massive war-chest inexplicably left after the election, these parties began to demand recounts in states where their presidential candidates, David Cobb and Michael Badnarik, were on the ballot. Still, Democratic Party leadership looks on. A judge recently determined that, since the Green and Libertarian Party candidates couldn't possibly win the election, the recount does not have to be expedited. It has to happen, but it doesn't have to happen in time to actually make it relevant to the Electoral College. It is painfully obvious that if Kerry had only stepped forward, the recount in Ohio would currently be underway. As it stands, it will probably begin next week.
This is not to say ALL Democrats have remained silent. Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) has been a very vocal supporter of election investigations, joining with Reps. Jerrold Nadler, Robert Wexler, Robert Scott and Rush Holt to pressure the Government Accountability Office to investigate the irregularities in the 2004 election.
Finally, it seems, the problems with the 2004 election are making headway in the media. On November 28th, Jesse Jackson spoke in Columbus, Ohio, supporting the Green and Libertarian Parties in their efforts and calling upon all Democrats to get involved. Jackson's presence brought national media attention to Ohio and educated many Americans, some for the first time, about the election irregularities in the state. He described the Ohio recount as "another opportunity for committed souls to step forward," and likened this battle to the Civil Rights struggles of the last century.
Though our leadership remains strangely silent, going so far as to have the Ohio Democrats retract a press release saying Kerry "joins" the recount effort, and change it to say Kerry "participates in" the effort, Democrats must become engaged. Progressive Democrats of America supports expediting the Ohio recount. Our National Editor, Alysia Fischer, attended Sunday's event with Rev. Jackson. Conversations with Green Party members and the lawyers involved in the Ohio cases reveal there is much Democrats can do to support the recount:
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