Home > Senator Kerry rebuffs claim he said election was stolen
Senator Kerry rebuffs claim he said election was stolen
by Open-Publishing - Saturday 5 November 20057 comments
A spokesman for Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) vehemently denied that the senator had told a popular liberal author and journalist that he believed the 2004 election was "stolen" in response to queries from RAW STORY.
The author, New York University professor Mark Crispin Miller, told Democracy Now and Air America’s "Morning Sedition" the senator had confided in him at a fundraiser Friday, saying he believed the election was stolen after Miller offered Kerry a copy of his new book. Miller said that he was invited to the event by Peggy Kerry, the senator’s sister.
Kerry’s campaign quickly denounced the claim.
"I know Mr. Miller is trying to sell his book and he feels passionately about his thesis but his recent statements about his conversation with Senator Kerry are simply not true," spokesperson Jenny Backus said. "The only thing true about his recollection of the conversation is that he gave Senator Kerry a copy of his book."
Miller told Democracy Now Kerry "told me he now thinks the election was stolen. He says he doesn’t believe he is the person that can be out in front because of the sour grapes question. But he said he believes it was stolen. He says he argues with his democratic colleagues on the hill. He said he had a fight with Christopher Dodd because he said there’s questions about the voting machines and Dodd was angry."
Miller was shocked to hear of Kerry’s denial.
"I call that contemptible," Miller told RAW STORY. "That’s completely false."
"Anyone who knows my work knows that I’m not much interested in commercial gain," he added. "I wrote Fooled Again out of a sense of civic obligation, and I had thought the senator shared that concern with me."
Backus said Miller should be standing behind Kerry’s effort to pass the Count Every Vote Act.
"If Mr Miller wants to prevent the problems that happened in Ohio moving forward into 2005 and 2006," she said, "instead of misrepresenting what Senator Kerry said, he should be complimenting Kerry for leading the way in Congress with the Count Every Vote Act to improve voting rights and fund the election reform effort across the country."
"I think, frankly, that he is making a very serious mistake by taking this tack, because as I tried to tell him last Friday night, the only way that he can redeem himself in the eyes of most Democrats is to take the lead on the issue of election reform, and that requires speaking honestly about what happened last year."
Backus said Kerry would have fought to reverse the election’s outcome if he believed the election had been stolen.
"Make no mistake, after pouring his heart and soul into the campaign and seeing George Bush continue the mess he created, if the election had been stolen John Kerry would be fighting them today to reverse the outcome," she said.
– http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Senat...
Forum posts
5 November 2005, 04:40
We’ll in short I think these two flaming BIg Government NWO types are "Butt buddies" (No offense intended). Skull Bush or Bones Kerry---Either way tens(hundreds) of thousands die in the quest for Oil, Empire and Israel.
If the Dems want to come back they have to find someone who is REAL and DEDICATED under assault , someone who can win back those who REALLY believe that the rule of law based on the Constitution and Bill of Rights should be the guiding force of this great nation and RESTORE it to it’s former place of respect in the world.
The NeoCOns have trashed not only the respect for the Republican party and the rule of law but also the repsect America at one time shared at least with a part of the World.
The Hillarys, Schumers, Liebermans won’t cut it. America hasn’t forgotten The Waco Massacre and those who stood by and whitewashed it and that type of lying gutlessness.
The DEms need someone who can LEAD— someone who values FAIRNESS more than pandering.
WE say no to torture. No to lies for war. No to secret trials based on secret evidence from secret tribunals in secret locations. No to Nazi prison camps holding people without charge.
YES to the Bill of Rights. YES to real freedom not the Orwellian ’freedom’ of the lying treacherous neoCONS!
LOng live The Republic!
5 November 2005, 06:25
more from Mark Crispin Miller at Democratic Underground
My exchange with Kerry
Kerry’s statement was not planned. He did not expect to see me.
His sister, Peggy Kerry, purposely invited me to that fundraiser so
that I could hand the senator a copy of my book. (She too understands
the urgency of getting the top Democrats to push the issue of
electoral reform.)
So I spoke briefly with him just as he arrived, and handed him the
book, saying, "You were robbed, Senator." He said, "I know!" with
a clear gesture of extreme frustration, and then said that he can’t get
any of his colleagues on the Hill to face the issue. Said that he had
lately had an argument about it with Chris Dodd, who didn’t want to
hear about it. Kerry tried to tell him about all the problems with the
electronic touch-screen machines, but Dodd refused to listen, saying
that he had looked into it, and that "there’s nothing there." (In bringing
the subject up with Dodd, Kerry was not influenced by the GAO report,
which he didn’t even know about until I mentioned it to him. Indeed, he seemed mightily impressed that the GAO had come out with a strong
report.)
I urged him to spearhead a major senatorial investigation into what went down last year, in the spirit of his best work in that chamber, when he led inquiries into Iran/contra and BCCI. He said that, given his position, he
doubts that he can be the one to go out front about the issue, because
of the "sour grapes" factor. I appreciate his dilemma, but still think
that he must embrace the issue of electoral reform, for the country’s
sake. (I also think that it would be the only way in which he might redeem
himself for his deplorable concession just a year ago.)
Believe me, I understand, and share, your feelings of impatience
at the senator’s long silence (which, again, he certainly would not
have broken if I hadn’t happened to bump into him). But if he’ll
champion the issue of electoral reform, we stand to gain much more
than we can get from merely cursing him for his timidity. I therefore
would advise you all to shower him with strong encouragement ASAP
6 November 2005, 05:08
WOW, MCM is very credible as well as the GAO report and the work of Attorney’s Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman of Ohio.
Senator Kerry, what the hell is wrong with you? You don’t work for them-you work for us and our country!
"Support Our Troops, Bring Them Home Now"
A Soldier’s Family
5 November 2005, 23:13
I just don’t think Kerry has the guts to speak about anything controversial, whether or not he believes it to be true. He has clearly and repeatedly demonstrated he is a follower, not a leader. Personally, I blame Kerry and his timidity for allowing the mess in this country to continue.
Some other articulate, inspiring Democrat needs to stand up and publicize the GAO study. [You might get Kerry to second or third the notion—if it is not perceived as too risky for him].
Stealing the election was just one more part of Karl Rove’s immoral, unAmerican, illegal conspiracy. He [and his coalition of religious fanatics, neocons, & oil/military corporate thieves] believes ANY means to his corrupt, greedy END is acceptable....as long as the manipulations can be classified, shredded, undetected, or denied from public access.
6 November 2005, 14:20
HE IS ONE OF THEM!Perfect running oposition for Bush (this guy Kerry wouldn’t contest a stolen election)How perfectly their plan works!!!!
7 November 2005, 04:47
When Kerry started his campaign by using his military records, he already lost any trust. Teaming up with militarization was wrong!
8 November 2005, 07:14
This Crispian Miller character is a crackpot. These moonbat conspiracy theories have been blown into a million pieces, and you all know it. BUSH WON. KERRY LOST. It doesn’t surprise me that Miller is lying in order to peddle his book.