Home > Why Kerry Conceded Defeat despite Electoral Fraud

Why Kerry Conceded Defeat despite Electoral Fraud

by Open-Publishing - Tuesday 9 November 2004
9 comments

Elections-Elected USA

The easy smile on Kerry’s face as he conceded to Bush should have made a few things clear.

There are reasons why Kerry conceded so quickly, there are reasons why he never mentioned a single instance of voter fraud or intimidation throughout the day on November 2nd as widespread evidence of disenfranchisement was surfacing (at least through independent media outlets) and there are reasons why he didn’t use his concession speech as an opportunity to articulate even mild opposition to Bush policies.

The reasons are rooted in the fact that Kerry has much more allegiance to elite power in the U.S. than he has or ever will have to the millions of disenfranchised and unrepresented voters in this country.

Speaking out against voter fraud would carry an implicit challenge to the myth of American democracy.

Why should Kerry take the risk of challenging the legitimacy of the system? He is a pro-war, neo-liberal imperialist of the millionaire class. He has nothing to lose and much to gain from another 4 years of the Bush administration.

Given this realization, it’s critical that everyone, from the Democrats who actually saw Kerry as an alternative to the liberals who merely wanted "anyone but Bush" conduct a serious interrogation of how the notion of "electability" dominated political discourse leading up the Democratic primaries.

Many people opposed to the Bush administration’s policies supported Kerry because of his so-called "electability." At the altar of "electability" many progressive people sacrificed their politics and their self-respect. November 3rd has arrived and we are left with the devastating failure of this logic - not only is Bush still President but national political discourse is even more entrenched around a pro-war, neo-liberal imperialism.

It is worth considering what we would be left with other than defeat, had the Democratic Party thrown its support behind Carol Mosley Braun, Dennis Kucinich, Al Sharpton or even Howard Dean. We might still be faced with Bush on November 3rd, smirking and basking in the glow of illegitimate power. But we would also have a country that was at least talking about the possibility of ending war on Iraq, protecting civil liberties, and challenging the many forms of racial social and economic injustice that are endemic in this country. We might have heard corporate media pundits being forced to talk about something, anything new.

The Democratic Party would do well to prioritize substance over "electability" in future elections in order to avoid the shame and disappointment at having spent four years accomplishing nothing.

But liberals and semi-radicals shouldn’t hold their breath waiting for that to happen. If all the "get out the vote" energy that has been mobilized around this election is to have any lasting strength, it is going to have to start building power outside of, even in opposition to the great farce of national electoral politics. Rather than having coalitions driven by young voters’ tepid support for a pathetic Democratic candidate, they should be driven by real campaigns to end U.S. imperialism at home and abroad.

In other words, groups like the League of Pissed off Voters should not skip a beat in channeling its energy into the new anti-war movement that is inevitably going to emerge. On regional and city levels the League should engage with local elections and ballot issues. But beyond that, there is no reason why the League if it stays organized, can’t do everything from prevent a hospital from closing, stop an incinerator from being built, demand educational justice, fight the prison system and build powerful community institutions that will work to end violence against women, police brutality, homelessness and any number of other things.

For radicals who already prioritize community organizing, fighting oppressive institutions through direct action and building visionary structures of mutual aid and empowerment in the ashes of those institutions, November 3rd is a day like any other. Their daily lives are the work of revolution. I’m thinking of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization , who right now is planning "projects of survival" for this winter, which include public housing takeovers, so that no Detroit resident will face eviction, water shut-offs or lack of heat without community resistance.

I’m also thinking of Sista II Sista in Brooklyn, NY - a freedom school for young women of color that not only builds the political, spiritual and physical strengths of young women, but is challenging patriarchy and violence in their community by creating a collective, women-led, community-based alternative to the police. I’m even thinking of the Indymedia network, which doesn’t waste time reforming corporate media, but creates free, participatory media outside of corporate structures. It is one of the world’s largest all-volunteer-run, decentralized organizations. As such it presents a formidable challenge to the corporate media.

These are models that if supported, studied, replicated and improved upon will bring us to a radically different place in four years. And even if we find ourselves listening to another sniveling Democrat read the same speech that Gore read in 2000 and that Kerry re-read in 2004, with the same shit-eating-I-love-America-grin, it won’t really matter because maybe in four years we’ll be organized enough to make demands.

http://globalresearch.ca/articles/JEN411A.html

http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_13427.shtml

Forum posts

  • It’s a sad indictment of ’Western Democracy’ that since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Socialism in its wake, that there is no real alternative to the new Right. This Right is dressed up in the manner of alternatives, be it Kerry, Blair. Howard etc. and they ALL adhere slavish obedience to the Neocon altar. The right don’t have to garnish overwhelming support for their policies, they pander to the lowest common denominators of human beings -greed, consumption, bigotry and fear.
    Voting in our elections is akin to choosing a brand of soap powder, -If Keryy had won what difference would it make to the majority of Americans lives -absolutely fuck all. I agree that the multi-millionaire Kerry does not give a toss for the disenfranchised Americans. For him it’s just an ego career trip. The old slogan rings true now more than ever ’Whoever you vote for the government wins’.

    • Kerry lost cause hes a looser, get used to it youse liberels !!! 4 more yeras of george bUsh. YEEHAA!!

    • Kerry lost coz it is all a big game, a farce.The winner is predetermined long before the voting starts.All you idiot republicans and your slurs.How many of you know who is a the top.How many of you can get a private meeting with bush or Kerry.How many of you actually read anything other than the newspaper.Grow a brain and wake up before your country is in the hands of the Saudis.

    • A yera,whats that?Some kind of middle eastern dish.Please learn to spell and speak before making your pathetic comments.

  • Kerry exposed that this election was a scam by conceding too quickly. He should have at least pretended to fight or something, but instead laughingly said he came up ’too short’. This is no laughing matter to most Americans and members of the world community because we know how dangerous Bush has been to everyone’s safety. How is it the democratic candidate doesn’t see the seriousness of the situation? Because Skull and bones pays alot more than 400,000 per year as president of course!

    • Dear Sir or Madaam,

      I do see the seriousness of the current situation and trust me, It’s not as terrible as my colleagues and myself and also the liberal media make it sound. We once again tried the scare tactic to win the presidency and unfortunately it still doesn’t work for us. The only scam was the 250 million dollars that my party spent trying unseat one of the best Presidents that we have had since Mr. Reagan. Therefore, the Democratic party and myself will be working hard during the next four years to reverse the lies and deceit that we made in order for me to run for President in 08’. Yes I will be running for the oval office again in 08’ so please forgive me for what I have done and hang on until 08’ and please cast your vote again for my liberal party. If you want to hear more about this situation, I’ll be having a radio address on Saturday November 20th at 10 am est. to better explain my mishap. Once again, thank you for your support and I’ll see you in 08’.

      John F. Kerry

    • Fuck the South. Fuck ’em. We should have let them go when they wanted to leave. But no, we had to kill half a million people so they’d stay part of our special Union. Fighting for the right to keep slaves - yeah, those are states we want to keep.

      And now what do we get? We’re the fucking Arrogant Northeast Liberal Elite? How about this for arrogant: the South is the Real America? The Authentic America. Really?

      Cause we fucking founded this country, assholes. Those Founding Fathers you keep going on and on about? All that bullshit about what you think they meant by the Second Amendment giving you the right to keep your assault weapons in the glove compartment because you didn’t bother to read the first half of the fucking sentence? Who do you think those wig-wearing lacy-shirt sporting revolutionaries were? They were fucking blue-staters, dickhead. Boston? Philadelphia? New York? Hello? Think there might be a reason all the fucking monuments are up here in our backyard?

      No, No. Get the fuck out. We’re not letting you visit the Liberty Bell and fucking Plymouth Rock anymore until you get over your real American selves and start respecting those other nine amendments. Who do you think those fucking stripes on the flag are for? Nine are for fucking blue states. And it would be 10 if those Vermonters had gotten their fucking Subarus together and broken off from New York a little earlier. Get it? We started this shit, so don’t get all uppity about how real you are you Johnny-come-lately "Oooooh I’ve been a state for almost a hundred years" dickheads. Fuck off.

      Arrogant? You wanna talk about us Northeasterners being fucking arrogant? What’s more American than arrogance? Hmmm? Maybe horsies? I don’t think so. Arrogance is the fucking cornerstone of what it means to be American. And I wouldn’t be so fucking arrogant if I wasn’t paying for your fucking bridges, bitch.

      All those Federal taxes you love to hate? It all comes from us and goes to you, so shut up and enjoy your fucking Tennessee Valley Authority electricity and your fancy highways that we paid for. And the next time Florida gets hit by a hurricane you can come crying to us if you want to, but you’re the ones who built on a fucking swamp. "Let the Spanish keep it, it’s a shithole," we said, but you had to have your fucking orange juice.

      The next dickwad who says, "It’s your money, not the government’s money" is gonna get their ass kicked. Nine of the ten states that get the most federal fucking dollars and pay the least... can you guess? Go on, guess. That’s right, motherfucker, they’re red states. And eight of the ten states that receive the least and pay the most? It’s too easy, asshole, they’re blue states. It’s not your money, assholes, it’s fucking our money. What was that Real American Value you were spouting a minute ago? Self reliance? Try this for self reliance: buy your own fucking stop signs, assholes.

      Let’s talk about those values for a fucking minute. You and your Southern values can bite my ass because the blue states got the values over you fucking Real Americans every day of the goddamn week. Which state do you think has the lowest divorce rate you marriage-hyping dickwads? Well? Can you guess? It’s fucking Massachusetts, the fucking center of the gay marriage universe. Yes, that’s right, the state you love to tie around the neck of anyone to the left of Strom Thurmond has the lowest divorce rate in the fucking nation. Think that’s just some aberration? How about this: 9 of the 10 lowest divorce rates are fucking blue states, asshole, and most are in the Northeast, where our values suck so bad. And where are the highest divorce rates? Care to fucking guess? 10 of the top 10 are fucking red-ass we’re-so-fucking-moral states. And while Nevada is the worst, the Bible Belt is doing its fucking part.

      But two guys making out is going to fucking ruin marriage for you? Yeah? Seems like you’re ruining it pretty well on your own, you little bastards. Oh, but that’s ok because you go to church, right? I mean you do, right? Cause we fucking get to hear about it every goddamn year at election time. Yes, we’re fascinated by how you get up every Sunday morning and sing, and then you’re fucking towers of moral superiority. Yeah, that’s a workable formula. Maybe us fucking Northerners don’t talk about religion as much as you because we’re not so busy sinning, hmmm? Ever think of that, you self-righteous assholes? No, you’re too busy erecting giant stone tablets of the Ten Commandments in buildings paid for by the fucking Northeast Liberal Elite. And who has the highest murder rates in the nation? It ain’t us up here in the North, assholes.

      Well this gravy train is fucking over. Take your liberal-bashing, federal-tax-leaching, confederate-flag-waving, holier-than-thou, hypocritical bullshit and shove it up your ass.

      And no, you can’t have your fucking convention in New York next time. Fuck off.

      contact

    • Oh right like anyone here is stupid enough to believe you are a democrat...just like a republican to go on a blog spot and pretend he is a democrat, did you learn this from the pretend president??

  • Right-on-target analysis! I vividly recall Kerry saying that he would "kill the terrorists," whereas Bush Jr. merely wanted to "defeat terrorism." I also recall that Kerry called for the creation of two new Army divisions, the better with which to kill all of those terrorists.

    Liberal democrats and some quasi-Progressives have to get off the fence and come down squarely on the side of democracy. In order for them to accomplish this difficult feat, they will have to abandon all of their illusory notions that a benign and equitable society can ever issue from the rapacious jaws of the U.S. capitalist political/economic system.