By Nov. 2, 2004, the mission of returning the extremists to power and retaining their agenda was complete. The process of distortions began with the smears of Kerry by the "swift boaters," Bush partisans who mounted a relentless campaign against Sen. John F. Kerry. This wasn't new. Marginal groups attacking candidates are common in our elections.
Full cooperation by the mainstream media with the vicious attacks was a first. The worst elements of partisan politics were willingly incorporated into the national dialog by the network talking heads and the shouting cable clones. And they treated it as business as usual instead of an unfair but devastating attack on the core character issue of Sen. Kerry's campaign, his service to the nation.
At the same time, the 2004 reporting of the networks and press consistently ignored the obvious signs of looming election disasters around the country. Coverage of the partisan set up in Ohio for an Election Day melt down was inadequate. Little attention was paid to the biased Department of Justice handling of voting and civil rights violations. And, of course, there had been no correction whatsoever of the problems of Florida 2000, which were characterized by 175,000 spoiled ballots, largely in minority precincts.
When it came time to vote on Nov. 2, 2004, the forces working for a perpetuation of illegitimate power swung into action and sealed our fate without even bothering to consult us. We were guaranteed four more years of decline and debasement, all enabled through election fraud on a scale never seen. It became the new business as usual with a bonus of more war, more torture, and a yet to be delivered economic melt down that would affect us all.
Miller's latest effort bears witness to his ability to inspire others to investigation and action after looking into the abyss of extremist corruption that he has observed so well in the past.
He provides an elegant framework for the collection of essays with his ongoing commentary forming the articles into a persuasive whole. If you want to understand how the tragedy of the last eight years began and developed into the current crisis, this book is one of your key resources.
In part 2 of this series, we'll see how "Loser Take All" unmasks the real surprise of the 2006 elections and provides a cogent warning about what awaits us in 2008.
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Permission granted to reproduce in whole or part with attribution of authorship, a link to this article, and acknowledgement of images.
* Disclosure: I received no payment for the use of "Urban Legend: The 2004 Election" in "Loser Take All" and I do not receive any financial benefit from book sales or other uses of the material provided.
"Loser Take All" contributors:
Larisa Alexandrovna * Michael Collins * Lance deHaven-Smith *
Bob Fitrakis * Brad Friedman * David L. Griscom *
James H. Gundlach * Jean Kaczmarek * Robert F. Kennedy Jr *
Paul Lehto * David W. Moore * Bruce O'Dell * Steven Rosenfeld
* Michael Richardson * Jonathan Simon * Nancy Tobi
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