Another ambiguous election

[Subo97]

How could this happen? I stand aghast. the Iraqi constitutional referendum is questioned because in some areas there were more yes votes than voters.

Hmmmmmmm.

An election conceptualized and carried out by the Bush administration is apparently full of irregularities.

Whoda thunk it?

I have a theory. In their response to their lame duck status, the Bush apparatchniks are auditioning for jobs as joke writers for late night talk show hosts. Nobody can be accidently this dumb.

 

[shereads]

How could this happen? I stand aghast. the Iraqi constitutional referendum is questioned because in some areas there were more yes votes than voters.

That's the opposite of ambiguous, Subo. It's a resounding, unmistakeable YES by a voting public with more pencils and enthusiasm than experience. Good for them! Maybe one vote per voter isn't the only way to run a representative democracy.

I see a vote like that and I see freedom on the march, Miami-style. We, too have been criticized for voting a bit too emphatically, back in the days of primitive paper ballots that could be "counted" and even "recounted." In our case, the extra votes were cast by dead voters, more respectfully called Lifesigns-Challenged Americans, who are at least as politically savvy as breathing voters.

I wouldn't worry, Subo. What Diebold, Inc. did for Florida and Ohio, they can do for Iraq. Problem voting literally vanished here in 2004. I'll bet Jeb Bush is already on it.

Speaking of the dead, welcome back from it! You were missed.

No, wait. That was George Clooney.

Hmmmmmmm.

An election conceptualized and carried out by the Bush administration is apparently full of irregularities.

Whoda thunk it?

I have a theory. In their response to their lame duck status, the Bush apparatchniks are auditioning for jobs as joke writers for late night talk show hosts. Nobody can be accidently this dumb.

 

[Liar]

How could this happen? I stand aghast. the Iraqi constitutional referendum is questioned because in some areas there were more yes votes than voters.

It's just how the Iraqis roll. I think Saddam got something like 112% of the votes in the presidental race there a few years ago.

 

[Huckleman2000]

How could this happen? I stand aghast. the Iraqi constitutional referendum is questioned because in some areas there were more yes votes than voters.

Hmmmmmmm.

The key to an election is a strong "get out the vote" effort. Obviously, this one was highly efficient!

 

[R. Richard]

From the news wire:
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But doubts over those reports raised the possibility of irregularities. The Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq said Monday it would have to conduct the audit after "unusually high" "yes" counts were reported by most of Iraq's 18 provinces.

Adil al-Lami, the commission's executive secretary, insisted the body would ensure the final count was fair and accurate, saying it was "a neutral body" acting "as a referee."

"If we suspect that the numbers are higher or lower than we expected, we have to double-check them, and this audit means it might be several more days before we announce the final outcome," he said. "We are not concerned whether the outcome is `yes' or `no.' We are only interested in making the process technically a success."

Al-Lami said the unexpectedly high "yes" votes came only from the nine Shiite provinces in the south and the three Kurdish ones in the north, most of which saw approval rates of above 90 percent — and as high as 98 percent.
Those areas were expected to see high "yes" counts and would not likely affect the final outcome.
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Note: No reports of more than 100% of the vote.

 

[shereads]

It's just how the Iraqis roll.

It's typical of the Kurds and their ways.



I love me sometimes.

 

[LadyJeanne]

It's typical of the Kurds and their ways.



I love me sometimes.

We love you too, Ms. Muffett.

 

[shereads]

So this Saddam trial: does he get to call character witnesses? He has that great photo of himself shaking hands with Rumsfeld, recalling happier times when we were his pals.

If you were on Saddam's dream team, would you show the jury that photo? I'm not sure I would. Rummy isn't exactly the flavor of the month right now. And there was that embarrassing prison-torture scandal...

Maybe there are some home movies with Reagan at a cookout or something. Who doesn't love Reagan?

 

[shereads]

We love you too, Ms. Muffett.

Thank God someone got it right away. I wondered if it was just the Ambien.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Has there been a nationwide vote taken, anywhere, at any time, where there were not irregularities pointed out by the looseing side?

I seem to remember much ado being made about Chicagoans voting early and often and from the grave to elect Kennedy. I can recall a long run of bitching about two florida counties with a large percentage of voters registered democrat, but the counties go to the GOP in every presidential election. I recall accusations of poor blacks being bussed into Jackson and voting to swing a district to give us our first black rep. since reconstruction. Espy I think? Maybe?

Shites and Kurds favor the constitution, Sunni's in general, but not across the boards, are against it. There aren't that many Sunni's. It dosen't seem too peculiar to me that Kurds and Shites voted overwhelmingly for it in the districts where they have a majority. Unlike so many of us, the vote is new and precious to them and if they are willing to risk life and limb to go to the polling places. It dosen't seem that strange that they overwhelmingly approved it.

 

[R. Richard]

Shites and Kurds favor the constitution, Sunni's in general, but not across the boards, are against it. There aren't that many Sunni's. It dosen't seem too peculiar to me that Kurds and Shites voted overwhelmingly for it in the districts where they have a majority. Unlike so many of us, the vote is new and precious to them and if they are willing to risk life and limb to go to the polling places. It dosen't seem that strange that they overwhelmingly approved it.

The Iraqi Shia were oppressed and murdered by Saddam for years. As you have pointed out it does not seem strange that they overwhelmingly voted to approve the new constitution. This last is especially so, since they will rule their former oppressors under a constitutional government since there are only about 20% of Iraqis who are Arab Sunnis.

The Kurds are also Sunnis, but they are Seljuk Turks, not Arabs. The interests of the Kurds are more or less aligned with the Shia Arabs. The Kurds will go along with the constitution because it is the best option they have. The Kurds really want their own country, but the Turks are violently opposed to the establishment of a Kurdistan. Thus, for now at least, the Kurds vote for the constitution and bide their time.

It might be pointed out that many Iraqis voted at the risk of their lives. This is especially true in the case of the Shia Arabs who are still under attack by the Sunni "insurgents." [It might be pointed out that most of the "insurgents" are not Iraqis and many are not even Arabs or Kurds.]

The voting irregularities so far cited have no bearing on the outcome of the election. The very high percentages of "yes" votes were from Shia and Kurd dominated provinces where the passage of the constitution was already assured.

 

[Subo97]

Miss Muffett

And i dare say that's an extraordinarily divine tuffet she's sitting on, too.

 

[cantdog]

Another feature of Iraqi voting patterns, particularly in the rural areas and in the Kurdish north:

The clans tend to vote en bloc. I know this seems alien to the Western individualist tradition, but that's only because it is. Tribal people see matters of government policy in group terms, the way they see most things. In the first election, the pattern of entire clans voting unanimously was noted. It makes sense in a way.


cantdog

 

[shereads]

Another feature of Iraqi voting patterns, particularly in the rural areas and in the Kurdish north:

The clans tend to vote en bloc. I know this seems alien to the Western individualist tradition, but that's only because it is. Tribal people see matters of government policy in group terms, the way they see most things. In the first election, the pattern of entire clans voting unanimously was noted. It makes sense in a way.


cantdog

If the Maine clan planned to wipe out the Florida clan, I'd vote with my clan, too.

Here's an idea: The Insurgency Party. They'd be like Nader, but with shoulder-launched missiles instead of a web site.

Now we're talkin' representative democracy!