Excerpt From Bev Harris' Observations during the Iowa Caucus: I literally laughed out loud at the magic show the Republicans are putting on.
"We will be very transparent and report in live time on our Web site."
"Well not the details, precincts will come after the totals are announced " (think about this folks: You can't GET the totals without the precinct results. They're doing it out of order)
And then:
"Oh gee the web site isn't posting any results after all"
And then:
"Hello we are the networks and with 40% in we are projecting [note subtle misuse of language] "Huckabee won Iowa" [Correct language would say "we are projecting that Huckabee will win Iowa -- and not a single iota of results had been PUBLICLY released.]
Next we see the only live coverage, done by CSPAN, in which McCain thumps everyone.
Instead of counting in public, they had the public leave the room before the counting and things are being sorted out of view and counted under chairs and in in corners, with no public view of the data. This was done by perfectly nice people. Problem was, they didn't provide them with anything remotely sensible for a workspace -- like, oh, say a table and some chairs.
Next, we see a cell phone situation, which then inexplicably calls him back to tell him the call did not go through. Baffled, he says "we're done. I think."
More happy gesticulating by the networks pronouncing winners with great precision.
Still, at this time, not a thing has thus far been reported in "real time."
Then a nearly filled in map appears, but without telling us the percentage of precincts reporting and with no precinct data.
It's not up to the citizens to prove fraud. What we need is a system where the votes are counted in public (they were not, in Carroll County), and where we can check the precinct results against the reported precinct results.
What we got was a magic show.
Poster Comment: "What did you expect? A Rubber Chicken?"