Every Vote Counts

"MATAWAN — Republican Paul Buccellato, who lost the mayoral race by one vote, is calling for a recount. Buccellato was defeated by Democrat Mary Aufseeser in the Nov. 6 general election. He received a total of 946 votes, and Aufseeser 947. "The best thing to do, since it is a single vote, is to do a recount," said Buccellato, 53, who has served as a councilman since 2001. "It's in the best interest of everyone." (Thompson, Asbury Park Press)

"BOGOTA -- Democrat Joseph Shuler, whose bid to unseat Republican incumbent Anne Marie Mitchell fell short by one vote in last week's council election, said Tuesday he will ask a judge to order a recount. "I want to rest good at night and know that either I won or I lost," he said. "I'm one vote away from being tied, and I'm optimistic that I'll be able to get two votes to win. I'm very close.”

If you add the votes in both communities, you get a dead heat.

Last February in Flemington, Mark Legato won the first of several special elections engendered by a close race from the November 2006 election. He won by a single vote in November, but the election results were thrown out by a judge. And then in large part due to great organizing, and lots of help from Democrats and DFA, he won. I worked on that race, and know from experience that each and every vote counts.

With races that close, don’t let anyone ever tell you that your vote and voice do not count.

Full Political Friday: Debate, breakfast with a Congressman, then “Sicko”.

Going to the candidate's debate.
Laugh about it, shout about it
When you've got to choose
Every way you look at this you lose

(But only if you vote Republican...)

After the Democratic candidates debate Thursday night [courtesy of Rosi of DFA], we had a brief breakfast with Congressman Dennis Kucinich and his campaign staff. It was a good conversation about his policy and his campaign.

The debate itself was a very inspirational event for me ---given the subject matter and the Tavis Smiley book ---assuaging a portion of the political cynicism that has been haunting my brain of late.

I thought I would use this opportunity over the next few days and briefly post about the Dems who want to sit in the White House. First up: Kucinich.

Although, I would imagine, that any of them will have to get the While House clean and fumigated upon entry to get rid of the Cheney/Bush stench.

Kucinich is a real true believer who is right on target [and has been for years] on the majority of the issues important to me. He is right on the War in Iraq, global warming and healthcare. And he has never been afraid to speak his mind on the issues that matter in the debates.

He got off the best line on Thursday’s debate: “The Republicans want everyone to lift themselves up by their own boot straps, and then they steal the boot from you.” All too true.

But for Howard Dean, he would have been my candidate in ’04. And there is the issue with the Congressman for me: Elect-ability. While Dean was perceived as having been able to win the Presidency, Kucinich is not. In order to get my support, he will have to persuade progressives he can win.

I think that most progressive Democrats would judge Kucinich with high marks on his policy. But, to do the job, he needs to get the job. Given the field for 2008, that will be tough for him.

Michael Moore supports HR 676, health care plan co-authored by Kucinich ---which leads me to "Sicko".

After the war, health care is the most important in the nation. Moore is right on target every moment of the film, “Sicko”.

Some facts to tell your right-wing Repub friends about healthcare:

1-Conservative governments in Canada, England and France all support universal health care. 2-the United States is the only developed nation without it.
3-In the US, there are four health care lobbyists for every congressman.

We have free public education, we road departments, police departments, fire departments---why not national healthcare? Makes sense to me.

The Democratic candidates need to be held accountable on this issue, as well as the war.