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As the Election from Hell drags through its third week, even the TV comics, with all their writers and other resources are unable come with new laugh lines. So, once again, we're going to get a little serious about it.
One troubling aspect of what's going on is the extensive use of "focus group" party lines. During the thirties, the Hitler/Goebbels propaganda machine originated this technique, but labeled it "The Big Lie," a much more honest designation. It depends upon the notion that if your repeat something, especially an egregious lie, a large number of times, eventually people will begin to believe it for no other reason than "everybody" seems to think it's true.
For example, we expect the phrase "a full, fair and accurate count of the votes" has been repeated hundreds, if not thousands of times, by Demidupe political whores. This is "all" they want, they repeatedly exclaim in every public forum available to them. But, if anything is clear, it is that the count, no matter which version, is none of those things. It isn't "full" because ALL methods of counting exclude some ballots. It isn't "fair" because, at least from the Demidupe standpoint, only those votes which would tend, statistically, to favor Al Gore are being counted...and counted...and counted. Finally, it certainly is in no way "accurate," at least in the sense that most of us use that term.
Does this mean we think that the Pooblioobs are not using this disgusting technique? No way! You will immediately recognize the phrases "recounting the ballots until they get the result they want"...note that all of Al Gore's recount moves were perfectly legal...and "changing the rules in the middle of the game"...what rules?...which have also been repeated innumerable times since Secretary Baker introduced them in his first press conference. In truth, the Poobs don't seem to say these words anywhere near as often as the Demis mouth theirs. This may be because the Poobs aren't as well organized as the Demis for this sort of assault...the latter, having been trained by the Lyin' King, are simply better liars...but is more likely the simple result of the fact that the Poobs currently have the high ground. That is, since Crown Prince Bush has been in the lead after both the original count and the first recount, the Poobs can hold back on the bullshit a little more. That is why the Pooblioobs can get away with their latest cry, "The Demidupes are trying to STEAL the election!" Should Grand Duke Gore come into the lead after the second...or is it the third?...partial recounts, we fully expect the roles to quickly reverse.
Is there any way to get to the bottom of what is actually occurring in Florida...underneath all the political pomposity? Willy, dipping into his background as a mathematician, has come up with the following explanation which may help you to understand.
Remember all those pre-election "opinion" polls that were conducted during the campaign? Along with the results, in each case a "probable" error was reported. Without going into exactly how this error term is mathematically defined, it is enough to go with the standard explanation. If the polling results are closer than the probable error, it is actually a "dead heat." That means the TRUE opinion may favor either of the candidates, not just the one who appears to be ahead. Given that those polls almost always showed that very result, especially near the end of the campaign, it is no surprise that the election turned as it did.
Now, it was also often repeated that "the only poll that counts is the election poll." But, that is not strictly true either. As we stated above, it is a fact that ANY method of counting such a large number of ballots...machines, people, judges, psychics...whatever...will have SOME margin of error. If that margin of error is larger than the difference in the count, the same situation occurs as so often occurred with opinion polls. Since the difference between these counts is in the one hundredth of one percent range, it is almost certainly the case that this election is...AND WILL ALWAYS BE...too close to call. No matter how many times or how many ways the ballots are recounted, the result will NEVER approach certainty...will NEVER be completely accurate. It can be said then, that no matter who wins...since a "call" WILL eventually be made SOMEHOW...that the winner has "stolen the election." The statistical truth...the only truth that matters...is now and will always remain, that NOBODY won!
Even the apparently indisputable claim...another of the Demidupe Big Lies...that Al Gore has "won the popular" vote is not necessarily true or even decidable. Why not? Well, in many states, disputed votes or absentee ballots are not even counted, since they can not change the outcome in THAT PARTICULAR STATE. With the Electoral College such as it is, that is the only outcome that matters...who won...not by how much. Since absentee ballots tend to favor Pooblioobs, it is quite possible that a FULL nationwide COUNT...much less a recount...would come out with Bush in the lead.
So, are you ready for a nationwide repeat of what is happening in Florida? By the way, those of you who think the popular vote is the way to go...rather than the Electoral College...might pondere these possibilities carefully before you get too heated on the subject.
Since both campaigns are likely to have people on their staffs who fully understand these statistical truths, it is no wonder that they have pulled out all stops in trying to win by any means possible. Like the scorpion that stung the frog while riding on his back across a stream resulting in both of them dying...it is "in their nature" to do so. So much for "the will of the people," yet another Big Lie.
So where do WE think things stand? Well, we believe that the Pooblioobs are winning the public relations battle. The turning point came when it was asserted...with some evidence...that the Demis were trying to keep the votes of service men and women from being counted. This pissed off a LOT of people of all political persuasion. Given the choice between the incompetent or the insufferable, people tend to prefer the former. Gore just comes across as too robotic and mean...a combination right out of the Terminator movies. Bush seems stupid but nice, like Donald Duck.
So, given all the ploys remaining for Bush to retain his lead or even override a change in the lead, we predict that eventually he will be "chosen" to be our President. The Demidupes are said to be losing heart and there remain several legislative remedies for the Pooblioobs if they fail in the courts. But we, the people, will only make that choice in our hearts. The actual choice will be made by the courts, the legislatures and the allied politicians...in short, by the lawyers. So it goes...
Talk to you later...


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