ELECTION FRAUD?

I was going to write my "I Told You So" column, about how I went to the Kerry campaign and explained to them how they needed to energize their base, including the progressive vote, who might be tempted to go for Nader, and they scoffed at me.

They told me to go away. They were particularly offended I suggested that Kerry was in danger of appearing like a "Bush lite" (all that "I'm tougher than you are" talk) if he didn't map out a progressive platform that would ring true with Democrats and maybe even inspire the mushy middle by showing them he stood for something.

I was going to say I told you so, because after the election pundits and Democratic leaders were falling all over themselves criticizing Kerry for not doing just that. The words "Bush lite" were even uttered post-Nov. 2.

I was going to write my "I Told You So" column. But I'm not going to. Instead, I'm going to write my "Count Every Vote" column.

After listening to Air America all week (960 on your AM dial in the San Francisco Bay region - www.airamericaradio.com if you're somewhere else) and reading emails by the score documenting voter anomolies, phantom voters, faulty polls, and so on, I've decided to join the chorus of people calling for recounts or even redos of the election, at least in Ohio and Florida.

Randi Rhodes of Air America asked U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) who is investigating the vote why they couldn't simply interview all the voters in at least some of the smaller counties where the votes were "flipped" that is you had 70% registered democrats, but 70% vote for Bush. This was repeated all over Florida. Some say Democrats in these counties always vote for Republican presidential candidates. But in exact proportion to the registration numbers, only backwards?

"Yes, Yes," I yelled at my radio, as Nadler said a cautious "well I don't know what the law is."
Never mind the law. Get the facts. Sign me up; I'll fly to Florida myself and interview voters myself. America wants to know.

That's my column. Go to www.Blackboxvoting.org to check for the latest updates.

I'll save the "I Told You So" column for after the recount.