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NOVEMBER 7-1, 02 Archives

No excuses Whatever eventually happens in Louisiana, the Democrats have lost control of the Senate. November 7, 2002 The nation will return almost immediately to the Republican domination of the executive, legislative and judicial branches that existed before Vermont's Jim Jeffords turned independent last year. Now the Democratic voters who chose not to show up Tuesday are going to find out what their decision meant, in a country ruled by President Bush, Trent Lott and Tom DeLay. From drilling in Alaska to regressive taxation to unilateral war, the agenda of the corporate and religious right will shape our future. workingforchange.com

Nosedive: The Democrats the Day After November 7, 2002 by ALEXANDER COCKBURN and JEFFREY ST. CLAIR So, the Democrats have paid the price for a cowardly, half hearted, inept campaign, and they didn't even see it coming. The party used to be handy with campaign mechanics: good polling, energetic at the precinct level in getting out the vote. This time around they had nothing much at the base and at the top end of the Democratic Nation Committee, chairman Terry McAuliffe, flush with millions minted from Global Crossing, a prime symbol of the burst bubble of the Clinton years. counterpunch.org

Bush administration makes a mockery of corporate cleanup November 7, 2002 Even a fox of 'unimpeachable integrity' is unfit to guard the henhouse AUSTIN, Texas -- So the new guy in charge of reforming the accounting industry himself sat on the board of a company now being investigated for fraud, and when that company's outside auditors complained about accounting irregularities, he voted to fire them. This is just peachy. workingforchange.com

Republican-Lite Democrats Get Clobbered, and the Bush Dictatorship Begins November 6, 2002 Harry Truman said, "give the people a choice between a Republican and a Republican and they will vote for the Republican every time." That's the best explanation for Democratic losses in the House and Senate, as voters couldn't see the difference between Democrats and Republicans. Democratic leaders refused to challenge Bush's theft of the Presidency, and refused to challenge his mandate-less right-wing policies. Meanwhile, Bush sucked up corporate cash like a vacuum cleaner, selling America out to the greediest and most corrupt special interests, so Republicans could fill the airwaves with vote-killing toxic campaign ads. Now the Bush Dictatorship begins - and American Democracy faces its most profound test since the very founding of the Republic. Will American Democracy survive? The answer is up to us. democrats.com

Bush's Life of Deception November 6, 2002 By Sam Parry Throughout his adult life, Bush has dodged the truth along with personal responsibility for his actions. Indeed, a remarkable feature of his presidency is the gap between Bush's public image as a straight-talking everyman and the behind-the-curtain Bush whose imperial impulse sometimes flashes into public view. Like a boy emperor convinced of his infallibility, Bush rarely admits errors, ‘fesses up to misstatements or apologizes for inappropriate behavior. Especially since the Sept. 11 attacks and his soaring “united-we-stand” poll numbers, Bush has behaved as an imperious leader, treating others rudely when he’s crossed. In a recent example, at a summit in Los Cabos, Mexico, Bush cut short a press conference with Mexican President Vincente Fox when a cell phone went off, which infuriates Bush … In a breach of protocol, Bush cut off the translator before Fox’s answers could be rendered into English” and walked away. [Washington Post, Oct. 27, 2002] consortiumnews.com

US masses forces for war on Iraq 6 November 2002 By Bill Vann While Washington goes through the diplomatic motions of moving a resolution on weapons inspection through the United Nations Security Council, the Pentagon continues its systematic buildup of forces in preparation for a military attack on Iraq. On November 2, some 8,000 sailors and Marines set sail for the Persian Gulf from San Diego with the seven-ship battle group of the aircraft carrier Constellation. The battle group carries 72 Navy and Marine Corps warplanes, which would be used in the round-the-clock bombardment of Baghdad and other Iraqi cities that is expected to precede a ground invasion. It also includes a guided-missile destroyer and two guided-missile cruisers that would be used to launch cruise missiles at Iraqi targets. wsws.org

Archbishop Warns West of Nuclear Conflict Over Iraq November 6, 2002 by Jonathan Petre War against Iraq could escalate into a nuclear conflict and risk the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the Middle East, Dr Rowan Williams, the next Archbishop of Canterbury, warns today. In his strongest criticism yet of military action, Dr Williams says that a pre-emptive strike against Saddam Hussein could "rapidly and uncontrollably spiral down into chaos." In an article in The Telegraph, he adds that to ignore the fears of people in the area would leave the West open to the criticism that it was behaving like a colonial power. commondreams.org

Republicans marshal "poll watchers" to intimidate Democratic voters November 5, 2002 By Kate Randall The Republican Party, with the backing of the Bush administration, will post thousands of party functionaries at polling stations in various parts of the country on Election Day, November 5, to intimidate working class and minority voters from casting their ballots. This anti-democratic operation is being carried out under the cover of “poll watching.” Large numbers of “poll watchers” are to be posted in key places where the contest for congressional seats and governorships is expected to be very close, particularly targeting minority voters and those in strongly Democratic districts. With characteristic cynicism, the Republican right and the Bush administration are mounting this “keep-them-from-voting” effort in the name of electoral “reform.” In the aftermath of the 2000 election crisis in Florida—which exposed pervasive methods of election fraud and discrimination that disenfranchised tens of thousands of minority and working class voters—the forces that organized the theft of the White House are escalating their attack on the right to vote. Millions of Americans across the country who should be eligible to vote are in one way or another prevented from voting or having their votes counted, either by restrictive voter registration procedures, the failure of antiquated voting machinery, or outright intimidation and ballot rigging. But as far as George W. Bush and the Republicans are concerned, purging the electoral process of fraud does not mean eliminating obstacles to the exercise of the franchise and the counting of all votes cast, but rather the opposite—finding new pretexts for keeping working class voters from the polls. wsws.org

Be warned. November 5, 2002 - This exclusive interview with Greg Palast will boil your blood. 94,000 people -- over half of them African American --have been on a "scrub list" in Florida, which meant they were blocked from voting in the 2000 election. Remember, Al Gore lost by "537" votes. The thing is, most of them were legally allowed to vote and were prevented from voting by Katherine Harris, former Florida Secretary of State, and Jeb Bush, in a failed attempt to root out felons. Instead, they blocked legal voters from casting ballots and having their voices heard. Well, certainly Florida would have made sure that all those people who could legally vote, would have their constitutional freedoms restored by this Nov. 5th to vote in the election, right? Wrong. buzzflash.com

Assassinations, phony wars, cooked polls, corporate crooks and stolen elections November 5, 2002 By Bev Conover Online Journal Editor & Publisher From ghoulies and ghosties and long leggety beasties and things that go bump in Washington, good people, deliver us!—with apologies to the Scots for paraphrasing their old saying. Once again, despite cooked polls, it's all going badly for the junior George Bush. The economy becomes worse by the day. The corporate crooks go unpunished. His friends, Russian President "Pooty-Poot" Putin and Mexican President Vicente Fox, have deserted him. What really happened on 9/11 looms larger than ever and people are now even questioning whether Senator Paul Wellstone's death was an accident or murder. onlinejournal.com

Factory Orders Continue to Decline November 5, 2002 By JEANNINE AVERSA WASHINGTON (AP) - Orders to U.S. factories fell for a second straight month in September. It was another setback for manufacturing, which has seen almost 2 million jobs evaporate over the last two years and is struggling not to sink even deeper into the quicksand of economic uncertainties. news.yahoo.com

Layoffs soar 151 percent in October November 5, 2002 By Rex Nutting, CBS.MarketWatch.com CHICAGO (CBS.MW) -U.S. companies more than doubled their planned job cuts in October, a job placement firm said Monday. The monthly tally of announced layoffs rose to 176,010 in October, the second highest total of the year, said Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The figure is 151 percent higher than September's 70,057, which was the lowest since November 2000. Among the companies announcing at least 1,000 cuts in October were Delta Air Lines, Lucent Technologies, Boeing, Citigroup, Kodak, United Airlines, and Abbott Labs. "There are more negative economic reports now than when the recession officially began," said John Challenger, CEO of the outplacement firm. marketwatch.com

Bush's reefer madness November 5, 2002 By Louise Witt Terrified that an increasingly pot-tolerant America will spell the end of their moral crusade, the president's anti-drug warriors are making a last stand over marijuana. The new front in the nation's drug war came into sharp focus at 7 a.m. on Sept. 5, when loud shouts and stomping woke Valerie Corral at her home north of Santa Cruz, Calif. Suspecting that the intruders weren't ordinary burglars, she snuck out a back entrance and walked around to her front door to tell them to leave. When she opened the door, stunned federal agents in flak jackets trained M-16s on the 50-year-old homeowner. When she asked to see a search warrant, the officers screamed at her to get down. They pushed her to her knees, then forced her to lie face down on the floor. With her hands handcuffed behind her back, an officer pressed his rifle muzzle to the back of her head. Valerie Corral tried explaining to the agents (there were about 30) that she and her husband, Michael, 53, ran Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana, a legal cooperative in California that has grown the drug for 250 terminally ill and sick patients, many with cancer or AIDS, for almost nine years. Glaspy, a DEA spokesman in Washington, D.C. "We target drug-traffickers. There is no such term as medical marijuana, except as created by the marijuana lobby." In California and other states -- including three that will feature marijuana initiatives on today's ballots -- the marijuana lobby happens to be the voters. In the last year, especially, the Bush administration has renewed the war on marijuana with a vengeance -- only this time, it is a war that pits the federal government against the majority of the American people, and sometimes against state and city officials and even local police officers. salon.com

Groups Hold Party, Press Conf on Drug Policy Reform and Elections November 5, 2002 U.S. Newswire - In the last six years, 17 out of 19 drug policy reform initiatives have passed around the country, indicating voters' dissatisfaction with our failed and expensive war on drugs. This year, voters will decide whether those who are addicted to drugs should receive treatment, instead of jail; whether AIDS, cancer and other patients should have access to medical marijuana; and whether adults should be legally permitted to possess small amounts of marijuana for personal use. usnewswire.com

To Vote or Not to Vote? November 5, 2002 Despite predicted sparse voter turn-out and, until this past week, scant election media coverage, the 2002 midterm elections will be held across the U.S. Tuesday. Among progressive and radical Americans, a debate has been quietly percolating between those who believe voting wont make any difference in the political landscape and those who feel that strategic voting can help push the pendulum away from its magnetic north polethe Republican and corporate right. Meanwhile, 1.4 million people across the country must undergo invasive scrutiny to win back their right to vote after having paid their debts to society for felony offenses. In Florida, where racial discrimination at the polls has been most rampant, Russian and Albanian observers will be sent to monitor elections for the first time in American history. Election reform in the rest of the country has been similarly non-existent. http://indymedia.org/

US in denial as poverty rises November 4, 2002 Next door to Yale, the bastion of privilege that turns out the land's leaders, lies a tent city of America's poor, huddled masses. Ed Vulliamy reports on the rise in inequality as the nation prepares to vote. The north wind cuts cold and sudden across the historic green of New Haven. It blows through the 'tent city' where the homeless huddle. And it blows round the spires and quadrangles of Yale University, one of America's richest Ivy League colleges. The contrast is stark: Charlene Johnson, three months pregnant, emerges from her bivouac, worrying about the winter that lies between her and her due date. And all around are Yale's stone walls, elegant colonial churches and smart people walking past boutiques and coffee shops, carrying their course books.'You know what's underneath you?' challenges Rod Cleary, who was released from prison in Los Angeles after a conviction for gang fighting, found but lost a job in New Haven, and has now been evicted. 'I'll tell ya: bones. This green was a cemetery once; you're sitting on a pauper's grave. And, man, that's what it's going to be again if we ain't careful.' observer.co

UN diplomatic charade on Iraq nears final act  November 4, 2002 By Bill Vann and Barry Grey One salutary byproduct of a period of profound international crisis and social upheaval is the shattering of political illusions built up over previous decades. Washington’s current drive to war against Iraq and the global eruption of US militarism are playing just such a role: exposing myths that have long beclouded the political consciousness of broad layers of working people. The Bush administration’s national security doctrine, providing for “preemptive” war against any nation that it views as a potential threat, has already given the lie to the notion that Washington acts as a force for peace and democracy on the world arena. Similarly, the passage last month of resolutions in both the House of Representatives and the Senate giving Bush a carte blanche to launch an unprovoked war against Iraq has deflated the illusion that the Democratic Party represents a progressive alternative to the Republicans for American working people. wsws.org

VOTING MACHINE COMPANY DEMANDS REMOVAL OF INTERNET ARTICLES November 4, 2002 By Talion 2002 VoteWatch.US  is a new web site allowing voters to register concerns about their vote immediately. ES&S, who makes 56% of the voting machines in the United States, has threatened to sue the owner unless she removes articles about voting machines from her web site. Bev Harris wrote an article revealing conflict of interest for some owners of voting machine companies, and received a "Demand for Retraction" on October 25, 2002. ES&S wants Talion.com to remove an article at http://www.talion.com/election-machines.html. The retraction demand has been photocopied, and is now posted at http://www.talion.com/election-systems-software.html. This page contains links to both the latest article on the election companies and the article as it appeared when the letter was sent. ES&S attorneys admit that the Ahmanson family had owned the voting machine company. The Ahmansons are wealthy political activists, credited with financing the Republican Party's shift to the hard right. 
Reports of Major Election Errors: http://www.talion.com/election-mistakes.html  -- VoteWatch.US: http://www.votewatch.us. [Note: please report any indication of hacking for either site immediately, to feedback@talion.com or steven@votewatch.us.]  

Pubs go once too often to the Wellstone, They behaved like pigs, and they got treated like pigs November 3, 2002 by Bryan Zepp Jamieson I’m not going to say a lot about Paul Wellstone. After all, thousands of people have written millions of words since his terrible death, and there’s little I can add. He was probably the finest man in the Senate, and his loss will cost the country dearly. There are too few Americans of his caliber. He was a fine man, he was a source of pride to all Americans, and I’ll miss him. The political circus went on unabated, of course. The right wing spin machine on the web came up with the amazing claim that Wellstone, like Torricelli in New Jersey, was trailing in the polls and so the Democrats, quite naturally, decided to assassinate him by sabotaging his plane. zeppscommentaries.com

Bush and American humble pie November 3, 2002 By Daniel Schorr WASHINGTON – Candidate George Bush promised to treat foreign countries with humility. But since his inauguration, and especially since Sept. 11, he has acted otherwise. He has enunciated a national strategy based on US military dominance. He has divided the world between those who are with us and those who are against us. He has defined an "axis of evil" of rogue states threatening America. And he has warned that unless supported by the United Nations, America will go it alone into Iraq or with its own coalition. If America invades Iraq, it will be with little or no Arab support and not very much European support beyond Britain. csmonitor.com

America's Most Wanting November 3, 2002 By BILL KELLER The youngsters out there won't believe this, but there was a time when the U.S. Congress was an estimable branch of the American government. It was a place where people took lawmaking almost as seriously as winning elections, where strong views were tempered in the interest of solving problems. There was a prevailing aura of good will that reflected the well-meaning homeyness of America. Sometimes memorable and illuminating debates took place. Really. Now — to put it in the slam-dance vernacular of politics today — it is a collection of the spineless led by the cynical, constantly lap-dancing for special-interest cash to finance the permanent campaign, deadlocked not over high principles but over petty partisan advantage and, as C-Span devotees know, incapable of mounting a debate worthy of a junior high school. It makes you heart-sore for the state of democracy. nytimes.com

Byrd critical of Bush ‘slick talk’ November 3, 2002 By Paul J. Nyden Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., said Friday that next week’s Congressional election is not a “beauty contest.” “It’s not about who looks best in front of a television camera. It’s not about impressing West Virginians with Air Force One and slick talk. This election is about who will put the interests of West Virginia first.” Byrd was reacting to Thursday evening’s appearance by President George W. Bush at a Charleston rally for Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. Byrd and Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., will both speak at a campaign rally for Democrat Jim Humphreys today at 6 p.m. at the Teamsters Hall in Kanawha City. “The people should elect a Democratic Senate and House of Representatives in order to keep the brakes on a jingoistic, saber-rattling, power-hungry administration headed by multimillionaires from corporate boardrooms,” Byrd said. “The president and his administration will be in office for two more years. The nation needs a Democratic Congress to temper the big business, cowboy agenda of the president’s team.” wvgazette.com

Consumers cut back spending November 3, 2003 Economic data show largest decline in spending in 10 months despite rise in personal income. WASHINGTON (AP) - Cautious consumers, shaken by the turbulent stock market and concerned over a possible war with Iraq, cut back on their spending in September by 0.4 percent, the largest decline in 10 months. The pullback -- led by a reduction in spending on big-ticket goods such as cars -- comes after consumer spending rose by a solid 0.4 percent in August, the Commerce Department reported Friday. money.cnn

"Never separate the lives you live from the words you speak," November 2, 2002 The Editor Paul Wellstone told this to his students at Carleton College, where he was professor of political science. Wellstone lived up to his words as the most liberal man in the United States Senate, where for the past decade he had been the voice for improved, health care, education, reform, and support for children, but no more. They have silenced him in the only way they could. Murder

McBride Campaign Lists `Bush Lies' November 2, 2002 By MIKE SCHNEIDER The Associated Press The accusations are the most brutal yet in the sparring between candidates. TAMPA -- Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill McBride's campaign called Gov. Jeb Bush a liar Friday, accusing Bush of running "the most dishonest campaign in modern Florida history." McBride's campaign released a statement Friday listing its "Top 10 Jeb Bush Lies," saying Bush and his campaign advertisements have misrepresented McBride's business career and his positions on the class-size initiative, taxes, state spending and gun control. "Normally, the word `lie' should be used sparingly, if at all, in political discourse," McBride spokesman Alan Stonecipher said. "But in this campaign, no other word suffices to describe Bush's near-total disregard of the truth."
The McBride statement says, in part, that:

• Bush has repeatedly claimed that the class-size amendment, which McBride supports, would cost $27 billion, resulting in higher taxes and severe budget cuts. McBride says the state's chief economist estimates the amendment, which would cap the number of students in public school classes, would cost $8 billion and that new school construction could be paid for without new taxes or budget cuts.

• Bush has said McBride might impose a state income tax. McBride says he is against a state income tax.

• Bush has said McBride supports "liberal gun control." McBride says he favors leaving Florida's gun laws alone.

• Bush has said that McBride, when he was managing partner of the Tampa law firm Holland & Knight, cut employee health benefits. McBride says he was part of a three-person committee that improved the employees' health plan.
  Also Friday, the McBride campaign released a new 30-second TV ad, called "Change," which says "Jeb Bush: So desperate, he'd say anything."
  JUDGE BACKS DEMOCRATS IN SUIT
  A judge Friday barred a political action committee opposing McBride's gubernatorial campaign from providing poll watchers in next week's election.
  http://www.theledger.com

Protesters sue Tampa for arresting them during anti-Bush rally November 2, 2002 Associated Press TAMPA — Three protesters sued this city and its police chief Friday for their arrest during a demonstration against President Bush and Gov. Jeb Bush. A document prepared by American Civil Liberties Union lawyers said Janis Lentz, 56, of Tampa, Sonja Haught, 61, of Clearwater, and Mauricio Rosas, 38, of Tampa, had their free speech rights violated and were unlawfully arrested at a public Bush rally June 4, 2001. According to the complaint, the three took signs to the event calling for an investigation of the 2000 presidential election and reading "June is Gay Pride Month." Police told them to put away the signs or leave. When they refused and asked the officers why people with pro-Bush signs were allowed to stay, they were handcuffed and forcefully removed from the grounds. naplesnews.com

CAHI Gives Senators a Perfect or Failing Score In October the Council for Affordable Health Insurance (CAHI) released its "2002 Voters' Guide to Affordable Health Insurance." The guide includes six votes in the House and six in the Senate and is meant to inform voters of their Washington representatives' record on improving access to affordable health insurance. "These votes demonstrate whether or not a senator is working to improve access to affordable health insurance," said Dr. Merrill Matthews, director of CAHI. "Legislation that expands access to Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs), tax credits and high-risk pools increases access to affordable health insurance; legislation that imposes guaranteed issue, mandates and regulations or permits unlimited malpractice awards reduces access and increases the number of uninsured."
CAHI reported these scores to the senators' respective states.
-- Perfect Score (6 of 6):
Sessions, Alabama
Stevens, Alaska
Hutchinson, Arkansas
Allard, Colorado
Craig, Idaho
Roberts, Kansas
McConnell, Kentucky
Cochran, Mississippi
Hagel, Nebraska
Inhofe, Oklahoma
Smith, Oregon
-- Failing Score (0 of 6):
Biden, Delaware
Durbin, Illinois
Harkin, Iowa
Levin, Michigan
Carnahan, Missouri
Reed, Rhode Island
Johnson, South Dakota
Rockefeller, West Virginia
Matthews continued, "American voters remain largely uninformed
about how legislation can affect the price and availability of
health insurance. CAHI's guide will help educate constituents as
to how their elected representatives voted on key health insurance
legislation. I believe CAHI's educational efforts will empower
voters to make better informed decisions at the ballot box on
November 5th."
------
CAHI's 2002 Voters' Guide is free and available online at
www.cahi.org or by request. usnewswire.com

Unemployment Rate Rises to 5.7 Percent November 2, 2002 By John M. Berry U.S. economic growth is close to stalling, analysts said today after the latest in a series of weak economic reports were released, with many predicting that the Federal Reserve will cut short-term interest rates next week. The Labor Department said the nation's unemployment rate ticked up to 5.7 percent last month while the total number of payroll jobs fell by 5,000. That follows a 13,000 drop in September. The total number of hours worked also fell, and the number of people looking for work but unable to find it rose by more than 100,000, to 8.1 million. Meanwhile, the Institute for Supply Management reported that its index of conditions in the manufacturing sector fell last month to 48.5, the weakest reading this year, from 49.5 in September. Both readings were below 50, the point at which the index shows that manufacturing activity is neither expanding nor contracting. washingtonpost.com

War on Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn't Want You to Know "MA: There are a couple of subjects that I want to touch on, one of which is your interview with Scott Ritter and what he had to say, but I think I'd like to start with your reasons. You've written some very sharp, critical, and compelling pieces about the Bush administration in general and about their plans for the Iraqi nation. What motivates you, what's important to you, what brings you to this point where you feel compelled to speak out? truthout.com

Scenarios for Iraq After Saddam: November 2, 2002 by VIJAY PRASHAD From the White House, reports leak out about plans for an Iraq after the Ba'th. Three of the main scenario do not allow for the development of democracy in Iraq. Each of them is built on a racist assumption: that the Iraqis either need a military dictator or else a monarch--any form of democracy is impossible to imagine. There are at least five scenarios, one of which is considered verboten for the American Empire (it's #4): counterpunch.org

Coke users 'destroying' rainforest November 2, 2002 Jamie Wilson From America's war on drugs to the Grange Hill Just Say No campaign, attempts to stop people from taking illegal substances have been notable only by their failure. But now the Colombian government has come up with a novel approach to stopping the abuse of cocaine by warning users that their habit is helping to destroy the Amazon rainforest. The country's environment minister, Cecilia Rodriguez, told the climate initiatives conference in London that cocaine users are "all harming dramatically the tropical rainforest of the world". Ms Rodriguez, who appealed for funding to dissuade farmers from growing the drug, said 80% of the world's supply comes from Colombia, and the area of former forest used to grow the drug has quadrupled in the past decade. guardian.co

World Plants Near Extinction Close to 50 Percent November 2, 2002 The percentage of the world's plants threatened with extinction is much larger than commonly believed, and could be as high as 47 percent if tropical species are included, researchers said on Thursday. reuters.com

Scientists Say a Quest for Clean Energy Must Begin Now November 2, 2002 By ANDREW C. REVKIN Meeting the world's rising energy needs without increasing global warming will require a research effort as ambitious as the Apollo project to put a man on the moon, a diverse group of scientists and engineers is reporting today. To supply energy needs 50 years from now without further influencing the climate, up to three times the total amount of energy now generated using coal, oil, and other fossil fuels will have to be produced using methods that generate no heat-trapping greenhouse gases, the scientists said in today's issue of the journal Science. In addition, they said, the use of fossil fuels will have to decline, and to achieve these goals research will have to begin immediately. Without prompt action, the atmosphere's concentration of greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels, is expected to double from pre-industrial levels by the end of this century", the scientists said." A broad range of intensive research and development is urgently needed to produce technological options that can allow both climate stabilization and economic development,"the team said. nytimes.com

Democrats sue over alleged GOP stacking of poll watchers 11/1/02 By KEN THOMASMIAMI (AP) -- Democrats filed a lawsuit Thursday to prevent Republicans from stacking polling sites in Miami-Dade County with GOP-picked poll watchers. A judge set an emergency hearing for Friday to consider whether Republicans and a political action committee called the Emergency Committee to Stop Bill McBride had an unfair advantage in assigning poll watchers for Tuesday's elections. McBride is the Democratic nominee for governor. State law allows each party and candidate to have one watcher in each polling room during the election. Poll watchers can challenge the eligibility of voters. The Democrats, led by former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno and U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek, said in the complaint that GOP officials unfairly benefited from new rules the Democrats learned of only after it was too late to submit forms. The new rules make it easier for parties and candidates to submit lists of names of poll watchers. As a result, the plaintiffs said, the Miami-Dade Elections office accepted hundreds of Republican poll watchers designated under less restrictive rules. nj.com

Voters' Guide Gives Sen. Johnson a Failing Score;