Banana Republic for Another Day

by

An effort by more than a dozen Democratic lawmakers to bring international observers to monitor the November elections has paid off with an invitation by the State Department to the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

The 55-nation group has already responded positively to the invitation, although it has yet to determine how many observers will be sent and how precisely they will be deployed. A delegation is scheduled to visit the United States next month to nail down details.

State Department officials stressed that the OSCE delegation will not have the authority to assess the fairness of the vote, but its will be expected to issue a report on any problems or shortcomings as part of a new program for all OSCE members.

The Founding Fathers are rolling in their graves. Of course, that’s just to return to the spot they had rolled from back in November 2000. 😉

9 thoughts on “Banana Republic for Another Day”

  2. I’m sure the Founding Fathers wish that SCOTUS has used Artilce 2 Section 1 of the Constitution to bash the Florida Supremes around the head for overstepping their jurisdiction. But some how I don’t believe Eddie that is what you had in mind. Am I wrong?
    On other(more important) matters, Ken White is back at Tac. I’m pretty sure you can still post there as compared to Red States. You ought to drop by and say hello.
    How many observers are going to Cook County, Queens County and St. Louis (Jefferson County but I could be wrong), the majority?

  3. On other(more important) matters, Ken White is back at Tac. I’m pretty sure you can still post there as compared to Red States.
    Give Ken my regards and let him know he’s always welcome here.

  4. If the observers have any sense at all, most of them will be huddled at the Miami-Dade precincts, where election-day shenanigans have been a way of life for the last decade, at least.

  5. “An effort by more than a dozen Democratic lawmakers to bring international observers to monitor the November elections has paid off with an invitation by the State Department to the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).”
    This is wrong. The OSCE has had a standing invitation for umpty years; this is merely the first time they’ve taken us up on it.
    All the members of the OSCE established long ago that all had a standing invite to each others’ elections.

  6. 1990, to be specific, which is what my memory said, but I wanted to check it. See here, for example:

    “OSCE-participating [nations] agreed in 1990 to observe elections in one another’s countries. The OSCE routinely monitors elections within its 55-state membership, including Europe, Eurasia, Canada and the United States,” a State Department spokesman said.

    […]

    OSCE, based in Vienna, Austria, has sent more than 10,000 personnel to monitor more than 150 elections and referenda in more than 30 countries during the past decade, Gunnarsdottir said.
    In November 2002, OSCE sent 10 observers on a weeklong mission to monitor the U.S. midterm elections. OSCE also sent observers to monitor the California gubernatorial recall election last year.
    More recently, OSCE monitored the elections in Northern Ireland in November and in Spain in March.

  7. On the other hand, there may not be much of Florida outside of Miami-Dade, after this weekend.
    Just kidding, of course. I’m pretty much right under the path, but far enough inland that it’ll probably not be a problem. My sister’s place is pretty close to landfall. She’s boarding, packing, and getting out of dodge.

  8. I spent a while in Houston and my family lives on Folly in SC, so I know that fear. God Speed to her Slarti.

  9. Thanks, crionna. She’s moved east a bit, but her husband’s on rescue for the duration. It’s only Category 2 right now, but you know how unpredictable they can be.

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