The Democrats demonstrate their contempt for democratic voting processes

YouTube link. 

The Republicans did it at their convention, suppressing and gagging the electors representing Ron Paul, who had every right to attend the convention and vote.  There was a possibility that they would not vote for Mitt Romney, so Ron Paul was taken off the ballot (the rule HAD been that if you won 5 states you were listed on the ballot, but the powerbrokers changed it to 8 states, so Paul coudn't be on the ballot.)  And they didn't even allow the Maine Ron Paul supporters to be seated, replacing them with Romney supporters.  This was done to give the appearance of party unity during the nationwide telecast, and it was done simply because they were able to do it, principles be damned.  BTW, I'm no longer a Ron Paul supporter (I was years ago, but he has become a bit too much on the fringe for me in recent years).  But I do think his delegates should have been allowed their inconsequential votes.

At least the Republicans were ashamed enough or sly enough to do keep their power play sort of behind closed doors, so the broad public couldn't see the voting suppression within the election process. The Democrats, by contrast, were even more brazen and in-your-face.  

It's all there in the video embedded above.  The electors at the Democratic National Convention are asked to vote on changes in wording in the Democratic party platform involving "God" and "Jerusalem as the capital of Israel."  A two-thirds majority is required to approve the change.  You can see for yourself what happened.  There is no way on God's green earth that the voice vote was 2/3 in favor, but that's what those in power wanted, and that's what they declared to be the outcome.  You almost feel sorry for the guy at the podium calling for the vote, but he is too spineless to stand in the way of the predetermined outcome.

This debacle was featured by Jon Stewart in a segement of The Daily Show, and the video he used showed the Teleprompter telling the guy at the podium what to say.   Stewart laughed that "the Teleprompter breaks the tie" and the audience laughs. But to me it isn't funny at all. 

Those naive electors sitting in the auditorium traveled to the convention actually thinking they would be voting on things, but they are just pawns in the hands of corporate and political forces many log powers more powerful than they are.  What scares me is the hubris of the party insiders doing this "in your face" on live national television.  That, and the relative silence of the media in not bringing it to people's attention.

This is a rant.  The danger of a rant is that I may be wrong and may be embarassing myself because of extenuating circumstances I'm unaware of.  If that's the case, I'm sorry.  But I'm pissed.  At both political parties.

Time to quit blogging and go watch football...