Democrats Will Allow Buchanan to Be Seated January 4th...

Friday, December 29, 2006...

SARASOTA, FL. (NS) -

Democrats will not kick off the 110th Congress by refusing to seat Rep.-elect Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), despite pending lawsuits and a House Administration query into his November 7th election...

The Buchanan campaign released the following statement today regarding Leon County Florida Judge William Gray's finding that defeated congressional candidate Christine Jennings' lawsuit is based on "conjecture" and "speculation" and that her claims are "not supported by credible evidence."

"In his ruling, the Judge has reaffirmed that there is no merit to Christine Jennings' baseless allegations that the voting machines malfunctioned," said Buchanan spokeswoman Sally Tibbetts. "As noted by the Judge in today's ruling, two parallel tests conducted by the state revealed '100% accuracy of the equipment in reporting the vote selections'. The state last week concluded that the machines used in
the election accurately recorded every vote."

Many Democrats question the outcome of the election in the Sarosota-based district that saw Buchanan edge out Christine Jennings (D) by 369 votes...

Jennings is challenging the results and demanding a new election, citing some 18,000 votes that recorded no selection in her House race as proof that the election was fundamentally flawed...

Despite Democrats’ concerns over the election results, incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) clearly did not want to open the first Democratic-led session in 12 years with an ugly House floor fight over whether Buchanan should be seated or not...

The Florida Secretary of State certified Buchanan as the winner November 21st. However, a majority of the House can refuse to seat any Member...

Instead, Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.) will make a formal inquiry on the House floor after Pelosi’s anticipated election as Speaker...

His inquiry, the wording of which is not yet available, will seek to put on record that Buchanan’s swearing-in should not prejudice the pending House investigation or court cases, nor should it be construed as validating the Florida secretary of state’s findings...

Holt’s move allows Democrats to maintain the comity Pelosi and other Democratic leaders have promised will define their stewardship of Congress while leaving the door open to removing Buchanan later...

Democrats long complained of the heavy-handed and un-democratic tactics they say Republicans used to run Congress, especially the House, since gaining control after the 1994 elections...

According to Pelosi aides, she supports Holt’s course of action. Holt said he thinks there is substantial evidence that the electronic voting machines used in Sarasota County, which produce no paper trail, malfunctioned. He thinks the unusually high “undervote,” the term for when a ballot is cast with blanks in some races, proves so...

Holt said during a news conference Friday morning that a re-vote is necessary. Holt also disputed the notion that by seating Buchanan January 4th, the House is seating him for the entire two-year term...

“No one who is in a disputed election like this should get too comfortable,” Holt warned...

Jennings’ court challenge, as well as a House Administration Committee’s investigation, could take months to resolve, Holt acknowledged...

Nonetheless, Buchanan maintains that his swearing-in Thursday means that he will be on Capitol Hill for the duration...

“There is nothing in statute, House rules, or the Constitution that provides a special condition for the seating of a Member,” Buchanan’s spokeswoman said in a news release. “All Members are seated equally. All members are sworn in for the duration of the Congress unless they resign or the House votes to remove them.”

Once again it should be noted that there is NO credabile evidence of anything other than mere "speculation" on the part of Democrat Christine Jennings that anything went wrong in FL. District 13 other than a lot of Voter apathy and stupidity in the use of the Touchscreen Voting machines...

There also is not one incidence of any Fraud which is what it would take for this Election to have 'reason' for being further pursued...

Many, including a lot of Democrats across America think Ms. Jennings is just wasting more Taxpayers money, her time and the patience of the FL. Distrcit 13 voters...

She is finished in Politics and she knows it. This is her last 'gasp', but it won't work and it will once agin be proven the only wrong with the final results in FL. Congressional District 13 were the results the 'Dems' and Christine Jennings didn't like...

For Now, That's Just 'OUR' Opinion...

Matt Bruce
Managing Editor
News Sarasota.com
Host of "The Captain's AMERICA" Radio Show