What Went Wrong in Ohio: The Conyers Report on the 2004 Presidential Election

by Gore Vidal and Congressman John Conyers

This fascinating and disturbing book is the official record of testimony taken by the Democratic Members and Staff of the House Judiciary Committee, presided over by Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 089733535X
• ISBN13: 9780897335355
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: Academy Chicago Publishers
• Length: 156 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.7" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Wait for next year?

Rep. John Conyers, (D - Michigan, the ranking minority chair of the House Judiciary Committee, led eleven Democratic Congressman (Republicans boycotted this investigation) and their staffers into the swamp that was the 2004 Presidential election in Ohio. Conyers had come to answer an essential question -- What Went Wrong in Ohio? The investigation was conducted despite the difficulties caused by Bush (whose selection in 2000 led to an apology from Justice John Paul Stevens for the behavior of the 5 -4 majority of the Court in the matter of Bush v Gore) and of the Republican majority in Congress. In the introduction, Gore Videl says that when asked who would win in `04, he said that Bush would lose again, but he was confident that in the four years between 2000 and 2004, creative propaganda and the fixing of elections might very well be perfected so as to ensure an official victory for Bush. As this report shows in great detail with very thorough documentation of sources, Ohio was carefully set up to deliver an apparent victory for Bush even though Kerry appears to be not only the popular winner but the Electoral College winner. This report states categorically, "With regards to our factual findings, in brief, we find that there were massive and unprecedented voter irregularities and anomalies in Ohio." These were caused by officials, chiefly Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell who was co-chair of the Bush - Cheny campaign in Ohio, and included deliberate misallocation of voting machines so that thousands or even hundreds of thousands of predominately minority and Democratic voters had to wait in long lines, or couldn't even vote, "cheat sheets" supplied to numerous counties to guide those counting the ballots so that Bush would have the proper number of votes to beat Kerry, denial of the right to observe the counting of ballots by impartial observers, illegally removing voters from the voting rolls, and other acts designed to ensure a Bush "win". The outlook for 2008? To date,nothing has been done, either by Congress or the States, to clean up this mess. After all, those benefiting by the corruption are in charge. So, as things stand, expect a Republican "win" in 2008, regardless of who happens to be running.

A Landmark Document in American History

There is no other way to put it: this is a landmark document in American history. It establishes beyond doubt that the electors from the swing state of Ohio in 2004 were appointed illegally, in violation of state and federal law, and in violation of the United States Constitution. It was prepared in the thick of the controversy, and presented to all members of Congress prior to their acceptance of the Ohio electors. That all but 1 Senator, and all but 31 Congresspeople, chose to accept those electors, anyway, represented one of the lowest points in the history of our nation, as it was a crass, flagrant, and unprincipled abandonment of the rule of law to do so. Historians will be scrutinizing this period, to understand how the nation that introduced democracy to the modern world, became, in essence, a dictatorship. And it will be clear to all posterity that Congressman Conyers, all the House Judiciary Democrats, and their fantastic staff, were heroes, fighting against overwhelming odds for the preservation of Liberty itself. This document is a landmark. Every American must read it.

An important read for anyone who cares about our democracy

Whatever your political inclinations, you should be quite concerned about the implementation of Ohio's 2004 presidential election of 2004. The Conyers report is an alarming chronicle of the irregularities that occurred throughout the state, nearly all of which favored Bush and resulted in the disenfranchisement of those who were most likely to vote for Kerry. When viewed individually, many of these irregularities might be dismissible as frustrating but innocent oversights. Taken as a whole, however, a disturbing pattern emerges: the voting barriers appear correlated, systematic, and indicative of willful manipulation. Whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, you owe it to yourself to read this report if you care about the future of democracy in the United States. For even if it happened to "the other" party, next time it could happen to yours. This time it really does appear that the Ohio 2K4 election was tainted by fraud that favored the Republicans and the Conyers report clearly and compellingly identifies both the motive and the means for the will of the people to have been subverted. Our elections should not be subject to the whims of partisan officials and other interested parties; let's hope this book opens some eyes and leads to positive changes in the way we determine the direction our country takes.

Pre-Emptive Assault on Democracy

Rep. John Conyers's brave report on the massive irregularities in Ohio's 2004 Presidential Election signal a strong and urgent warning call for all concerned citizens. While Republicans in the House and Senate were quick to dismiss the report, saying that "There is no such thing as a perfect election," they failed to understand that ALL irregularities favored Bush. From under-equipped precincts in African-American communities, an illegal closure of a counting center in Warren County, and large-scale destruction of voter registration, "Preserving Democracy" makes it clear to all that no election remains secure as long as we allow this (...) to continue in our country.

Conyers writes on the publication...

"[W]hat has become known as the Conyers report (the House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff's report, What Went Wrong in Ohio?) has been published. I received a complimentary copy today and, frankly, I was touched by the effort that must have gone into it. In addition to the report, which I suspect many of you have read, there is a truly humbling and amazing forward to the report by Gore Vidal, one of the great writers and thinkers of our time, and a really kind blurb about the book by former Senator Bob Kerrey, an American hero, who most recently served so nobly on the 9/11 Commission."