The most likely answer is that it's not accidental at all.
If it *was* accidental, which I sincerely doubt, the most likely explanation is a brain-based typo - you're used to typing one word and you get it when you're typing another. If you've spent the last 8 years talking about Osama bin Laden online, typing "Osama" instead of "Obama" makes sense, just like I always want to stick an "e" on the end of "child", because I used to talk about a certain fanged RPG on the internet.
But then it would have to be that mistake, then fail to be caught by the proofreading.
I have no trouble believing that it was crossed synapses; I have been known to do the same thing myself. Whether it was malicious or not, the real story is that it wasn't caught before it was printed and/or mailed.
One thing folks might not know about New York politics is that the Board of Elections is not under the control of the party in power, like it is in Florida or Ohio. There is a parallel Democratic and Republican staff in each county working together to ensure a fair and rational process, and I presume that the process is sufficiently transparent that our staggering array of third parties (some of which are quite significant) would have the ability to verify the correctness of the local ballots. In theory, you shouldn't be able to count the number of people who audibly read each line of the ballot.
As an election inspector in a different county in New York, this bugs me because I'm sure I'm going to hear about it all. fourteen. hour. day. long. And I agree that both commissioners should tender their resignations after the election and their replacements should immediately get to work on a validation system that regains the confidence that New Yorkers justifiably demand of the system.
This is disgusting. And don't give me accident, no-one believes accident. I only hope that it is so vile that it may turn middle-of-the-road people away from the Dessicated Zombie
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(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-13 04:24 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-13 04:30 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-13 04:42 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-13 09:26 pm (UTC)yeah, sure it was a mistake.
Date: 2008-10-13 09:40 pm (UTC)All of those letters border "B".
kudos to the Obama camp for sticking to the high road on this.
Re: yeah, sure it was a mistake.
Date: 2008-10-13 10:34 pm (UTC)If it *was* accidental, which I sincerely doubt, the most likely explanation is a brain-based typo - you're used to typing one word and you get it when you're typing another. If you've spent the last 8 years talking about Osama bin Laden online, typing "Osama" instead of "Obama" makes sense, just like I always want to stick an "e" on the end of "child", because I used to talk about a certain fanged RPG on the internet.
But then it would have to be that mistake, then fail to be caught by the proofreading.
Re: yeah, sure it was a mistake.
Date: 2008-10-14 07:04 am (UTC)One thing folks might not know about New York politics is that the Board of Elections is not under the control of the party in power, like it is in Florida or Ohio. There is a parallel Democratic and Republican staff in each county working together to ensure a fair and rational process, and I presume that the process is sufficiently transparent that our staggering array of third parties (some of which are quite significant) would have the ability to verify the correctness of the local ballots. In theory, you shouldn't be able to count the number of people who audibly read each line of the ballot.
As an election inspector in a different county in New York, this bugs me because I'm sure I'm going to hear about it all. fourteen. hour. day. long. And I agree that both commissioners should tender their resignations after the election and their replacements should immediately get to work on a validation system that regains the confidence that New Yorkers justifiably demand of the system.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-13 10:41 pm (UTC)I hope everyone involves loses their jobs.