What happened?
First of all, overall, Gore won the national popular vote and held the lead in electoral college votes. So what happened in Florida?
1) Election voting.
2) State-mandated Floridian recount.
3) Bush request for machine recount in specified counties.
4) Gore request for a hand recount in specified counties.
What happened after that? Pundit GOPwinger after pundit GOPwinger showed up on national television complaining about all the recounts and blaming Gore for them.
Interestingly, I fault the Gore campaign for a faulty public relations response to the GOPwinger attacks. The Gore campaign simply should have responded that Gore had a right to a recount in a close election and he ought to get one. Speaking beyond this simplicity only complicated matters.
So what do you think? Does a candidate have a right to request a recount in a close election? Yes. What did Gore do? He requested a recount in a close election. Astonishingly, GOPwingers have spun public relations claiming Gore wants repeated recounts. Hey folks, all Gore ever wanted, and still wants, is for one recount in four counties to become completed. But Ambassador-elect Harris won't let that happen. Would she?
Gore did not get his recount. And if Florida law allows for such a recount, it must provide a reasonable length of time for such a recount to happen. States cannot pass laws for which compliance is impossible. That's why the Florida Supreme Court ruled the way it did, and it's why the Florida Supreme Court will correct the injustice. By the way, the U.S. Supreme Court will not trample on states rights.
Michael, what I'd like to deal with is a fair election. If you think what happened in Florida is fair, then you ought to reexamine the definition as to what's fair. |
