Steve, while Bush won a big one with the stay today and most likely an overturn of the FL Sup Ct ruling by the U.S. Sup. Ct, I think they made a serious mistake. Out of the 42,000 undervotes to be counted, 26,000 are in heavy Republican counties. If they allowed the counts to go ahead, Bush might win again and it would forever remove the legitimacy cloud cast on his presidency. He would stand high chances of rallying the country behind him.
On the other hand, one can't help but notice that, in defiance of all laws of statistical probability, every time previously counted ballots have be re-counted the totals have consistently moved in Gore's favor. As you yourself reported, even this latest "heavily Republican" recount was continuing to eat away at Bush's lead.
"Bush might win again", as you say, but "might" is an awfully iffy word. I don't doubt for a moment that the whole point of this latest exercise is to manufacture just one count in favor of Gore, no matter how it is achieved.
That way, even if the SC justices personally take the FL SC's ruling back to Tallahassee and burn it on the courthouse steps, it would forever be portrayed in the press as Bush getting the Supreme Court to overturn a Gore victory. They'll probably try to do it anyway, but there's little sense in giving them a number to back that story up, if it can be helped.
And I kind of doubt the FL supreme would put themselves up for another round of getting slapped down by the Feds if they didn't think there was a good chance they'd succeed in this little political grandstand of theirs. The US supremes' response was no more or less than what it deserved, IMHO.
One last thing, why are we so sure that EVEN IF the recount had been allowed to continue to completion and still not be enough to put Gore ahead, that that would be the final end of it and the Dems would admit legitimate defeat? I don't think we'll ever see that, regardless. |
