I agree wholeheartedly with you that both candidates are hypocrites. As much as I want Bush to win, I'm disgusted by his (and Gore's) behavior.
In regards to Equal Protection, that can be argued both ways. What about the fact that voters in poorer counties had inferior voting systems with higher error rates which caused more of their votes to go uncounted (thrown out) than those upper middle class counties with more expensive and less error-prone equipment? A compelling argument could be made that a handcount is the only way to give those voters in the poorer counties Equal Protection.
The point is that convincing arguments can be made on both sides, and the decisions of the courts are falling along ideological lines. No one can claim that they are taking the high ground; both men are trying to get power by any means necessary -- but within the law, of course.
I truly hope that the US Supreme Court orders the recount to continue, but that the entire count be done in Tallahassee. The only way to get a uniform count across the state is for the entire count to take place under the watch of one supervisory body; then their standard would apply to all the votes being counted. If the court tells all the canvassing boards how to determine the clear intent of the voter, that would be tantamount to the court writing law. Therefore, you have to take the counting out of the hands of the canvassing boards.
It is also possible that Bush voters in the Panhandle didn't bother to go to the polls after the networks called the state for Gore.
One would hope people would want to vote for their local and state elections/issues, so I have no pity for those who went home when the media/VNS called Florida for Gore. Also, voter rights, equal protection, etc. only applies to those who actually vote, unless they were systematically prevented from getting to the polls.
Ali |
