>>Democrat leaders yet to concede legitimacy
By Ralph Z. Hallow
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt and Senate
Minority Leader Tom Daschle joined Jesse Jackson
yesterday in refusing to say that George W. Bush's election
was legitimate.
In what critics saw as an
extraordinary display of partisan
rancor beyond anything in recent
memory, the Democrats also
declined to say that that his
presidency, when it commences on
Jan. 20, will be legitimate.
Republicans said the three
leading Democrats thus appeared
to put the lie to Democratic
leaders' claims that they will strive
for comity and bipartisan
cooperation with Mr. Bush and the
Republican Congress.
On NBC's "Meet the Press," Tim Russert, having just
interviewed Mr. Jackson, turned to Mr. Gephardt and noted
that Mr. "Jackson just said the [U.S. Supreme] court was a
tool of the Bush campaign and he does not believe that
George W. Bush is a legitimate president."
Mr. Gephardt, Missouri Democrat, rather than dispute
Mr. Jackson on legitimacy, agreed with him that the U.S.
Supreme Court's decision was wrong.
When Mr. Russert tried again — saying "So, George W.
Bush is the legitimate 43rd president of the United States?"
— Mr. Gephardt would say only that "George W. Bush is the
next president of the United States."
Mr. Russert tried again: "But is he legitimate?" Mr.
Gephardt replied, "We have to respect the presidency, we
have to respect the law, and we have to work with him to try
to solve the people's problems."
Exasperated, Mr. Russert finally said to Mr. Gephardt,
"But why can't a leading Democrat say he is a legitimate
president of the United States?" Mr. Gephardt held his
ground, declining to use the word "legitimacy" and saying
only: "He is the president of the United States."
"This is a clear sign they are going to follow the
scorched-earth strategy of [former Senate Democratic
Leader] George Mitchell," said Mark W. Davis, a
presidential speechwriter in the administration of President
Bush, the president-elect's father. "When the first President
Bush extended his hand for bipartisan cooperation, Mitchell
bit it. He made it clear that nothing was going to pass unless it
was part of the Democratic agenda.
"But I think Daschle and Gephardt better be wary,
because the public is giving it a closer look now and will
punish obstructionism from either side," Mr. Davis said.
In his interview of Mr. Jackson, Mr. Russert quoted
Republican Howard Baker and Democrat Robert Strauss'
joint New York Times op-ed column saying that "Americans
must not only accept the legitimacy of his election, but give
him every opportunity to demonstrate his competence and
mastery of the extraordinarily difficult job before him."
Mr. Russert then asked Mr. Jackson if he would "now
lock arms with these Democrats and Republicans and accept
the legitimacy of George W. Bush."
Mr. Jackson answered by drawing a distinction between
legality and legitimacy.
"I accept his legality, because the courts and Congress will
say he's legally the president," Mr. Jackson said. "But in a
democracy, your legitimacy comes from the consent of the
governed. He lost the popular vote of the governed.
"We must support our presidency, but America, you
know, is greater than a president, it's greater than the White
House occupant, and so our national interest compels me to
say I'll work with the president," Mr. Jackson said. But he
again left the matter of legitimacy up in the air.
"We must resolve this matter of legitimacy, because a
democracy must be open, free and fair," Mr. Jackson said.
"While I'm impressed with these candidates because these
are very qualified people, we must judge a presidency by
budget priorities, and must judge it by its public policy, and
that policy must be the inclusion of all Americans."
Mr. Davis said: "It's time for Republicans to quit paying
homage to Jesse Jackson and to the [National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People], which historically
was one of America's great organizations, but has
degenerated into a partisan attack dog.
"The Republicans are going to have to go directly to
African-Americans, over the heads of the titular leaders like
Jackson and Al Sharpton," he added.
On ABC's "This Week," Sam Donaldson asked Mr.
Daschle if he thought that "news organizations and others"
should go ahead with their own recounts in Florida and if a
resulting Gore win "would delegitimize, to some extent, a
Bush presidency."
Mr. Daschle said yes, the counts should take place, even
if it's after the inauguration. "We already know that Al Gore
got more votes in the popular election."
Mr. Davis responded: "It indicates they are clearly going
to define this as an illegitimate interregnum between
Democratic presidencies. But I think Bush has the skill to foil
that strategy by building coalitions with the 30 'Blue Dog'
[centrist] Democrats in the House. The Senate is going to be
tougher."
Ray Sullivan, a spokesman for President-elect Bush, said,
"It's been only four days since Vice President Gore conceded
and President-elect Bush is committed to bring the nation
together to begin working with Democrats and Republicans in
Congress to pass a positive agenda."
Mr. Sullivan noted that Mr. Bush is scheduled to meet
today with the leaders of both parties in both houses of
Congress, including Mr. Gephardt and Mr. Daschle.
Clifford May, the Republican Party's spokesman, called it
"disturbing that three such important Democrats appear to be
nursing their grievances and continuing to fight the last war
instead of coming out of the campaign mode and beginning to
think about how to work with the new administration."
Asked on what basis Mr. Bush would meet with them if
they decline to say his election victory or his presidency is
legitimate, Mr. Sullivan said: "He is meeting with them as
president-elect and looks forward to working with them as
president. We're confident that any elements of the past
election period can be put behind the nation."<<
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