"since imo their failure to hold the high ground cost them their chance to pull out a recount, which I think Al Gore did deserve"
Why do you feel he did not get a recount, Nadine? This is one of the points that I try to understand, but cannot. Here is my take:
1) There was an automatic recount. Nobody argues this point.
2) He was allowed (per a quirky rule, imo) a selective re-count. He chose 4 highly democratic regions, which you have stated was a strategic error, iyo. (ie, not the repubs fault).
3) This is the sticky part for dems. The rules of the selective recounts were rather restrictive, as they should be imo because they (the rules) allowed for an unfair tactic to be used by either candidate. These rules were related to when a manual recount was appropriate (machine failure, acts of god, foul play) and the time frame (one week from the election, I believe). Al Gore would not play by these rules. Where does voter error come into play here? Why should these rules be changed because the election was close? FL law had a provision for if the election was close, and holy cow, it made it even closer. There was no adequate provision in the laws for a close race being even closer. That is the point the repubs so strongly rejected?
WHY WERE THEY (repubs) WRONG TO REJECT THAT PREMISE? If my line of thinking is incorrect, please show me where it is incorrect. To me it looks like he got a recount (the automatic one), and got maximum value from his selective recount. How did he NOT get a recount iyo? He got a few and sued people who did not count the way he wanted them to. I have never seen an example where a participant was involved in setting the standards for how to win the game. Have you? IF so, is that how all close events should be decided?
Regarding the FL SC giving Gore an additional 13 days (or whatever it was), how can you disagree with the US SC saying that is not fair (by 9-0)? That is EXACTLY what the US SC is for imo, yet the dems paint them as political hacks. Disgusting, imo.
I don't mean to yell by capitalizing the question above, but it is one of the areas that I need a sound, logical answer to if my opinion is to change.
Thanks for the lively debate, btw.
Scott |
