Ron, hows this for timely- You just said this last night, and today this is in the Washington Post...Democrats Urge Gore Not to Push It Too Far
washingtonpost.com
Democrats Urge Gore Not to Push It Too Far
By David S. Broder and Ceci Connolly
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday , November 11, 2000 ; Page A01
Democrats rallied yesterday behind Vice President Gore's call for an accurate recount of disputed Florida ballots but sent clear signals through prominent party figures--including former presidential candidate Bill Bradley--that he should withdraw a threat to take the challenge into the courts.
A round of calls from Gore operatives and Democratic Party officials produced the desired expressions of public support for the nominee's search for enough votes to overturn Texas Gov. George W. Bush's apparent lead in Florida. But so many Democrats "screamed like hell"--as one well-placed source put it--over suggestions from the Gore camp that the fight might go on until mid-December that the campaign moderated its rhetoric yesterday.
Bradley was just one of many notable Democrats saying that next Friday's official announcement of the Florida vote totals--including overseas absentee ballots--must settle the issue.
While Republicans almost unanimously urged Bush to take aggressive countermeasures against aggressive Gore tactics, Democrats also appeared nervous that a lengthy legal battle by their nominee could taint his presidency if he were to prevail, and boomerang against them politically.
House Democratic leader Richard A. Gephardt (Mo.) said the question of a court challenge "can't be decided right now," but added, "I hope it doesn't come to that."
A source close to both Gore and congressional Democrats said, "A lot of them now feel Gore actually did win it. If we can get there in a way that doesn't poison the well, then fine. If not, they expect him to be a statesman."
Worried calls to Gore and campaign chairman William Daley from prominent Democrats were triggered by comments Thursday by aide Ron Klain that there would be no harm in prolonging the election dispute until Dec. 18, when electors meet in their states to formalize the presidential vote. That position was not repeated yesterday.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Joe Andrew held a conference call with party leaders around the country to brief them on Florida developments and encourage statements of support. The Gore campaign did the same thing with individual legislators and governors.
Meanwhile, Republicans voiced growing frustration and anger at the tactics of Gore and Daley. "For the second time in my lifetime, a Chicago politician named Daley is trying to steal a presidential election," said Sen. Robert F. Bennett (R-Utah). He was referring to reports in 1960 that Daley's father, the late Democratic Mayor Richard J. Daley, had procured enough questionable votes to put Illinois in John F. Kennedy's column, a tactic Bennett said could be repeated in any hand count of Florida ballots in counties with Democratic election officials.
On the Democratic side, the emerging sentiment was to support Gore in his bid for recounts--but not for subsequent court challenges.
Bradley, the former New Jersey senator who challenged Gore in last winter's Democratic primaries but then campaigned for him this fall, said in an interview, "My personal view is that when the votes are counted, that should be it. It is a perilous course to try to delay in the expectation that things will be turned around by lawyers. Unless there is something fraudulent or a flagrant violation of law, this should end on Nov. 17."
Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, elected as a Reform Party independent, drew the same distinction between recounts and court challenges. "People are concerned right now," he said, "and we have to be sure people's votes were counted as they intended."
But in an interview, Ventura too said that fraud should be the only criterion for a court challenge. "If you can show that fraud was committed, then you almost have to take it to court," he said, "or there will be a taint on the election."
Some Democrats said the option of court challenges should be kept open. Senate Democratic leader Thomas A. Daschle (S.D.) said, "I think we ought to exhaust all other remedies, but if there is no other recourse that can ensure the fairness of the vote, we ought to at least consider the option of going to court."
Rep. William D. Delahunt (D-Mass.), who won his seat after a recount that went all the way to the state's highest court, said fears about a prolonged court case were unfounded. "To suggest this would cause chaos and turmoil is simply rhetoric. It's not accurate," he said. "Our institutions are resilient."
But Republicans argued that Gore already has crossed the line and is not justified in going further. Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), the Bush liaison to the Senate, accused Gore of "holding our country hostage for the benefit of partisan politics."
"It's unnecessary, it's petty, it's shameless," Frist said.
Florida's retiring Sen. Connie Mack (R) said that if Gore followed through on threats to take the dispute into court, it would almost certainly prompt the Bush campaign to challenge the reported results in predominantly Republican counties of Florida and in other states such as New Mexico, Iowa and Oregon, where Gore apparently eked out narrow wins on Tuesday.
"If Vice President Gore were to say . . . that he is prepared to accept the count of the absentee ballots from overseas, whatever the outcome . . . the nation would have a point of finality," Mack said. "And that date would be Nov. 17."
Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln C. Almond (R), a former U.S. attorney, said he did not think the number of discarded or flawed ballots in Florida was a cause for judicial intervention.
"It's unfortunate if anyone has lost a vote," he said, "but that happens all the time. It's common for more people to go into a polling place than there are votes recorded. I think it would set a terrible precedent for a court to order a new election."
But Rep. Norman D. Dicks (D-Wash.), one of Gore's leading supporters in Congress, said, "Both sides need to really cool it here. This is going to play out under Florida law. The idea that one side or the other can waive the rights of Floridians and somehow concede this election is totally ludicrous."
Still, a number of Democrats expressed strong concern about the consequences to the country and the presidency of a protracted vote count battle.
Former Democratic Cabinet member Joseph A. Califano Jr. said, "The nastier it gets, the harder it will be to govern." Asked what advice he would give Gore, the New York attorney said: "Call off the demonstrators, if you can. Get the lawsuits decided immediately. And announce that whenever it [the vote count] is resolved, it's over."
Bradley said both Gore and Bush "should be thinking about the long-term strength of our democracy and about the precedents that might be set. . . . Delay would give the impression that this is not an orderly transfer of power. If this goes on a long time, it could be very damaging."
Sen. Robert G. Torricelli (D-N.J.) also argued that the election needs to be brought to a conclusion as quickly as possible. "I want Al Gore to win this election," he told the Associated Pres, "but more than that, I want somebody to win this election. I would urge both Al Gore and George Bush to think of the country--the continuity of government, its stability--and avoid any collateral attacks on the process."
Leon E. Panetta, the former Clinton White House chief of staff who also urged both candidates to accept the final Florida returns as definitive, criticized the Gore camp for talking about lawsuits and Bush for proceeding with transition planning as if he had already been elected.
But Almond said it was only prudent to begin. "I think both camps should be making some preparations," the governor said. "It should be done discreetly, but they should be moving forward."
The gravity and uncertainty of the moment were expressed by Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana, a Democrat whose state went strongly for Bush. "The situation is so unprecedented that everyone is walking on eggshells right now, feeling their way as they go," Bayh said.
"The vice president needs to assert his rights" but avoid giving "the appearance of being a sore loser," he continued. "Bush, on the other hand, runs the risk of appearing to be saying, 'I want to be president, no matter what the result of the election.' "
Staff writers Matthew Vita and Juliet Eilperin contributed to this report.
© 2000 The Washington Post |
