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To: Diamond Jim who wrote (122909)	12/14/2000 9:14:28 PM
From: Barry Grossman	Respond to of 186894

Whatever else, after listening to all the lawyers and reading all the court opinions, there are now millions of us ready to take the LSAT. lol washingtonpost.com It's Over; Let the Healing Begin By Joel Achenbach Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, December 14, 2000 So dies the Election From The Black Lagoon. It was monstrous and fabulous at the same time. It is statistically improbable that we will see such a thing again in our lifetimes. Now we must turn our attention to Cabinet appointments, snowstorms, and meetings of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve. While we weren't looking, America apparently was plunged into a recession. We will find out in a few days if Alan Greenspan supports lower interest rates. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. This is a time for graciousness, for healing, for unity. This is a time to end the invective and hostility, to join together as a people with common values and a shared destiny. (This column will go on hiatus until this unendurable period comes to an end.) The Florida recount was a fine little war, vigorously prosecuted on multiple fronts, with unexpected heroes and villains and absolutely nothing obvious about its outcome. Because of the massive media infrastructure, we now live in the era of the Big Story, of the made-for-"Hardball" conflict. In that context, the 2000 election was infinitely cleaner and more edifying than Impeachment, and not so fundamentally tragic and grotesque as the O.J. trial. It's hard to think of a story that so thoroughly captured the nation's attention that did not involve sex or death. There was nothing sleazy about this story – it was the natural outgrowth of an improbable electoral tie. Both sides had valid arguments; the legal issues were arguably every bit as close, every bit as difficult to resolve, as the election itself. Our system of counting votes is not ideally suited to minuscule victory margins with so much at stake. Whatever else, after listening to all the lawyers and reading all the court opinions, there are now millions of us ready to take the LSAT. For all the rage and craziness of the 36-day Election Night, we can still take pride in the way we transfer presidential power. Alright, so perhaps it wasn't the smoothest handoff we've ever seen. We stipulate that it required most of the lawyers currently practicing in the United States. We will note that the prospect of having the nation's future decided by officials in Florida was roughly as reassuring as being told that, although the airplane's pilot and co-pilot are dead, the flight attendant at the controls has extensive experience with a Game-Boy. We will acknowledge that the final Supreme Court ruling was something of a dog's breakfast, not the kind of thing you really want to look at too closely. Still, for all that, the battle ended beautifully. Al Gore and George W. Bush last night made perfect speeches. They were liberated by the resolution of the election. For a moment it didn't feel like a bitter end after all. There are countries where the transfer of power involves no lawyers, because it involves no laws. The Army just takes care of the whole thing. One day your president vanishes, replaced by the new Maximum Leader, a general with a giant torso, a square head, tiny eyes, and a reputation (according to some expert from Brookings or AEI) for employing torture only when he feels it's truly necessary. Our process may not be perfect but at least it's entirely transparent. The war was fought in our living rooms, 24 hours a day – there were times when you didn't dare risk turning away from the cable TV news long enough to go to the bathroom. We witnessed every strategic maneuver, read every ruling, and looked over the shoulders of officials examining ballots. In America we keep our politics on the record. The combatants have nothing to be ashamed of. They did what they had to do. Gore should go mend his fences, enjoy his family, write a book, and get away from the strategists and handlers and, most of all, the TV cameras and their reality-distorting lenses. He should somehow summon the strength to put another presidential run out of his mind, at least for a few months. Forget the pundits who say Bush will take the oath of office in a weakened position. The presidency is more imperial than ever. He is the executive of a vast array of federal agencies. The news media offer him an awesome propaganda apparatus. He runs a country that has never been richer or stronger or more influential around the world. By a margin of 537 votes, or by a margin of millions – it doesn't really matter – George W. Bush is now the most powerful man on the planet. Except, of course, (I just can't help it) for Dick Cheney. (Rough Draft will go on hiatus indefinitely as it tries to figure out why so many of its predictions for the election were completely wrong. It may resurface sometime around the inauguration. Happy holidays!) © 2000 The Washington Post

To: Diamond Jim who wrote (122909)	12/14/2000 11:04:41 PM
From: Jim McMannis	Respond to of 186894

RE:"you will find that the majority of folks find fault with Florida during this election process, you seem to feel picked on. I think the criticism is just and deserved, you think Florida did everything correctly?" A lot of other states would have had the same difficulties given a close race. Lawyers would have made sure. Jim

To: Diamond Jim who wrote (122909)	12/15/2000 7:06:36 AM
From: Road Walker	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 186894

Diamond, re: "you will find that the majority of folks find fault with Florida during this election process, you seem to feel picked on. I think the criticism is just and deserved, you think Florida did everything correctly?" "Finding fault with Florida". As with most grand generalizations, it doesn't make sense. Florida is a defined geographic plot of land, so I expect you mean finding fault with Florida's people. You are maligning the Florida population. It's not much different than saying African Americans are lazy or Jews are cheap, it's just geographic instead of racial. Generalizations are great for folks that don't want to think too hard, "It's Floridas fault!". Did Florida do everything correctly? No. Did any state? No. For a good perspective on how screwed up our election process is, read page A1 of today's WSJ. Where do you live Jim? John