http://www.projo.com/cgi-bin/story.pl/opinion/04533851.htm
Gore vs. our system
The Providence Journal
November 11, 2000
In 1960, when credible allegations of vote fraud in Cook County, Ill., and Texas cast doubt on the outcome of a cliffhanger presidential election, Vice President Richard Nixon chose not to challenge the results because he believed that a series of legal challenges would provoke a constitutional crisis, and harm the country. Would Mr. Nixon have prevailed if Mayor Richard Daley's notoriously corrupt Cook County machine had been subject to federal scrutiny? Maybe; maybe not. But the point is that Mr. Nixon declined to play sore loser, and lived to run again for president.
Now, 40 years later, Mayor Daley's son, Democratic campaign chairman William Daley, seems determined to do what Richard Nixon, of all people, declined to contemplate: subvert the Constitution and "win" this election by judicial sleight of hand. Mr. Daley's determination to institute lawsuits, shop for sympathetic judges, and bypass the constitutional process of selecting a president, and his assertion that "if the will of the people is to prevail, Al Gore should be awarded a victory in Florida and be our next president," are outrageous. He is, presumably, speaking for Al Gore; if not, Mr. Gore should tell Mr. Daley to cease threatening the integrity of the process by which Americans choose their president.
It appears that Governor Bush has won the Florida primary. The vote has been counted, and recounted, and while Mr. Bush's aparent victory is dramatically narrow, it will almost certainly stand. Nevertheless, we will know the final answer when those overseas absentee ballots are counted: The deadline is next Friday. Since Governor Bush is expected to win those ballots, many from military voters, it is likely that his margin will grow a bit. At that point, Florida's 25 electoral votes should be awarded to Mr. Bush, giving him official victory.
When that happens, Vice President Al Gore should do what Richard Nixon did in 1960: bow to the inevitable, graciously or not. Both candidates understood the rules when they undertook their campaigns, and the rules have been clear since America was founded.
The extent to which some Democrats seem determined to exploit -- even sensationalize -- the issue of ballots in Palm Beach County is distressing. The truth is that those ballots were intended to be idiot-proof: The type is larger than usual for the sake of the elderly, and voters are guided by an arrow from the name of their candidate to the requisite button for punching. The local elections supervisor -- a Democrat -- approved the ballots, which are similar to those used in previous elections. Copies of the ballots were mailed to prospective voters, and published in newspapers, long before any votes were recorded. It is the same sort of ballot used in Mr. Daley's Cook County, and was understood by an overwhelming majority of the voters in Palm Beach.
That some voters might have been confused, and might have voted for one candidate instead of another, is unfortunate. But voters can, and often are, confused all over America, not just in Palm Beach County. And when two candidates are selected for a single office, such ballots are routinely -- by law -- discarded. This year, 19,000 such ballots were invalidated in Palm Beach County; in 1996, 16,000. There is no evidence that anyone intended to defraud the voters of Palm Beach County, or intimidate them, or prevent them from exercising their franchise. They had their chance to vote, and a few failed to follow instructions.
With their seeming determination to shop for a Florida judge who will do their bidding, by invoking "political pressure" to invalidate Governor Bush's election, and by suggesting that presidential electors should choose to vote for someone other than the candidate to whom they are pledged, Al Gore and William Daley have succeeded in dividing the country, sowing bitterness and cynicism, and flouting the rule of law. If the Gore organization steals Governor Bush's apparent victory, Republicans will be prompted to challenge the results in states where Mr. Bush lost by very narrow margins and allegations of fraud and voter confusion have been heard: Wisconsin, New Mexico, Iowa, Oregon and several large cities. Is this partisan warfare and prolonged uncertainty what Al Gore wants for America? If so, that is a good reason to deny him the presidency.
Gore vs. our system
The Providence Journal
November 11, 2000
In 1960, when credible allegations of vote fraud in Cook County, Ill., and Texas cast doubt on the outcome of a cliffhanger presidential election, Vice President Richard Nixon chose not to challenge the results because he believed that a series of legal challenges would provoke a constitutional crisis, and harm the country. Would Mr. Nixon have prevailed if Mayor Richard Daley's notoriously corrupt Cook County machine had been subject to federal scrutiny? Maybe; maybe not. But the point is that Mr. Nixon declined to play sore loser, and lived to run again for president.
Now, 40 years later, Mayor Daley's son, Democratic campaign chairman William Daley, seems determined to do what Richard Nixon, of all people, declined to contemplate: subvert the Constitution and "win" this election by judicial sleight of hand. Mr. Daley's determination to institute lawsuits, shop for sympathetic judges, and bypass the constitutional process of selecting a president, and his assertion that "if the will of the people is to prevail, Al Gore should be awarded a victory in Florida and be our next president," are outrageous. He is, presumably, speaking for Al Gore; if not, Mr. Gore should tell Mr. Daley to cease threatening the integrity of the process by which Americans choose their president.
It appears that Governor Bush has won the Florida primary. The vote has been counted, and recounted, and while Mr. Bush's aparent victory is dramatically narrow, it will almost certainly stand. Nevertheless, we will know the final answer when those overseas absentee ballots are counted: The deadline is next Friday. Since Governor Bush is expected to win those ballots, many from military voters, it is likely that his margin will grow a bit. At that point, Florida's 25 electoral votes should be awarded to Mr. Bush, giving him official victory.
When that happens, Vice President Al Gore should do what Richard Nixon did in 1960: bow to the inevitable, graciously or not. Both candidates understood the rules when they undertook their campaigns, and the rules have been clear since America was founded.
The extent to which some Democrats seem determined to exploit -- even sensationalize -- the issue of ballots in Palm Beach County is distressing. The truth is that those ballots were intended to be idiot-proof: The type is larger than usual for the sake of the elderly, and voters are guided by an arrow from the name of their candidate to the requisite button for punching. The local elections supervisor -- a Democrat -- approved the ballots, which are similar to those used in previous elections. Copies of the ballots were mailed to prospective voters, and published in newspapers, long before any votes were recorded. It is the same sort of ballot used in Mr. Daley's Cook County, and was understood by an overwhelming majority of the voters in Palm Beach.
That some voters might have been confused, and might have voted for one candidate instead of another, is unfortunate. But voters can, and often are, confused all over America, not just in Palm Beach County. And when two candidates are selected for a single office, such ballots are routinely -- by law -- discarded. This year, 19,000 such ballots were invalidated in Palm Beach County; in 1996, 16,000. There is no evidence that anyone intended to defraud the voters of Palm Beach County, or intimidate them, or prevent them from exercising their franchise. They had their chance to vote, and a few failed to follow instructions.
With their seeming determination to shop for a Florida judge who will do their bidding, by invoking "political pressure" to invalidate Governor Bush's election, and by suggesting that presidential electors should choose to vote for someone other than the candidate to whom they are pledged, Al Gore and William Daley have succeeded in dividing the country, sowing bitterness and cynicism, and flouting the rule of law. If the Gore organization steals Governor Bush's apparent victory, Republicans will be prompted to challenge the results in states where Mr. Bush lost by very narrow margins and allegations of fraud and voter confusion have been heard: Wisconsin, New Mexico, Iowa, Oregon and several large cities. Is this partisan warfare and prolonged uncertainty what Al Gore wants for America? If so, that is a good reason to deny him the presidency.