Re: 2000 U.S. Presidential Election - Florida
aclue
On 10-Apr-2009, °cg° <cgrams7@{removethis}yahoo.com> wrote:
> Thank you ahead of time for any time an effort you may wish to expend
> on this.
I'm sure someone can fine some passionate left wing site that doesen't have
facts but has a strong anti Bush semtimate that will sway your heart to look
the other way at the facts.
Littleguy
<cgrams7@{removethis}yahoo.com> wrote:
>At approximately 7:50 p.m. EST on election day, 10 minutes before the
>polls closed in the largely Republican Florida panhandle, which is in
>the Central time zone, some television news networks declared that
>Gore had carried Florida's 25 electoral votes. They based this
>prediction substantially on exit polls. However, in the actual vote
>tally Bush began to take a wide lead early in Florida, and by 10 p.m.
>EST those networks had retracted that prediction and placed Florida
>back into the "undecided" column. At approximately 2:30 a.m., with
>some 85% of the votes counted in Florida and Bush leading Gore by more
>than 100,000 votes, the networks, starting with Fox News, declared
>that Bush had carried Florida and therefore had been elected
>President. However, most of the remaining votes to be counted in
>Florida were located in three heavily Democratic counties - Broward,
>Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach - and as their votes were reported Gore
>began to gain on Bush. By 4:30 a.m., after all votes were counted,
>Gore had narrowed Bush's margin to just over 2,000 votes, and the
>networks retracted their predictions that Bush had won Florida and the
>presidency. Gore, who had privately conceded the election to Bush,
>withdrew his concession. The final result in Florida was slim enough
>to require a mandatory recount (by machine) under state law; Bush's
>lead had dwindled to about 300 votes by the time it was completed
>later that week. A count of overseas military ballots later boosted
>his margin to about 900 votes.
On Nov 22nd 1963 President John F Kennedy was killed by a man firing a
mail order bolt action rifle, including a head shot.
marcodbeast
> I've seen this topic raised more than once in this ng. I will readily
> confess that I didn't closely follow the Florida vote at the time and
> have not paid too much attention to the debate of the results of that
> state's popular vote for President of the U.S. in 2000.
>
> I realize that thinking any resolution to the controversies which have
> sprung up over those results is unlikely in this ng or in most any
> other forum populated by folks who come down on opposite sides.
> None-the-less, I'd like to better understand the various views of why
> the final results were, or were not, correct.
>
> As a start, I'd like to discover what sorts of issues are associated
> with the following overview which is from Wikipedia. If you feel
> there is one, or more, inaccuracies in the following please indicate
> the inaccuracy and provide some evidence of why it is inaccurate. Any
> supporting references would be appreciated.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Katherine Harris's illegal scrub list of 173,000 supposed "felons",
produced by intentionally relaxing requirements and avoiding error checking,
goes here.)
> At approximately 7:50 p.m. EST on election day, 10 minutes before the
> polls closed in the largely Republican Florida panhandle, which is in
> the Central time zone, some television news networks declared that
> Gore had carried Florida's 25 electoral votes. They based this
> prediction substantially on exit polls. However, in the actual vote
> tally Bush began to take a wide lead early in Florida, and by 10 p.m.
> EST those networks had retracted that prediction and placed Florida
> back into the "undecided" column. At approximately 2:30 a.m., with
> some 85% of the votes counted in Florida and Bush leading Gore by more
> than 100,000 votes, the networks, starting with Fox News, declared
> that Bush had carried Florida and therefore had been elected
> President. However, most of the remaining votes to be counted in
> Florida were located in three heavily Democratic counties - Broward,
> Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach - and as their votes were reported Gore
> began to gain on Bush. By 4:30 a.m., after all votes were counted,
> Gore had narrowed Bush's margin to just over 2,000 votes, and the
> networks retracted their predictions that Bush had won Florida and the
> presidency. Gore, who had privately conceded the election to Bush,
> withdrew his concession. The final result in Florida was slim enough
> to require a mandatory recount (by machine) under state law; Bush's
> lead had dwindled to about 300 votes by the time it was completed
> later that week. A count of overseas military ballots later boosted
> his margin to about 900 votes.
>
> Most of the post-electoral controversy revolved around Gore's request
> for hand recounts in four counties (Broward, Miami Dade, Palm Beach,
> and Volusia), as provided under Florida state law. Florida Secretary
> of State Katherine Harris announced she would reject any revised
> totals from those counties if they were not turned in by November 14,
> the statutory deadline for amended returns. The Florida Supreme Court
> extended the deadline to November 26, a decision later vacated by the
> U.S. Supreme Court. Miami-Dade eventually halted its recount and
> resubmitted its original total to the state canvassing board,
..after being swamped with republicans from out of town, many of whom were
flown down on Ken Lay's private jet for the specific, planned purpose of
disrupting activity at the voter counting location in return for
all-expense-paid two-week florida vacations paid for by the Bush recount
committee. Violent attacks on democrats and property followed. (1, below)
while
> Palm Beach County failed to meet the extended deadline. On November
> 26, the state canvassing board certified Bush the victor of Florida's
> electors by 537 votes. Gore formally contested the certified results,
> but a state court decision overruling Gore was reversed by the Florida
> Supreme Court, which ordered a recount of over 70,000 ballots
> previously rejected by machine counters. The U.S. Supreme Court
> quickly halted the order.
>
> On December 12, the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that the Florida Supreme
> Court's plan for recounting ballots was unconstitutional. It also
> directed by a 5-4 vote that the Florida recounts cease and that the
> previously certified total would hold.
...based on a faulty (?) definition of "equal protection" based on
differences in vote counting to which both candidates were equally exposed,
which was specified in the decision as a non-precedent-setting action.
(your second link, 2 below)
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2000
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Further, here is another Wikipedia article covering the Florida
> results in much greater detail. If you have anything to add, dispute
> or another reference you consider superior to the Wikipedia article,
> please let me know.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election_in_Florida,_2000
"The Gore campaign, as allowed by Florida statute, requested that disputed
ballots in four counties be counted by hand."
I seem to remember that Bush then chose five other counties, the recounts
in which were completed without incident.
>
> Thank you ahead of time for any time an effort you may wish to expend
> on this.
----------------------------------------------------
1
http://www.lumpen.com/coup2k/coup2k-all.html
'Spontaneous' Mob Violence
In Florida, the Bush campaign quietly organized "rent-a-rioters" and flew
them to Florida from all over the country. While disingenuously portraying
the protests as "spontaneous grass-roots efforts," the Bush campaign sent
special squads of GOP Congressional staffers who, in several instances, led
violent attacks on Democratic observers, smashed windows, and tried to force
their way into vote-counting rooms. This was not civil disobedience intended
to show disagreement, but a concerted attack designed to threaten and
intimidate. 38
Shortly after the election, the Bush campaign began a two-pronged program to
import as many protesters into Florida as they could. The first prong was
done openly: phone-trees reached out across the country to coax party
loyalists to head down and fight Al Gore's "theft" of the election. This
much is standard political fare. What was unusual was the more discreet
second prong.
Under the direction of House Republican Whip Tom DeLay (of Texas, mind you),
staff members of GOP Congressmen were quietly approached with offers of
all-expenses-paid trips to Florida, "all paid for by the Bush campaign." 39
In addition to staying in swanky beach-side hotels, part of their reward
would be an exclusive Thanksgiving Day party in Ft. Lauderdale.
According to the Wall Street Journal, more than 200 Congressional staffers
signed on, with many of them staying in Florida for over a week. "Once word
leaked out," said one GOP operative, "everybody wanted in." 40
Of course, the law prohibits Congressional staffers from participating in
partisan political activities on "company" time. However, the rules allow
them to "go on vacation" or declare themselves on "temporary leave" at a
moment's notice. Their marching orders came from their bosses, but
officially they were simply "private citizens" (albeit on the Bush
campaign's tab).
Once on the scene, high-level coordination was done as secretly as possible.
The Wall Street Journal described the "air of mystery to the operation,"
noting that daily instructions were issued in the form anonymous memos
slipped under hotel-room doors late at night. One aide told the paper, "To
tell the truth, nobody knows who is calling the shots." 41
On the streets, operations were coordinated from a motor home decorated with
Bush-Cheney campaign shwag, like many others parked nearby. The mobile
command center was kept a block or so away from the center of the protests,
far enough to lay low but close enough for instant access. The protesters
were brought to the scene in specially rented busses. Party operatives used
bullhorns to shout inflammatory rhetoric, passed out t-shirts and leaflets,
and generally kept things heated.
The first GOP riot occurred in Miami on November 22. 42 In command were
some 75 members of the "Congress Gang," who floated in and out of the mobile
home a block away where the votes were being counted.
NY Rep. John Sweeney, who was observing the recount, gave the order to "shut
it down." 43 Within minutes, an angry mob filled the halls of the
government building, screaming threats with their fists in the air. Leading
the mob, clearly visible in news footage and photographs, were a number of
the staffers in the "Congress Gang."
Panicked sheriff's deputies tried to close the doors leading to the counting
area. The protesters responded by pounding on the doors and the large window
looking in on the besieged canvassers. The glass bulged under the strain.
Joe Geller, the chairman of the local Democratic Party, decided wisdom was
the better part of valor. He shoved some papers and a standard blank sample
ballot into his brief case and tried to get away. Someone shouted that
Geller was "stealing a ballot," and the mob leapt into hot pursuit. Once on
the street, Geller was surrounded. He was beaten and kicked as he tried to
shield himself with his arms. Finally, local police waded into the crowd and
after a considerable struggle managed to extract Geller in one piece. 44
Back inside, other Democrats were attacked. Party spokesman Luis Rosero was
shoved, punched and kicked when cornered outside the election supervisor's
office. Even Congressman Peter Deutsch was "manhandled." Then word came that
1,000 Cuban-Americans were on their way to join the fray, egged on by the
most influential Spanish-language radio station, Radio Mambi.
To stave off a full-fledged lynching, the canvassing board announced the
counting would be re-opened to the public. Sheriff's deputies had to escort
the three terrified counters back into the public recount area. Meanwhile,
the local election board held a private meeting in more secure quarters.
When they emerged, they announced exactly what the mob wanted: the recount
would be stopped altogether, and the original results from Nov. 7 would be
certified. The Miami-Dade election supervisor, David Leahy, initially
admitted that the attacks had played a part in their decision to stop the
count. "If what I'd envisioned worked out," he said at the time, "and there
were no objections, we'd be up there now counting." 45 Later, he denied the
protests had been a factor.
With their work done in Miami, the motor home and its troops moved on to
Broward County, where they were joined by about 20 other Congressional
staffers who were already on the scene. The promised Cuban-American
activists also arrived, many of whom were members of the Cuban American
National Foundation, a right-wing organization with documented ties to the
CIA.
Security was much heavier in Broward, in part because of the Miami riot that
had just been broadcast live on CNN. As a result, the protests there were
extremely vocal and sometimes tense but, judging from the available press
reports at least, no one was physically assaulted. However, the local
Democratic Party Headquarters was surrounded and at one point a brick was
thrown through its window.
Other "Congress Gang" platoons were sent to Fort Lauderdale, and some of the
same Congressional staffers were also involved in a tense confrontation with
Democratic volunteers in West Palm Beach. The group, which included Rev. Al
Sharpton, was cornered while trying to retrieve some campaign signs. Things
got quite tense and heated words were exchanged, but no violence erupted.
In the end, the secret GOP effort was so successful that at many
demonstrations, GOP protesters outnumbered Democratic supporters 10 to one.
When it was all over, the Republican rent-a-rioters got their lavish
Thanksgiving Day party, with plenty of free food and booze. Wayne Newton
crooned "Danke Schoen" for the crowd, until screaming female fans stormed
the stage. "Danke schoen, darling, danke schoen. Save those lies, darling,
don't explain...." 46 But the real highlight of the evening was a
conference call from Bush and Cheney. Instead of chastising the goon squad
for their violent tactics, the candidates thanked them for their work. They
even cracked mocking jokes about their rivals. 47 "
(38) Sources for this section: Nicholas Kulish & Jim Vandehei, "GOP Protest
in Miami-Dade Is a Well-Organized Effort," Wall Street Journal 11/27/2000;
Dexter Filkins & Dana Canedy, "Protest Influenced Miami-Dade's Decision to
Stop Recount," New York Times 11/24/2000; Steve Osunami & Bill Redecker,
"Vocal Support," ABCNews.com 11/26/2000; Dana Milbank, "Fla. Recount Prompts
an Outpouring of GOP Activism," Washington Post 11/27/2000; Paul Gigot,
"Miami Heat: A burgher rebellion in Dade County," Wall Street Journal
11/24/2000; and Al Kamen, "Texans Eye Replanting Lawn," Washington Post
12/6/2000.
(39) Kulish & Vandehei, Wall Street Journal 11/27/2000, op. cit.
(40) Ibid.
(41) Ibid.
(42) By coincidence, this happens to be the anniversary of the
assassination of President Kennedy in 1963.
(43) Paul Gigot, Wall Street Journal 11/24/2000, op. cit..
(44) Footage of the assault on Geller was widely televised. See also
Filkins & Canedy, New York Times 11/24/2000, op. cit..
(45) Osunami & Redecker, ABCNews.com 11/26/2000, op. cit..
(46) I wouldn't dare make this up. See Kulish & Vandehei, Wall Street
Journal, 11/27/2000, op. cit.. "Danke Schoen" written by Kurt Schwabach,
Milt Gabler and Bert Kaempfert © 1962.
(47) Ibid.
-------------------------------------------
2
http://archives.cnn.com/2000/LAW/12/13/scotus.election.05/
U.S. Supreme Court rules manual vote recounts unconstitutional
[...] Although the ruling reflected a 7-2 split, the concurring and
dissenting opinions revealed a 5-4 split along ideological lines, with the
conservative faction ruling against the recounts and the liberal wing
arguing the case lacked merit and the recounts must continue.
Broadly speaking, the 7-2 split was over the question of reversing the
Florida court, but the 5-4 split was over the termination of manual
recounts.
Denouncing the majority for stopping the manual recounts, Justice John Paul
Stevens said the Bush campaign had no legal basis for its claims, other than
an "unstated lack of confidence in the impartiality and capacity of the
state judges."
"Otherwise, their position is wholly without merit," he wrote. "The
endorsement of that position by the majority of this Court can only lend
credence to the most cynical appraisal of the work of judges throughout the
land," he said.
"Although we may never know with complete certainty the identity of the
winner of this year's presidential election, the identity of the loser is
perfectly clear. It is the nation's confidence in the judge as an impartial
guardian of the rule of the law," he added.
Details of the unsigned ruling
The ruling said the manual recounts should be abandoned because they are
unconstitutional and cannot be completed by the deadline mandated by federal
law.
"That date is upon us, and there is no recount procedure in place under the
state Supreme Court's orders that comports with minimal constitutional
standards," the ruling said.
"Because it is evident that any recount seeking to meet the December 12 date
will be unconstitutional ... we reverse the judgment of the Supreme Court of
Florida ordering a recount to proceed," the ruling said.
The Florida court's decision Friday, which said votes in some counties must
be examined to glean "voter intent," is wrong, the justices wrote, noting
that some paper ballots have indentations and some others have chads --
protruding pieces of paper from an incomplete punch.
The variations in the ballots and the lack of a uniform, statewide standard
spelling out how the ballots should be counted, and by whom, means recounts
are unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment's equal protection guarantee,
the ruling said.