Election Night 2000

[jravnsbo]

Bully! as TR would say it was about 1 hr 15 min before polls closed FL was first called as I remember looking at the clock.  I did that b/c I thought it was odd as the numbers at the bottom still had Bush ahead when it was called for Gore.

Florida was called for Gore only 10 minutes before the panhandle stopped voting, though, so I doubt it had a huge effect. Anyone who was still voting would almost certainly at least have already been on their way to the polls, and thus unlikely to turn back. Also, why would people decide not to vote just because the state had been called for Gore, wouldn't they still want to turn out to vote in races further down the ballot? I realize that the call probably cost Bush some votes, but given that it was only 10 minutes before poll closing time I highly doubt that it could have been a great number.
Also, I've seen some studies that show that Gore would've won a statewide recount, although depending somewhat on what standards were used. I don't remember the specifics of these studies offhand, but I do know that it is not a certainty that Bush would have won any recount.

[jravnsbo]

Also Gore was never ahead, not ever onc eit was called for Bush.  After NUMEROUS selective recounts Bush always lead.  The SCT did not "appoint" Bush as some Liberals love to claim and you can't steal something you already have.

That aside the election was run poorly, from poorly designed ballots to the early election night call.

2002 was better and so i think a lot of the bugs have been ironed out.  But that was with a Jeb landslide so hard to tell.

[jravnsbo]

Maybe only one of the networks called it early or something I remember distinctly looking at the clock with about 1hr  15 min to go and making some comments to friends that it was unusual to do that and esp as I said with Bush ahead at the bottom fo the screen int he running numbers.

[jravnsbo]

I stil disagree.  See the networks were very slow to change as I distinctly remember a friend saying "Fox has moved FL back to neutral and laughing and saying, well it is fox" and then about 1.5 hrs later NBC finally and they were last.  Because I'll never forget as they moved it back to neutral Katie Couric look s shocked and says "Gosh I sure hope all my friends voted"

[jravnsbo]

Well i think if Gore would have just said fromt he start I want a statewide recount, it all would have went a lot smoother.  

By just picking a few Dem counties it just looked bad.  

I have a lawyer friend that said on Thanksgiving as he watched a guy holding up a ballot take off his glass pass it to the next person, etc etc and yu just kept seeing those images, this is bull for both sides it is so subjective and their is no clear standard and the SCT will stop this BS.  And it ended up he was right as a lot of the decision talked about Equal protection.

[jravnsbo]

PS- Looks like they had the bugs fixed in 2002, but I guess not as much scrutiny in a large margin win.

[jravnsbo]

BUT the law did not permit statewide recount at that point.  As I remember Gore asked after the deadline.

[jravnsbo]

Yes the dems should have protested the ballot before the election but the Democrats are the ones that designed it.

That was a hard one to argue.

[jravnsbo]

agreed also!

[jravnsbo]

Got to give you that!  Was watching when they called FL for Gore as Bush was ahead below int he vote talleys,then MI and PA went that way and Bush's lead grew in FL, I was like what the f***.  and then it was great watching the liberal commentators squirm as they had to move FL back to the undecided column.  

Katie Chouric " I sure hope all my [liberal] friends voted in FL"

Tom Brokaw (thinking he was off air when PA went to Gore) "There we got it now"

But then arond 2AM CST BUSH WAS DECLARED THE WINNER and word came that Gore had called Bush to concede.  We all started drinking champaign and partied till we passed out.  Only to wake up and be put through a month of confusion by  Al Gore and his selective county recounts and then cry as the GOP stole the election, even though Bush NEVER trailed and it is hard to steal something you already have.

But clearly exciting and came out right in the end!

[jravnsbo]

your welcome WONK.  I love that one and with Candidates such as Dean and Gephardt running on a platform of repealling all Bush's tax cuts, ie accounting for MASSIVE TAX INCREASES including the loss of the child tax credit and reintroduction of the marriage penalty on middle class families look for it often in the coming campaign.

[jravnsbo]

Gore is the one that didn't want Clinton to campaign for him, not the other way around.

If President Clinton endoused and campainged for Gore MORE. Gore would have one.

[jravnsbo]

mr prez who are you talking to?  please specify.

[jravnsbo]

Yeah but Andrew Johnson was impeached b/c he vetoed a bill.  But yes good point.

Plus didn't Johnson get elected to the senate and then blasted them on the floor of the senate ( talk about great drama!!)

Can you blame Gore?  If you had been US Grant or Horatio Seymour in 1868 would you have wanted the impeached, reviled Andrew Johnson campaigning for you?

[jravnsbo]

ok accepting your premise that Gore made a very poor decision in not having Clinton come along, whcich I do believe was a dumb move.  Have Clinton live in AR and go to big fundraisers if nothing else for party functions.

Aren't you glad this poor decision maker that has changed who he was many times without the pressures of being President Lost?  I don't think he would have handled the foreign policy challenges half as well as Bush has done.

[jravnsbo]

ok point taken.  But you dodged the question.  Maybe I'll make another thread.

ok accepting your premise that Gore made a very poor decision in not having Clinton come along, whcich I do believe was a dumb move.  Have Clinton live in AR and go to big fundraisers if nothing else for party functions.

Aren't you glad this poor decision maker that has changed who he was many times without the pressures of being President Lost?  I don't think he would have handled the foreign policy challenges half as well as Bush has done.

Gore ran a bad campaign, that doesn't make him a bad president.