11/10/2000

I'd just like to say for the record that I'm nauseous at the thought that the Republicans would accuse anyone of trying to "politicize" an irregular ballot; that they would suggest that a slow, reasonable resolution of the affair is "illegal" or "a challenge to democracy"; that they would try to force Gore to concede before all the results were in and tallied in a very close race; or that they would suggest that asking for a recount in a close race is just the beginning of a slippery slope towards endless recounts. I've read or heard all of these things in the past two days, from folks like George W. Bush, who seems to think that such comments will help him rule, from James Baker, who seems to think that democracy should be a rough-and-tumble, basketball game sort of thing, from Bush campaign spokeswoman Karen Hughes, who seems to think that legality is something that should be both strict when it favors her cause and slack when it may not, and from others.

All I can think is that the Republicans are running scared and using every dirty trick in their lawyers' books to keep their tenuous hold on power that is not even theirs by rights according to the same laws that their candidate will be asked to preserve, protect, and defend. To say nothing of the worry that they seem to be fundamentally worried about the fact that it's a bunch of blacks, West Indians and Jews who may hold the key to unseating them -- something they should have thought of before, in my opinion.

I sincerely hope that Bush and his supporters do not honestly believe that finding out the true will of the people is something that "undermines the constitutional process of selecting the President", and that we should accept the faulty data resulting from a poorly designed ballot (on thousands of which, apparently, elderly Jews voted for a Nazi sympathizer and for Vice President Gore, which any sane person can see is probably a mistake being corrected) rather than allowing for another vote. Nothing, in my mind, would undermine the constitutional process for electing the leader of this country like knowing that said leader would rather retain power than find out the truth. Even Nixon resigned when it was obvious to all that he was lying to protect his own interests. Bush hasn't even been elected yet and I've lost all hope of ever being able to respect him as a leader.
posted 11:14 AM

11/7/2000

OK, now I'm back from SF. Whirlwind week; summary to follow.
posted 8:12 PM