Another “tie”?
: On Meet the Press yesterday, Tim Russert pulled out his tiny white board and started making electoral projections again. This time, he painted a picture of a tie:
MR. RUSSERT: …so well, 2000 Election Night, the final count, Tom Brokaw, was 271 for George Bush, 267. Because of the changing population demographics, if George Bush wins the same states now, this year, as he won in 2000, it would be 278-260, all right? But let me show you something, Tom. If, in fact, New Hampshire and West Virginia switched to Kerry, New Hampshire being his neighbor, West Virginia having voted… Democrat three of the last four times, it would be 269-269, dead even in the Electoral College. The election would go to the House of Representatives…
Imagine that: Bush’s first election was, uh, well, aided by the Supreme Court. And the second would be decided by the House of Representatives. It would be what the Constitution dictates. Nonetheless, what a sticky wicket that would be. Not that it would influence the direction of a second Bush term. He started off his first term acting like a had a mandate, though he didn’t; 9/11 did far more to center him than the loss of the popular vote. Yes, the white board fun begins already….
