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Another “tie”?

17 comments on Another “tie”?

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….

17 responses to “Another “tie”?”

  1. scott orrell Avatar
    scott orrell

    Let me be the first to register an intellectually astute comment:
    Holy Crap.
    I would rather Kerry win, than have my guy win questionably two elections.

  2. Mike Avatar
    Mike

    What is so questionable about the 2000 election and the scenario described in the post?
    The Supreme Court became involved when all the lawyering started from the Gore campaign and their idea of selectively recounting certain counties in Florida. By the way, Bush won the recount and thus the election, nothing questionable about it. Sure he lost the popular vote, but we don’t have a popular vote in this country so it doesn’t matter.
    The next scenario is taken care of by the Constitution, so what is so questionable about that? So what’s the big deal.

  3. Steve K. Avatar
    Steve K.

    I love Tim Russert and his trusty white board. Having said that, I’m wondering about the phrase “He started off his first term acting like a had a mandate, though he didn’t.” What’s this “mandate” crap we keep hearing about? Whoever wins the election (no matter how it gets decided ultimately — Supreme Court, House of Representatives, etc.) is our leader, and we should rally as a nation around our leader. Does that mean we check our brain at the door? Of course not. But sitting around with a stick up your butt because “my guy lost” is lame.
    Jeff, I think some of your other posts are more true to the point: America is not as divided as the media portrays it most of the time. So let’s work together to get the job done already. Enough whining about the 2000 election. It’s time to “move on” (pun intended).

  4. Jeff the Baptist Avatar
    Jeff the Baptist

    “Whoever wins the election (no matter how it gets decided ultimately — Supreme Court, House of Representatives, etc.) is our leader, and we should rally as a nation around our leader.”
    Exactly right. Not to go all Christian here, but this is exactly what the Apostle Paul meant in Romans 13.

  5. TXBueller Avatar
    TXBueller

    50% is not a mandate for GWB? Okay, I’ll agree.
    But Clinton/Gore declared mandates on both their elections yet both times they got less than 50% of the popular vote!

  6. spongeworthy Avatar
    spongeworthy

    This is one argument I don’t get. Bush has not vetoed a single bill. He passed his tax cuts with much bipartisan support. NCLB was practically written by Ted Kennedy and the prescription boondoggle’s enough to make Stalin weep.
    All this talk about Bush governing from the right is horsecrap–he hasn’t asserted any mandate or anything close. All the “dividing” is coming from the Democrats, who couldn’t wait to proclaim, “He’s Not My President”.
    Seriously, where do you come up with this?

  7. DaveP. Avatar
    DaveP.

    “AIDED by the Supreme Court”?
    Bull. And again, bull.
    All the Supreme Court said was that the Gore campaign had to stop demanding more and more recounts every time they got a recount answer that showed what the rest of us knew all along: That Bush won Florida… by a small margin, yes; but win he did.
    All of the subsequent recounts done under anything remotely approaching reasonable terms (as opposed to Gore/Lieberman terms: “…a vote for Buchanan is a vote for Gore, and a vote for Bush is a vote for Gore, and no vote at all is a vote for Gore…”) STILL SHOW GORE LOSING.
    GORE LOST. Leave the tinfoil-hat conspiracy theories to the Indymedia nutjobs.

  8. Ethan Avatar
    Ethan

    y’all are some angry conservatives.

  9. Kat Avatar
    Kat

    “I’m voting Republican this year. The Democrats left a bad taste in my mouth”
    Monica Lewinsky

  10. shark Avatar
    shark

    Bush’s first election was, uh, well, aided by the Supreme Court.
    If Al Gore had been awarded the election by the Fl. State Supreme Court, which authorized recounts that violated the equal protection clause, would you have said that “Gore’s election was, uh, well, aided by the Fl State Supreme Court”?
    Just asking…..
    In regards to 2000:
    1) Get your facts straight
    2) Get over it
    3) Too bad Gore didn’t win his freaking home state and make it all academic.

  11. Sterling Avatar
    Sterling

    Yeah, Jeff – this “aided” business is just unacceptable. Florida had perfectly reasonable election laws, duly enacted by its legislature. The Gore campaign got Florida’s highly political Supreme Court to overturn those laws for no legitimate reason. The U.S. Supreme Court reversed them; that’s what happened.
    This newest snowbird scandal, which illegally put at least 1000 net votes in the can for Gore in Florida, must be vigorously prosecuted. Federal charges should be filed immediately against every person who voted in both Florida and New York in 2000.

  12. Andrea Harris Avatar
    Andrea Harris

    “Federal charges should be filed immediately against every person who voted in both Florida and New York in 2000.”
    Jesus! I’m glad I didn’t vote last election then. Hell, maybe we should just fence both states in and make them giant prison camps. Would that make you happy, Sterling?
    Three words: Anger Management Therapy. Check it out.

  13. Sterling Avatar
    Sterling

    Andrea – the whole electoral process was put under enormous strain, and Bush’s legitimacy has been questioned for 3.5 years because a few thousand snowbirds DELIBERATELY voted in two states. While the whole country was going through that mess, NOT ONE OF THEM came forward and admitted what they did. To hell with them.
    MAKE AN EXAMPLE OF THEM. Throw their wrinkly ol’ asses in jail for 90 days – give ’em some time to think on it.
    Are you seriously suggesting they should NOT be prosecuted?

  14. Andrea Harris Avatar
    Andrea Harris

    Well, you said “Federal charges should be filed immediately against every person who voted in both Florida and New York in 2000.” That sure sounds like “jail everyone!” But now that I reread you, I realized you meant “every person who voted twice.” Clarity is our friend!
    But — where do you get this thing about “this newest scandal” about snowbirds voting twice? If this is true, then yes, some sort of charges should be brought against people like that. But — I haven’t heard of it. Then again, I haven’t followed the voting fuss.

  15. Joe Baby Avatar
    Joe Baby

    Even weirder…the House wouldn’t decide it by ‘one man, one vote’ but by ‘one state, one vote’. Simple majority wins. FYI, Bush won 30 states in ’00.

  16. James Stephenson Avatar
    James Stephenson

    I can not believe you Jeff. Florida Election law, before the election in 2000 stated that if the count was close in the machine, re-run the votes and that second vote is official. At that point Gore lost. But he tried to steal the election. The only theft attempted in 2000 was by Gore. Remember the DNC also tried to get the absentee Military votes not counted. After all, even a few hundred could make a difference.
    And the right is not angry. At least I am not angry, just disappointed. Not even Nixon, who had a better chance to have something reversed was not willing to contest an election. Yet Gore, was willing to drag this country through the mud, and divide the country even more for the last 4 years. Why? So he could steal the election, crazy.

  17. Blue Avatar
    Blue

    Well, since WV has been looking pretty solid for Bush I suspect this exercise is academic.