<nettime> The Win-proof Electionoid Blitz

["jon lebkowsky" <jonl@well.com>]

(originally posted to the CYBERDAWG BARKING! email list, 11/28/2000)

We are past a point of no return for the 2000 presidential election. Past
this point of no return, no one can win, because the "winner" will have to
contend with the legacy of a close race: George Bush did not win the popular
vote, and the contest in Florida has stirred violent opposition on the right
to a Gore presidency. Either "winner" will be in such deep shit for the next
four years that he'll be envious of the guy who walks away.

I do think that a Bush victory will be worse for Bush than a Gore victory
would be for Gore. Eventually the facts of the election will begin to sink
in with the electorate, and the context in which Bush appears to have "won"
will gather dark mass and hover as a spectre over his presidency.

What "facts" am I talking about?

Consider: Bush's brother Jeb assured his victory in Florida - how could he
make such an assurance, some will ask? The networks called Florida for Gore,
but after a few phone calls by Florida's governor Jeb and others, the
networks neutralized the call, and Florida suddenly began to turn to Bush.
Since the election, Bush and his colleagues have worked aggressively to
block recounts and scrutiny of the ballots, as though something might be
revealed in a normal recount process. They have made misleading statements
("all votes have been counted, some as many as four times") and have sought
to undermine the judicial system by implying that political bias drives
court decisions (noting whenever a judge with the potential to rule against
the Republicans is a Democrat). Florida's Secretary of State, Bush's
campaign manager in that state, has aggressively constrained recounts,
ensuring that additional votes for Gore were swept aside.

If I was Bush, given these facts, I would worry more about the implications
of victory than defeat.

 -- jon l.

http://www.well.com/~jonl

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