What's the real historic, unbiased story of Florida 2000?

[HankReardon]

With the national election approaching, I'd like to be better informed about what happened in Florida 2000. Right now my view is that the Florida Supreme Court in a rogue act agreed to allow the changing of election rules after the election to attempt to enable the Democrats to count as votes improperly cast ballots. The Gore campaign blatantly choose to recount in the most predominately Democrat counties where their chances of manipulation was best. For the U.S. Supreme Court not to have stepped in and overruled the Florida Supremes and stop the goings on would have been neglect of duty. Seems very obvious to me but since many people stubbornly insist the President was "selected not elected" what is the objective, non-bias history of the events of the Florida election 2000.

[bobjam]

Article II of the Constitution states that the President shall be elected by electors who are chosen by each state in a manner set up by that state's legislature. This is very important as the Constitution clearly assigns to the state legislature the final authority on chosing electors (there is no requirement to actually have a Presidential election).

The Florida Legislature had set a deadline by which all county election results must be certified and submitted to the Florida Secretary of State. The Gore team sued Katherine Harris when she tried to enforce that deadline. The state circuit and appellate courts ruled for Harris, however the Florida Supreme Court (6 of the 7 justices are Democratic appointees) sided with Gore, overruled the Legislature and made up a new deadline. The US Supreme Court vacated that ruling and restored the deadline that had been set by the Legislature.

By this time all overseas ballots had been counted, and Katherine Harris certified 500 vote win for Bush. The Gore team then challenged the results in Leon County (Tallahassee) circuit court. They lost and appealed directly to the state Supreme Court. That court again rewrote election law, uncertified the result, and ordered hand counts of 4 of the 67 counties. The US Supreme Court, in a 7-2 ruling (the Clinton appointees dissenting) found that all ballots must undergo the same level of scrutiny. In a 5-4 decision, the US Supreme Court found that the Florida Supreme Court had again arbitrarily rewritten state law, and vacated its decision.

The last set of Supreme Court rulings came on the federal deadline (set by Congress) for states to submit the names of their electors. While the court fights were ongoing, the Florida Legislature met in emergency special session to address the election chaos. On the final day, the State House of Representatives declared Bush the winner and chose his electors to be the electors of Florida. The US Supreme Court ruling meant that the State Senate didn't need to take up that vote as well, so the bill was never passed.

[alnick]

Read Bill Sammon's At Any Cost : How Al Gore Tried to Steal the Election.

[trebb]

"Nader robbed us of one election. We're not going to let him do it to us again," one party official told me.

It's solved - the above is a statement from a Dim in Florida who opposes Nader running - as you can see, he absolves Bush from "stealing the election".

And they wonder why we call them Dims...

[Jim Noble]

On the final day, the State House of Representatives declared Bush the winner and chose his electors to be the electors of Florida. The US Supreme Court ruling meant that the State Senate didn't need to take up that vote as well, so the bill was never passed.

As I said above, the Constitutional process for electing a President was working, would have continued to work and did not require illegitimate US Supreme Court intervention.

The authors of Article II and Amendment XI could easily have inserted the sentence, "All cases of dispute about proper selection of electors by a State Legislature will be referred to the Supreme Court".

They would have been appalled by the very notion.

The Supreme Court of 1877 could easily have intervened in the "Electoral Commission" fiasco-but they would have been way out of their assigned responsibilities, and they knew it.

Just remember, a Court with the power to supervene the political process of chusing electors is a Court with the power to redefine marriage.

Bush v. Gore should never-NEVER-have been heard by the Court.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

There was no case that was justiceable by the US Supreme Court, which has no role and no right to meddle in elections, which are not an act of the government but an act of the People for which the governments at various levels provide technical assistance.

A salient point that is frequently forgotten by the masses (mostly the lefties) and bears repeating. Often.

[SW6906]

"The Florida Legislature had set a deadline by which all county election results must be certified and submitted to the Florida Secretary of State. The Gore team sued Katherine Harris when she tried to enforce that deadline. The state circuit and appellate courts ruled for Harris, however the Florida Supreme Court (6 of the 7 justices are Democratic appointees) sided with Gore, overruled the Legislature and made up a new deadline. The US Supreme Court vacated that ruling and restored the deadline that had been set by the Legislature."

It took 21 posts, but the key point, IMHO, was finally made. Gore & his minions tried to change the rules of the "game" after the game had started and was almost over.

[Jhensy]

And don't forget controlling the voting machinery, a la the Democrat-designed butterfly ballot.

It's the old Joe Kennedy/Daley machine/Charles Foster Kane tactic: If you win, fine; if not, have the FRAUD AT THE POLLS strategy all ready to go. If you knowingly design ballots that can be seen as 'flawed' afterwards, you can scream bloody murder in no time in case things don't go your way. Having "disenfranchised" elderly holocaust victims and poor minorities ready before the cameras the next morning is a nice touch.

[Monty22]

Remarkably good comments on this thread. Bush so clearly, and totally won that I guess it's why you don't hear the 'we was robbed' talk much anymore.

But the bitterness over it still festers in the left like a swollen cyst. The ABB mentality feeds off it.

[Ff--150]

"Is that a banned topic on FR or am I thinking of something else?"

Yes, Sir =-(

[Jim Noble]

Gore & his minions tried to change the rules of the "game" after the game had started and was almost over.

And would have eventually been defeated by the very Constitution that they loathe.

It is very wrong for us to rejoice over yet another usurpation by the Supreme Court of powers that belong, in this case explicitly (Art. II, Amend. XI) to the People.

[Voteamerica]

You are exactly right; Gore made his bed but didn’t want to sleep there. There isn’t much more to it as far as the truth about 2000 is concerned. My brother and I were guessing which way each state would go in ’04 last night and the subject of Florida came up. The butterfly ballot voters who were too idiotic to read the ballot won’t make the same mistake next time, meaning that Bush will have to make up around 20,000 votes there. Does Bush have a much stronger position in Florida this time then in 2000, because if he doesn’t he better get moving?

[VRWC_minion]

The voting stuff was moot. The Florida legislature stood ready to override the results of the bogus counts and send there own delegates. Florida was never in play. It was just good grand theater.

[Jim Noble]

Bush so clearly, and totally won that I guess it's why you don't hear the 'we was robbed' talk much anymore. But the bitterness over it still festers in the left like a swollen cyst.

The root of the problem (which will persist until the next election, if indeed it is resolved then) is that 3.5 million more voters voted for NaderGore than voted for Bush.

If Bush plus Buchanan (or better, Alan Keyes) beat Gore by 3.5 million votes and Gore were President today, I would still be piss*d off-and so would you.

[EllaMinnow]

President Bush lost at least 20,000 votes in western Florida because of the networks' call of Florida for Gore an hour before the polls closed in the Central Time Zone.

That won't happen again.

[Voteamerica]

You are exactly right; Gore made his bed but didn’t want to sleep there. There isn’t much more to it as far as the truth about 2000 is concerned. My brother and I were guessing which way each state would go in ’04 last night and the subject of Florida came up. The butterfly ballot voters who were too idiotic to read the ballot won’t make the same mistake next time, meaning that Bush will have to make up around 20,000 votes there. Does Bush have a much stronger position in Florida this time then in 2000, because if he doesn’t he better get moving?

[Paleo Conservative]

Broward, Palm Beach, and Dade counties underestimated the number of fraudulent votes they needed to manufacture to put Gore over the top in Florida!

[GraceCoolidge]

You know, I had family living in Palm Beach at that time. One thing you didn't hear much about was that these "confusing" voting methods had been publicized prior to the election. Every household got a printed voter guide mailed to them prior to the election explaining just how the voting mechanism worked. Of course, it turned out many of those now complaining about being "confused" had been too busy to bother to read it.

[Phlap]

The real story is Bush won on election day and Al Gore put the nation through hell because he didn't like the outcome.

[StoneColdTaxHater]

Read the book by Bill Sammon "At Any Cost" it will explain it all.

[GraceCoolidge]

What's the best response to those who want to believe Bush was "awarded" the Presidency?

Ann Coulter's book Slander has an excellent section on the topic of the media's presentation of the events surrounding the Florida recounts. If you haven't read it, you may want to look at it. It gives a good analysis not just of the events, but of the questionable media presentation of them.