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Bush Wins Second Term (more background info on decision to concede)
WPost ^ | 11/4

Posted on 11/04/2004 12:06:19 AM PST by ambrose

-snip-

Kerry aides originally believed there might be enough provisional ballots -- those cast by voters whose eligibility was in doubt -- to win Ohio. At that point, Kerry's running mate, Sen. John Edwards (N.C.), made a speech at Boston's Copley Plaza in which he vowed that "every vote would be counted," a thinly veiled warning that the Democrats were prepared to begin legal action to contest the state. At the time, Kerry aides said, there was pandemonium inside the campaign.

Overnight, the Kerry campaign's senior staff, in a series of calls with the boiler-room leadership in Washington and political and legal advisers in Ohio, analyzed the situation. They concluded that the estimated 150,000 provisional ballots were not enough to overcome Bush's margin of 136,000 votes in Ohio, even if Kerry were to win the lion's share of them.

Some lawyers argued that Kerry had a good legal argument to make and said that if the campaign was serious about a possible challenge, it needed to move immediately to force the state's counties to adopt uniform rules for counting the provisional ballots. Eventually, senior adviser Tad Devine said, the Kerry high command presented the candidate with a unanimous recommendation not to fight the count. "It's fair to say the unanimous recommendation was that this would not succeed," he said.

Kerry further discussed the situation with Edwards, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill, eventually agreeing that it was time to concede. At 11 a.m. yesterday, Kerry called Bush in the Oval Office to concede the election and pledge to bridge the nation's divisions. Three hours later, accompanied by his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, he left his home in Boston's Beacon Hill area for the short drive to Faneuil Hall.

-snip-

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: kerry; kerryconcession

1 posted on 11/04/2004 12:06:19 AM PST by ambrose
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To: ambrose
Interesting contrast to the NY Post piece which suggested that Kerry unilaterally decided to end it over objections. In this WPost piece, they make it appear as though he was given the old Vaudeville hook...
2 posted on 11/04/2004 12:07:24 AM PST by ambrose
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To: ambrose

It would have been a complete disaster if Kerry challenged Ohio. His margin of victory is Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and New Hampshire were much smaller than Bush's victory in Ohio.

It would have been nice if he had the class to concede the election the same night. There was no way he was going to win Ohio and no information available when he conceded that wasn't available the previous night.


3 posted on 11/04/2004 12:14:20 AM PST by Question Liberal Authority (THANK YOU, FREEPERS for re-electing President George W. Bush!)
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To: Question Liberal Authority

I've been wondering if some threats were passed his way about Republican challenges or other tactics later that would make his life painful as a senator.


4 posted on 11/04/2004 12:18:50 AM PST by Thebaddog (Dawgs know what to do to an exit poll. W1 2x!)
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To: Thebaddog

It seems unlikely he was threatened. But I can believe it took 10 hours for them to figure out how ridiculous they would look mounting this challenge. The Dems would have had the Sore Loserman anvil around their neck for the next 50 years.


5 posted on 11/04/2004 12:25:51 AM PST by Question Liberal Authority (THANK YOU, FREEPERS for re-electing President George W. Bush!)
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To: ambrose
Kerry advisers fully expected to win the election, based on their final polls, their analysis of Bush's weaknesses, their belief that the country hungered for change and their confidence that they would do a better job than the Republicans of getting their supporters to vote.

The Kerry Camp based thier hopes on a bunch of aged hippies and teenage college students

And from the sound of the Dem talking heads on TV .. they still don't get that magjority of Americans have grown up since the 60's

6 posted on 11/04/2004 12:40:23 AM PST by Mo1 (one country, one Constitution, and one future that binds us)
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To: ambrose

I think this version is more than likely the correct one. I think they had a come to Jesus meeting.


7 posted on 11/04/2004 12:42:50 AM PST by ladyinred (Congratulations President Bush! Four more years!)
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To: ambrose

One of the real beauties of this situation, overshadowed by GWB's victory, Daschle's defeat and the mood of the nation in general, is the obscurity into which John "The Breck Girl" Edwards will now fade.

At some future date, should he happen to meet Lloyd Bentsen (is he still alive?) he can start the conversation with "...I also ran with an also ran...".

I guess it's back to channeling the thoughts of unviable tissue masses for juries with the collective IQ of a Jerry Springer guest.

Sorry, John, here's your official crying towel, autographed by Ed Muskie.


8 posted on 11/04/2004 12:43:46 AM PST by shibumi (John Galt is alive and well. He tends bar in a casino restaurant.)
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To: ambrose
Some lawyers argued that Kerry had a good legal argument to make and said that if the campaign was serious about a possible challenge, it needed to move immediately to force the state's counties to adopt uniform rules for counting the provisional ballots.

Always think twice before responding to a lawyer encouraging you to sue. Especially if that lawyer would then be on your payroll.

9 posted on 11/04/2004 12:53:36 AM PST by martin_fierro (I got yer "karmic hug" riiiight *here*)
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To: ambrose
"Interesting contrast to the NY Post piece which suggested that Kerry unilaterally decided to end it over objections. In this WPost piece, they make it appear as though he was given the old Vaudeville hook..."

. . .Kerry; as Kennedy's 'water boy' for years; has probably never done ANYthing 'unilaterally'.

No doubt when the plug was pulled; Kennedy's hand was firmly wrapped around it; and mercifully; we truly escaped a pathetic excuse of a human being.

10 posted on 11/04/2004 1:06:31 AM PST by cricket (Don't lose your head. . vote Republican. . .)
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To: Thebaddog
I've been wondering if some threats were passed his way about Republican challenges or other tactics later that would make his life painful as a senator.

If any threats were passed along, I would have suspected Hillary's camp. Dragging this election out a la 2002 would have done serious damage to the Democrat party and Hillary has a big stake in that.

We know what happens to people who anger Hillary.

11 posted on 11/04/2004 1:11:46 AM PST by Allegra (FOUR MORE YEARS!! WOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!)
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To: Allegra

Yes, we know what happens to her enemies...they commit suicide with antique weapons and disappearing bullets, calmly laying the gun down at their side in a public park and reclining to succumb to their bloodless wounds.


12 posted on 11/04/2004 1:42:51 AM PST by shibumi (John Galt is alive and well. He tends bar in a casino restaurant.)
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To: Question Liberal Authority
It seems unlikely he was threatened. But I can believe it took 10 hours for them to figure out how ridiculous they would look mounting this challenge. The Dems would have had the Sore Loserman anvil around their neck for the next 50 years.

Say what you will about Gore, but he at least has a solid popular vote lead when he challenged the Florida results. He was also behind by only 1000 votes.

For Kerry to try to overturn 150,000 votes to win an electoral college win when he lost the popular vote by millions would have just looked silly---even to his lapdogs in the MSM.

13 posted on 11/04/2004 1:54:31 AM PST by John Thornton
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To: ambrose
bridge the nation's divisions.

Bridge and Ted in the same article? How did that make it past the MSM censors?

14 posted on 11/04/2004 2:03:26 AM PST by Joe Miner
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To: ambrose
Three hours later, accompanied by his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry

Kerry was overheard saying : "Honey, wake up ........cmon - hey Terry, help me get her sobered up - this is going to take hours...........damnit, who gave those freakin raisins again"

15 posted on 11/04/2004 2:27:29 AM PST by Revelation 911
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To: ambrose
Remember, lawyers get paid by the hour so of course the recommendation is to "proceed, not concede".
16 posted on 11/04/2004 3:37:31 AM PST by AmericaUnited
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To: ambrose
"We had [vote] goals that we set out that we thought were very realistic, that we thought could achieve victory," Devine said. "But a lot of people in rural areas participated in this process at levels that we have not seen before."

Translation: blame the rednecks and the rubes.

17 posted on 11/04/2004 4:33:31 AM PST by NYCVirago
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To: Thebaddog

The phone rings.

Kerry: Hello?

Karl Rove: Hello, Senator. Karl Rove here. Got a proposition for you.

Kerry: Um... well... [looks around nervously]

Rove: Tell you what. We have come across a little artifact from the early '70s. Seems you were dishonorably discharged.

Kerry: I have an honorable discharge.

Rove: Thanks to Jimmy Carter five years later, yes. But just like you voted for the troops before you voted against them, you were dishonorably discharged before you were honorably discharged. Don't insult my intelligence. You know what I'm talking about.

Kerry: [long silence]

Rove: So what I propose is this. I propose to do nothing with it. Got that? Nothing. Bringing this up now would merely lower the lofty tone we're both striving to maintain, don't you agree?

Kerry: [long silence]

Rove: On the other hand, should a situation like Florida in 2000 arise, and you are under pressure to send out your legal buzzards to pick through chads, you might want to remember that we have this.

Kerry: Is that a threat?

Rove: Did I say threat? On the contrary, I am proposing to do nothing with this. Nothing at all. I was very clear about that. I am also soliciting your ...support... so that we won't drag the country through another sore-loserman affair, only to have you be disqualified for the presidency for reasons of collaboration with the enemy.

Kerry: So... to win, I must win, is that what you're saying?

Rove: Beyond the margin of lawyer, yes. Look, I gotta run. Have a nice day, Senator.

[click]

Kerry: [silence]

Kerry: Teresa, where do you keep your raisins?


18 posted on 11/04/2004 7:10:18 AM PST by RightOnTheLeftCoast (You're it)
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To: ambrose

Translation, We don't want to get caught with voter fraud!


19 posted on 11/04/2004 7:17:39 AM PST by TMSuchman (LutheranbyFaith,Americanbybirth,Rebel by choice,MARINE)
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To: Question Liberal Authority
True. Also, this stuff tends to localize a little more. Gore cost the Rats the entire state of Florida for both 02, 04, and probably the next ten years. They were furious about being the butt of jokes and having all this stuff dragged out because Gore couldn't admit he lost. Jeb has been a great governor for the state, we apparently got the fraud under control, and that helped, but I believe a lot of it was backlash. Backlash about the panhandle, the stuffed boxes, and most of all, the legal challenges.

BTW, everyone was wormed at W when he bombed the first debate. Consider this. He was both physically and mentally exhausted because he'd spent all day visiting with hurricane victims instead of buffing his fingernails. I think the people of Florida found an appropriate way to say,

Thank you, Mr. President.


20 posted on 11/04/2004 7:28:48 AM PST by Richard Kimball (Four more years)
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