Bush's Ohio Win Was Closer Than Thought

AP ^ | 12/3/04

[ambrose]

Bush's Ohio Win Was Closer Than Thought

Bush's Win Over Kerry in Ohio Was a Little Closer Than Originally Thought, Won't Trigger Recount

The Associated Press

Dec. 3, 2004 - President Bush's victory over John Kerry in Ohio was closer than the unofficial election night totals showed, but the change is not enough to trigger an automatic recount, according to county-by-county results provided to The Associated Press on Friday.

Bush's margin of victory in the state that put him over the top in his re-election bid will be about 119,000 votes smaller than the unofficial margin of 136,000, the county election board figures showed. That means Kerry drew closer by about 17,000 votes.

The margin shrank primarily because of the addition of provisional ballots that were not counted on Election Day and were not included in the unofficial tally. Overseas ballots also were added to the count in all 88 counties.

Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell will certify the results Monday.

The president's margin of victory was about 2 percent, not close enough to require an automatic recount. That is done only when the difference is 0.25 percent or less.

However, the Kerry campaign and two third-party candidates are seeking a recount. The Green and Libertarian parties said they have raised enough money they need to cover the costs.

The Kerry campaign said it is not disputing the outcome of the presidential race, but wants to make sure any recount is "done accurately and completely."

[Tall_Texan]

The Kerry campaign said it is not disputing the outcome of the presidential race, but wants to make sure any recount is "done accurately and completely."

Was it accompanied by a laugh track?

[airborne]

Missed it by(____________________________________________)that much!

[blakep]

Yep - you're correct.

They twisted the language in order to acheive what they wanted.

I can't believe this is what goes on in our newsrooms.

Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.

[demlosers]

Bush's margin of victory in the state that put him over the top in his re-election bid will be about 119,000 votes [comma] smaller than the unofficial margin of 136,000, the county election board figures showed.

[Moral Hazard]

The way this write wrote it:

"Bush's margin of victory in the state that put him over the top in his re-election bid will be about 119,000 votes smaller than the unofficial margin of 136,000, the county election board figures showed. That means Kerry drew closer by about 17,000 votes. "

The way a competent writer might have put it:

President Bush's margin of victory will be about 119,000 votes. That is about 17,000 votes closer the the unofficial margin of 136,000 votes before provisional and overseas absentee votes were counted.

[JennysCool]

Tortured is right. This may not be the writer's fault, necessarily, there could be an editor's bias at work, just as easily.

Here we have but the latest example of the MSM's anti-Bush procedure. When something might appear favorable to the President, jump through all the clumsy grammatical hoops you possibly can to make it appear derogatory.

They're just as petty as tantrum-prone children.

[colorado tanker]

If it's not close, they can't cheat.

[BigEdLB]

dirtboy - You got it. Most AP writers aren't that smart, and barely passed the 1st grade...

[Tall_Texan]

Or does it mean Kerry lost by 119K, not 136K, meaning he was 17K closer to winning that earlier thought, but still 119K off? I can't tell from the tortured wording.

I think it means that Kerry will have to duplicate the improvement through about six more recounts before they can declare the election "stolen".

[Perdogg]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1293277/posts?page=10#10

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

Uh, that means Bush WON by 17,000 votes??? This writer is awful.

I'm thinking the poor quality of the writing was intentional, as was the editor's choice of headline.

[siunevada]

The way this write wrote

Copy boy!!! Get this to the rewrite desk!!!

[West Coast Conservative]

Bush's margin of victory in the state that put him over the top in his re-election bid will be about 119,000 votes smaller than the unofficial margin of 136,000, the county election board figures showed.

What a horribly written sentence.

[mystery-ak]

Geeeeez, this AP article with it's comma-less sentences is just gonna fuel the rats over at Dummyworld...

[goldstategop]

LOL. Someone should correct this writer's sloppy grammar. I think he meant Bush's final margin is over 119,000 votes. That's still far more than the 136,000 credited to him in unofficial tallies. So the difference would be a net Kerry gain of 17,000+ once all the ballots are counted. Not enough to change the results in OH. (Just imagine what the fruitcake tinfoil Lefties over at DU must be thinking right now - where are the missing 110,000 votes??) You would think journalists at AP can write in clear English. DUH.

[CCCnative]

If they wish a recount, let them pay for it. As long as someone else is paying the bill, they can challenge this without feeling a pinch.
and yes. The writer needs a good class in sentance construction and punctuation. sheeesh!

[Huck]

Here's the correct way to right the story:

Kerry Lost Ohio by 119K, Official results show


Election board results show that Kerry lost Ohio by slightly less than previously thought. The margin of victory was revised down from 136K to 119K votes, not nearly close enough to trigger a recount.

[b4its2late]

Bush's margin of victory in the state that put him over the top in his re-election bid will be about 119,000 votes smaller than the unofficial margin of 136,000, the county election board figures showed. That means Kerry drew closer by about 17,000 votes.

Which, in English means Bush won by ONLY 119,000 votes. This article was not worth the time, wear and tear on the keyboard, nor the cyberspace it occupies.

[Petronski]

PRESS ADVISORY

Congressman John Conyers, Jr.
Fourteenth District, Michigan
Ranking Member, Committee on the Judiciary
Dean, Congressional Black Caucus

------------FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 3, 2004
CONTACT: Dena Graziano (202) 226-6888

CONYERS AND OTHER CONGRESSMEN TO HOLD FORUM ON VOTING IRREGULARITIES IN OHIO

Rep. John Conyers, Jr. and other Representatives will be holding the first congressional forum on election irregularities in Ohio, the pivotal state in the presidential election. The forum will include leading advocates, election experts and investigators who have reviewed the myriad of election day and recount problems in Ohio, as well as numerous individuals who experienced problems and outright disenfranchisement on election day. Among other things, the forum, which is open to the public, will concentrate on many of the issues raised in letters from Ranking Member Conyers and other Members to Kenneth Blackwell (http://www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/ohblackwellltr... ).

WHAT:
"Preserving Democracy - What went wrong in Ohio?"

WHEN:
Wednesday, December 8th @ 10:00am

WHERE:
2237 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C.

WHO:
Rep. John Conyers, Jr.
Rep. Melvin Watt
Rep. Robert Scott
Rev. Jesse Jackson, Founder Rainbow Push Coalition
Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio Secretary of State (invited)
Ralph Neas, President, People For the American Way
Jon Greenbaum, Director, Voting Rights Project, Lawyers Committee For Civil Rights Under Law
Ellie Smeal, Executive Director, The Feminist Majority
Warren Mitofsky, Mitofsky International, Coordinator of National Exit Poll (invited)
Prof. Robert Fitrakis, Editor, The Free Press
Cliff Arnebeck, Arnebeck Associates
John Bonifaz, General Counsel, National Voting Institute
Steve Rosenfeld, Producer, Air America Radio
Shawnta Walcott, Communications Director, Zogby International
##JUD-108-12/3/04##

[fromunda]

It should be:

"Bush's margin of victory in the state that put him over the top in his re-election bid will be about 119,000 votes, smaller than the unofficial margin of 136,000, the county election board figures showed."

See what a difference a comma can make!!!