Election Fiasco Forces Florida Dem Aside

NewsMax ^ | 9/23/02 | Limbacher

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Miriam Oliphant, supervisor of elections in Democrat-controlled (and, not coincidentally, corruption-plagued) Broward County, Fla., today surrendered most of her duties after botching this month's primary.

"I've fallen short in the office when it comes to management," Oliphant admitted to county commissioners. She apologized "for all of the issues that have been out there."

But instead of resigning, she will remain on the taxpayers' dole, even though she won't have much to do except count the votes - or attempt to count them. The public will have to pay for a new lieutenant for operations, and the (Democrat-run) county commission will run the Nov. 5 general election, the Associated Press reported.

Naturally, AP in its article today failed to note Oliphant's party affiliation, just as most mainstream media after the primary failed to note that Democrats run the only counties (Dade and Broward) that bungled the primary election, which caused Janet Reno to launch into a Sore-Loserman-style hissy fit.

Gov. Jeb Bush called Oliphant's decision to give up most of her power "a wise and responsible one" and said - get this - that he was confident the problems would not be repeated. What prompted this faith in Florida's notoriously inept Dumb-o-crats? Stay tuned for Nov. 5.

[billhilly]

" even though she won't have much to do except count the votes - or attempt to count them."

Wondering if this new position requires all ten fingers and toes?

[=Intervention=]

That point wasn't lost on those of us who live in Florida. The lesson I took from this was that Democrats have difficulty voting for a reason -- it involves READING. Geesh. And the 'Pubs even offered to help them out. No, the Dems said they would do it on their own and looky looky, chaos a la usual. Reno was the sacrificial lamb, but it's amazing that the Dems are still trotting out the "help help voting is too hard" bit. Do they really think that stupidity helps them gain new voters?

[My2Cents]

"I've fallen short in the office when it comes to management," Oliphant admitted...

In other words, she has failed in being able to deliver a cleanly rigged election.

[princess leah]

I think another democrat, Theresa LePore, exited out of the democratic party after the 2000 election fiasco too! Gee, at this rate, perhaps the dems will just disenfranchise themselves!~

[AlGone2001]

The dems could never go so far as to attribute the 2000 debacle to her, could they?

[Tom Bombadil]

You could declare south Florida a disaster area before any hurricane arives.

Maybe they should just dispense with voting down there and have the candidates draw straws.

[witnesstothefall]

"I've fallen short in the office when it comes to management"

Economy in writing is highly recommended. "I mismanaged the office" does just as well and spares seven superfluous words. ;)

[browardchad]

You could declare south Florida a disaster area before any hurricane arives.

It's a Dem disaster, and now they are eating their own. Oliphant (who's only qualifications were "Black and beautiful") was appointed by our former Democratic Governor, "Walkin" Lawton Chiles, to fill a vacancy on the Broward County School Board in 1991. After nine disastrous years on the board, she was floated into the race for Election Supervisor by local Dems, who knew full well that she had the intelligence of a flea.

My favorite quote, from yesterday's paper, asked of a fellow Dem on the county commission:

Diana Wasserman-Rubin, a county commissioner, was asked what Olipant contributed to the School Board while they served together from 1991 to 2000.

Wasserman-Rubin stared into space for 10 seconds.

"Can you get back to me on that, maybe in two or three days?"

The article continues: "While running for re-election, Oliphant described herself to the media as a "driving force" on the School Board."

A "Democratic activist" had this praise of her tenure on the School Board: "She related to everybody. She knew the bus drivers and the janitors."

[listenhillary]

She still pulling down $127,000 a year? I thought I had seen that figure somewhere.

[Cicero]

"I've fallen short in the office when it comes to management"

Are you sure she didn't borrow that line from Daschle?