[Anthony Bruni]

Has anyone considered the possibility that the Dems expect to be rebuffed in court? Maybe then Torri says "I _tried_ to step aside but they wouldn't let me." In other words, could this just be an effort to cleanse him and show what a stand-up guy he really is? Pretty far-fetched maybe, but not impossible.

[Dog Gone]

Has anyone considered the possibility that the Dems expect to be rebuffed in court?

I have, and I think it's a real possibility. Assuming the issue poses a Federal question (not a small obstacle to overcome), it might ultimately be decided by the US Supreme Court.

Even assuming a 5-4 decision against Torch, it revives the whole Florida election debacle and possibly sends droves of Democrat voters to the polls on election day across the country.

We have to be careful what we wish for. It's entirely possible that a new Democrat candidate could be defeated by Forrester if the Democrats prevail without a voter backlash.

It's going to be fascinating to see how this plays out.

[BillCompton]

Has anyone considered the possibility that the Dems expect to be rebuffed in court?

I thought of this as well. They shake up the Republicans and try to get them to overreact and make a mistake. Then they try to capitalize on the mistake for PR purposes. They might try and paint the whole Republican party as dedicated to disenfranchising voters a la Florida 2000. They badly need to change the subject nationally and this might be the gambit. Also, the Patsy Mink thing might play into a larger strategy. We need to be careful not be overzealous in our reaction. I think Forrester is handling it well, so far. Faith in the system and measured comments are called for.

[Liz]

Has anyone considered the possibility that the Dems expect to be rebuffed in court? Maybe then Torri says "I _tried_ to step aside but they wouldn't let me."

Definite possibility....especially for people with no guiding principles like Tori....

[CharacterCounts]

Has anyone considered the possibility that the Dems expect to be rebuffed in court?

The Dems know they are going to lose in court. Any other result would be a legal absurdity.They also know that Forrester will probably win even if they get a new candidate on the ballot.

There game plan, I beleive, is to confuse the issue enough so that they can attempt to refuse to seat Forrester on January 1, 2003. Tie the issue up in courts as long as they can and retain the majority as long as they can.