Mullings A Political Cyber Column By Rich Galen

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Does Oh-for-Five Show Voter Indent?

Monday November 27, 2000

Let's, um, re-count:
- On election night, George W. Bush won Florida.
- After the automatic, state law-mandated recount the following
Saturday, George W. Bush won Florida.
- After the state law-mandated deadline for accepting county
results (less overseas ballots), George W. Bush won Florida.
- After the receipt of the federal law-mandated overseas ballots
George W. Bush won Florida.
- After the passage of the state-law-as-re-written-by-the-Florida-
Supreme-Court deadline, George W. Bush won Florida.

The Gore campaign is now oh-for-five in Florida election results. And that's just for THIS election!

What's their complaint, again? Oh, yes. In spite of all those pesky counts, re-counts, hand-counts, court challenges and court rulings - in most of which, by the way, Gore prevailed - the Gore people and their allies insist on promoting the fiction that Gore won Florida.

In spite of my being bald and middle aged, I still believe I can be - not could have been, mind you, but still can be - the next Bobby Shantz, because I, too, am left-handed, five-six, and a good fielder.

I love the notion of Democrats going on television with brows a-knitted, and fingers a-twisted bemoaning the way the rhetoric has gotten so hot - because of the way the Republicans have been acting.

Brit Hume said on Fox News Sunday, "I have never seen anything as frightening as a crowd of Young Republicans in green corduroy slacks and pink button down shirts."

Let's do a Gore! Translation: Re-count, again.
- Al Gore did not concede after the automatic recount. George W.
Bush said the recount should prevail.
- Gore's people encouraged Jesse Jackson to use his power to draw
television cameras likes moths to a flame to de-legitimize the
Palm Beach County vote. George W. Bush's people never threw
the rhetorical stink bomb of anti-Semitism.
- Al Gore instructed his lawyers to either support the county
canvassing boards if they were toeing the line - or go to
court to get them to change their minds if they were not.
Bush's team was being widely criticized for not being as
legally aggressive.
- In Miami-Dade County, Gore's lawyers have been trying to paint on
both sides of the canvass. When the canvassing board voted not
to recount, Gore took them to court to force them. When they
said they would only hand count "under votes" Gore applauded
them. When they said they couldn't finish in time and so
wouldn't count at all, Gore took them back to court.
- When the All-Democrat-All-The-Time Florida Supreme Court
issued its ruling, the Gore people were all over television
intoning with great solemnity that, when those Supreme Court
justices put on their black robes they are neither Democrats
nor Republicans.
- Now that the U.S. Supreme Court may hear some part of this
case you can't find a Democrat who isn't citing the 7-2
Republican tilt.

By the way, after the Florida Supreme Court issued its pro-Gore ruling last week, some observers covering the Gore campaign said they could smell the faint odor of good cigars and the distant sound of bongo drums.

Walter Mears, AP Special Correspondent wrote, "David Boies, Gore's lead attorney, said there cannot be a legal winner Sunday 'because the contest doesn't start until Monday morning,' with the new round of court challenges."

As recently as Sunday Morning, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) floated the idea that the Gore legal team might try to tie up the Florida results for so long that Florida's 25 electors wouldn't be counted at all, allowing Gore to win on the basis of the other 49 states and the District of Columbia.

Therein lies a difference between Republicans and Democrats. Democrats believe - truly believe - that reality only exists in a courtroom.

Mullings spent a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends in the Berkshire section of Massachusetts. In the local paper on Saturday morning there was an article, at the bottom of the regional section, detailing the indictment of some of the managers of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post for "promoting a lottery, keeping a gaming house, and possession of gambling devices."

Nothing much Mullworthy about that except for these three classified ads which ran directly below that story:
1. Bingo. St. Mark's Parish Center. Prizes over $5,000.
Admission $1.00;
2. Sunday Afternoon Bingo. New Progressive Games! Girls, Inc. of
the Berkshires, and;
3. $1199 Bingo! At least one game for $1199 - Tax Free! St. Joseph
High School. $15 entry plays all games.

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