Monday, 27 November 2000
.....
The election was close, but tonight, after a count, a recount and yet another manual recount, Secretary Cheney and I are honored and humbled to have won the state of Florida, which gives us the needed electoral votes to win the election.
Who does Bush think he's fooling by claiming that the "manual recount" validated him? The "manual recount" was incomplete in one county (though, two hours might have made a difference) and abandoned in another due to lack of time. Bushies denigrated, denied, and disparaged the manual recount, and did everything they could to stop it. Clearly, they thought that some version of the manual recount process would toast his hopes (after all, they were quick enough to press for the discarded "military" absentee ballots). I suppose I shouldn't, but I find his having the chuztpah to claim that his "win" was validated by a process he sought in every way to disrupt breath-taking. I find it even more striking, though not surprising, that he'd make his victory speech the very Sunday night of the certification. Like so many of Bush's actions during the Indecision, it's hard to tell whether the move was purely tactical ("Proclaim victory early and often") or from sheer, grasping, sense of entitelment ("It's mine! MINE, MINE, MINE!!!"). That this ambiguity is so strong is perfectly characteristic and not very promising.
I hope, too, this puts to rest the line "uniter, not a divider". It's hard to think of a speech (or a set of tactics) more designed to inflame partisan rancor on both sides: Democrats for his arrogant assumptions (and the feeling that they should have won); Republicans by feeding the idea that Gore was doing something unusual and unusually bad, "lawyerly", what have you. What Gore is doing is exactly what Bush would be doing in his place. And vice versa. Well, maybe not. Gore seems a little more discreet, but that might be just an effect of being the nominal runner-up.
Progress on these issues will require a new tone in Washington. The path to progress is consideration and fair-dealing. I've worked with Democrats and Republicans in Texas, and I will do so in Washington. I will listen and I will respect different points of view, and, most of all, I will work to unite our great land.
Alas, Mr. Bush seems to have left out a few key phrases. Allow me to restore the text:
Progress on these issues will require a new [subserviant] tone in Washington. The path to progress [toward rewarding my backers] is consideration and fair-dealing [with me in charge of defining "fair-dealing]. I've worked with Democrats and Republicans in Texas [though I sent my minions to wack the hell out of Democrats in Florida], and I will do so in Washington [since the cool house with the parties is in Washington]. I will listen [but not retain] and I will respect different points of view [though act only to serve my powerful backers], and, most of all, I will work to unite our great land [firmly, under the heels of my puppetmasters].
Bush is simply so unfit in so many ways that he, and his minions, should at least blush a little bit when making their pronoucments. I'm very glad that this arrogance is likely to go with radical ineffectualness, indeed, it seems that it will be a chief cause of it. In fact, there is an example of this phenomenon already, to wit, although Bush has called for the General Services Adminstration to hand over the keys to the transition offices and bank accounts, the GSA:
...will not release $5.3 million to help the next president prepare for office until the challenges to the election are resolved, a spokeswoman said Sunday.
Oops! I guess saying didn't make it so. As it didn't the first time, either, or the second, or the third, or the fourth...
That takes the edge off the rage and I'm happy again. This is the best post-election I can remember. May it go longer and messier.
See also Who is the spoiler? <http://monkeyfist.com/articles/714>
This is Fuzzy counts: Did Bush invent ballot counting procedures? <http://monkeyfist.com/articles/721>