YETMO

”It'll Never Be Over"

Despite two well-crafted and well-delivered speeches last week by George Bush and Al Gore, this country has more fences to mend than Al Gore does in Tennessee.

To my democrat friends, I fell your pain. To my republican friends, don't be smug.

When one sits back and reflects on this contest, it's apparent that very little good is coming out of it. Oh, sure, we'll come together as a country, at least enough to function and govern, but our memories will serve up bitter pills for decades to come, which we'll undoubtedly pass along to our children. With any luck, they'll be too far removed to pass them along to the grandkids.

The good news is that this'll pass, but it won't happen in our lifetimes.

Searing memories from this election will linger with people like other historical events: civil rights, women's suffrage, abortion rights, etc. That's because this presidential campaign, which really wasn't about issues, was waged in a divisive manner. You'll recall how Al Gore pitted young against old, black against white, rich against poor, and men against women by raising fears about social security, affirmative action, tax cuts, and abortion rights. .

You'll also recall that republicans initially thought Al Gore was trying to steal the election. Now democrats, going back to their historical base, say blacks and minorities were being purposefully intimidated and disenfranchised. Therefore, Bush used institutional appartuses to discriminate against those groups. Now, it's the republicans who stole the election. Of course, if these democrats charges are true and not merely inflammatory rhetoric, such injustices must be addressed and corrected.

Many partisans look at the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that ended this fiasco as a travesty. Rather than accepting the obvious equal protection violation that was occurring by recounting only selected counties with varying rules to determine a state result, these same folks say that because black and minority votes didn't register (i.e., were tabulated but not counted and reflected in total votes recorded), a recount and only a recount, even one with inherent bias, was the only way to ensure equal protection rights.

It's clear that too many folks can't look beyond their own wishes to see the other side. I have my biases and must always be willing to admit them. But having biases doesn't necessarily mean that my views can't also be right, or that I can't change my opinion upon listening to someone explain why I missed the point.

Both candidates and parties behaved so poorly in the election aftermath that it's amazing no one of power or stature called them on it. Of course, with Bill Clinton in the White House, he didn't have the needed moral authority to say anything. But where were respected religious leaders like Billy Graham (silent) or Jesse Jackson (too busy raising incendiary and partisan issues)?

Did Gore want every vote counted? Was Bush more concerned about Gore winning enough 'interpreted' ballots in heavily democratic counties than he was about disparate counting in selected locales? Would the U.S. Supreme Court have ruled the same way if the Bush and Gore situations were reversed?

Remember, all Supreme Court justices (9-0) acknowledged equal protection deficiencies with the Florida recount. It was just that two of them thought statewide standards could and should be set and executed to determine the winner before December 18th, when electoral votes had to be cast in Washington, DC. The rest of the Court, largely because of existing federal law and the Florida Supreme Court's obsession with the December 12th date by which states select the electors who vote on the 18th, ruled that no adequate, objective recount could be performed in time. Thus, republicans essentially ran out the clock with help from the democrats who focused on recounts only in tainted, targeted territories.

Gore and the democrats must have seen the butterfly ballot in Palm Beach as manna from heaven, for how else could they have legitimately asked for a recount after winning that district by 117,000 votes out of 420,000 cast? How could they pursue the same tack in Broward where the winning margin was greater and Gore got 2 votes for every 1 for Bush? In fact, Gore won his four selected recount counties by a combined 380,000 votes out of 1.8 million. Asking for a recount in districts where you won big hardly seems predictable or reasonable.

Of course, the motivation was obvious. Go into counties with large or respectable winning margins, milk a few more votes, and garner enough in total to win the State.

Bush, on the other hand, not being as mentally nimble or politically astute as Gore to realize that he could actually contest counties in which he won, steadfastly resisted Gore's tailored efforts to scrutinize, in a liberal manner, imperfect and rejected ballots in heavily-democratic districts.

All branches of the government have had their paws in this porridge, but none gave us the best remedy: objective and uniform treatment of all votes statewide. No American would object to an honest statewide tally, if she had faith that a vote in Okaloosa County would record the same way as one in Palm Beach, Flagler, or any other county.

But both sides pandered to our partisan self-interests -- and ignorance. I was shocked to read that a survey found that one-third of Americans didn't know that presidents were elected through the Electoral College. That significant minority thought that winner takes all. Do you think that's why Gore harped on his winning the popular vote when he, of all people, knew that that didn't amount to a hill of beans? Was that responsible leadership? And why does Gore and his supporters absolutely insist that they won Florida? They may believe it, but today no one knows for sure.

And Bush's silence? Was that because he was being statesmanlike or was he doing his impression of a deer caught in the headlights? Why didn't he come forth, acknowledge the incredible closeness of this election, express his obvious fear of being so close to victory but not being certain he was the true winner, and demand that Florida do the right thing and conduct a meaningful, fair statewide solution? Sure, Gore made such an offer, but after the filing deadlines had passed, and neither party asked any court for such a remedy.

There's been talk that groups will descend upon Florida to count the votes. Let 'em come. The best thing for America is to convene a Blue Ribbon panel, get both parties to agree (sign in blood!) on counting standards, and tally all votes. And, to prevent another civil war, find Bush actually was the winner. Heaven help us if Gore really won.

Suspicions are one thing. Facts are another.