Excellent NY Post Opinion that appeared in the Nov. 29, 2000 issue

by,



TORCHING DEMOCRACY IN ORDER TO ‘SAVE' IT
Wednesday,November 29,2000





FOR the first time in the republic's history, the party in
power in the White House, having lost a presidential election,
seeks to overturn that election in the courts. The government
of the party in power is refusing to cooperate in the orderly
transfer of power to the winner.

A majority of the public now says, in surveys, that it wishes
this stopped; some 60 percent to 70 percent say Gore should
concede. Instead, Gore promises to wage a fight in the
courts that can only cause immense harm to democracy, to
the presidency and to the country.

He must do this, he says, for the good of democracy, the
presidency and the country. He must burn the village to save
it. In virtual lockstep, the leaders and elders of the party in
power stand behind their defeated candidate's
unprecedented defiance of democracy's national edict.

There is one thing you can say about the Clinton-Gore
crowd: With them, there is always some fresh hell and there
never is a bottom.

No one could have imagined that they could have topped
their most spectacular first - first elected president to be
impeached - or that they could have created a crisis that
would wreak more destruction than that episode. But with
these men of fathomless selfishness, there is always more
damage to be done. There is always another institution,
another principle, another person that must be destroyed -
for the greater good of their greater power.

Mr. Gore, the Selfless One, appeared before the nation and
before no fewer than eight American flags to wag his finger
and deliver what ranks with Nixon's Checkers apology as
the most revolting speech in political history, and was
certainly among the most dishonest and dangerous.

"This is America," preached Gore. "When votes are cast, we
count them." And: "That is all we have asked since Election
Day, a complete count of all the votes cast in Florida." And:
"If the people do not in the end choose me, so be it." And:
"This would be over long since, except for those efforts . . .
to block the process at every turn."

Astonishing. Actually, this would have been over long ago
except that Gore refused to accept the results of a fair and
full recount that confirmed his loss, and demanded hand
recounts only in selected Democratic counties; successfully
sued to have the seven-day deadline for recounting extended
in a rewriting of Florida election law by a
Democrat-dominated state Supreme Court; successfully
lobbied for a change in Broward County's ballot-judging
standards to his benefit; and still lost (a third time) to Bush.

Of the manual recount, Gore had promised: "I will abide by
the result. I will take no legal action to contest the result." Of
course, he was lying; of course, he did not abide by the
result; of course he took the legal action no presidential loser
has ever before dared employ.

It's worth taking a look at the counting in Broward County,
because this is the reality of Gore's democracy in action.
Under pressure from Gore, Broward County's canvassing
board changed its standards to allow the consideration of
ballots where no clear hole is punched next to a presidential
candidate's name. There are three members of the Broward
board: Robert W. Lee, a Democrat and its chairman;
Suzanne N. Gunzburger, another Democrat; and Robert
Rosenberg, a Republican. When these three had finished
counting the dubious ballots, Gore had netted 567 votes.

The New York Times described how it worked. "Time and
again," reported the Times, the Democrat Gunzburger "saw
a Gore vote" where the Republican Rosenberg "saw none.
And time, after time, Judge Lee, a Democrat, cast the
deciding vote - often in Mr. Gore's favor."

So there it is - two Democratic officials steadfastly outvoting
one Republican to allot questionable ballots overwhelmingly
to the Democratic candidate. This is the process Gore
depicts as a disinterested effort to count every vote, and may
the best man win. Does it strike you that way?

The very worst thing Gore said Monday night was this: "If
we ignore the votes of thousands in Florida in this election,
how can you or any American have confidence that your
vote will not be ignored in a future election?" Yes, that is
what he saying: If the courts do not give Gore what he
wants, then not only is this election suspect, so are all future
elections.

Democrats accuse Republicans of seeking to delegitimize a
Gore presidency. Gore seeks more; if he doesn't get his way
he threatens to delegitimize democracy itself. Got to burn
that village down.

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