They Shall Overcome

The forces of darkness will not go gentle into that good night. Democrats take political loss more seriously than Republicans do. When they lose, Republicans generally go back to their jobs in the private sector and go on with their private lives. Democrats generally have to fall back on less attractive private sector opportunities such as digging ditches. To Republicans, politics is disagreeable work that needs to be done. To Democrats, politics is life itself.

Tuesday night was a quintuple-play for antistatists: (1) we (probably) got rid of Clinton wannabe Albert W. Gore, Jr.; (2) all the national networks made fools of themselves; (3) Hillary got shut out of the coverage virtually all night; (4) the Democrats (probably) failed to gain control of either house of Congress; and (5) large and small “D” democrats got a nasty dose of federal republicanism right between the eyes: a President (probably) elected without a majority of the vote. All these wonderful things became possible when the networks, in one of the great moments in American political history, moved Florida back into the undecided column.

Nevertheless, those who will never say liberty will never say die. They are threatening lawsuits, demonstrations, an inJustice Department investigation, and a sophisticated public relations campaign to convince the nation that Gore should be the next President. They've got people who can hardly string an English sentence together calling C-Span demanding a recount and urging people to hit the streets. They are complaining that some of the voters were too stupid to read the election ballot and voted for Buchanan instead of Gore. While I am reluctant to deny that some Gore voters lack reading comprehension skills, it seems unfair to allow a single pro-Gore county to vote again. It smacks of the Chicago machine motto: “vote early and vote often.” I am sure that Bush voters too had their problems across the large state of Florida – like the Panhandlers not voting because the media called the state for Gore – but a statewide rerun is preposterous.

The most frightening suggestion of all was made on Election night by Jonathan Alter, a Gore campaign aide masquerading as a reporter for Newsweek. He said that given the problems in Florida and Gore's lead in the popular vote, Gore should be elected by acclamation. This proposal was so coolly delivered that it appears to have been thought of well in advance. On Wednesday, Gore aides were spinning Alter's plan. So Gore supporters are plotting what amounts to a coup d'etat by liberal media spin. The strategy is clear: tie up the Florida vote count indefinitely and argue that with Florida undecided, the only viable candidate is popular vote winner Gore. Want butterflies in your stomach? Imagine Jesse Jackson and the troops picketing the quiet suburban neighborhoods of Bush electors around the country. “We shall overcome – the election. We shall overcome – the election. . . “

November 10, 2000

James Ostrowski is an attorney practicing at 984 Ellicott Square, Buffalo, New York 14203; (716) 854-1440; FAX 853-1303. See his website at http://jamesostrowski.com.