Stock market going down, anyone?
The elevators in Hong Kong can be highly informative.
Gore is Over-Reaching on “Dimpled Chads”
San Jose Mercury News: Ballots set to make dent in U.S. history. Democrats are arguing that local election officials should count ballots in which voters did not punch their ballots hard enough to dislodge the so-called chad that would signal their preferred candidate but did make a slight indentation in the chad. Democrats say the indentations clearly demonstrate a voter’s intent.
Al Gore and his allies have gone way over the line this time.In its ruling okaying the hand counts in three disputed counties, the Florida Supreme Court did not, contrary to the Gore camp’s absurd claims, approve of counting these “dimpled chads.” The court only said that “voters should not be disfranchised where their intent may be ascertained with reasonable certainty, simply because the chad they punched did not completely dislodge from the ballot.”
Read that carefully. It says “completely dislodge” — and that is not an invitation to count a ballot where the chad hasn’t been at least partly dislodged.
An indentation is not a vote. It is not a clear indication of intent. It is a “Hmmm, maybe I should do this, or maybe not.”
Gore had a strong case for a hand recount. He offered the Bush campaign an entirely fair option, a hand recount of all counties in Florida. The Republicans declined.
Bush’s tactics have been sleazy all through this campaign. If he takes the oath of office in January he will not be a fully legitimate president in my view.
But the “dimpled chad” ploy is reprehensible. I voted for Gore, but if he persists in this line of attack he will deserve to lose.