Balance of Power

Supreme Foolishness

On Friday, when the Florida Supreme Court called for a statewide recount, the election was raised to a whole new level of absurdity. The recounts would have had to be quick, and with the legislature threatening to choose their own electors, it all seemed like a tremendous exercise in foolishness. Nevertheless, the recount began, and Gore was happy as a turnip. The Republicans, however, are not ones to put up with nonsense, and so they appealed for the Supreme Court's immediate intervention. At around 5pm Saturday, the Supreme Court overruled the Florida court, halting all recounts. With that, Gore's final hope of victory faded away.

With the passing of December 12th, the contest period of the election ends, and with it Gore's hopes for victory. Without the recount Gore cannot possibly hope to garner the votes necessary to win. Any further efforts on the part of the Vice President would be utterly futile now, since the contest period is now over and the electors will soon be voting.

The Supreme Court decided to grant certiorari to the case by a very close margin of 5-4, which clearly shows the court's division on this matter. Nevertheless, the order was made, and on Monday the lawyers for each side argued their respective cases to gain the favor of the court. Regardless, it is unlikely that anything will change, no matter how much the lawyers argue. The deadline has arrived and the election will soon be over once and for all.

Furthermore, The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling also overruled the Florida court's own ruling that Palm Beach's partial recount results from last week should be counted, putting Bush's lead back to 537 votes. Because of this, Bush will likely be declared the winner soon by the media.

What Does This Mean For The Future?

This year's election will very likely have a dramatic impact on future elections. Firstly, candidates who lose by a small margin are now much more likely to take their grievances to court, seeing as how Gore gained a great advantage from his legal challenges (although obviously not enough!). Secondly, voter turnout is very likely to increase exponentially in the coming elections, as the Florida situation will forever stand as a testament to the fact that every single vote counts.

Additionally, if Gore loses, it could very well mean the end of his political career. This was not his first attempt at the presidency, but it will likely be his last. His behavior during this election has been nothing short of abysmal. Barring the fact that he lies through his teeth day in and day out, many claim that Gore has raped the country's legal and electoral system to the point that it may take many years for it to recover. Overall, Gore has showed himself to be an ambitions, untrustworthy and treacherous power monger who will do anything to advance his own personal position in society. All throughout the campaign he has chanted his usual rhetoric of "I will fight for you," but now it is quite evident that the only person he has been fighting for has been himself. Even so, The Bush administration had best prepare itself for nation-wide disrespect and under appreciation, as democrats all over question his legitimacy as President. Indeed, when Grover Cleveland won the electoral vote but lost the popular vote over a hundred years ago, congress frequently referred to him as "his fraudulency."

So, did Gore go to far? Did he abuse of America's legal and electoral system? Voice your opinion by emailing technews@wpi.edu.