The Battle of Palm Beach
or Will the Jewish Vote Count and Save Gore & Lieberman?
(Satire?)
Some conspiracists are saying it was Bush's brother Governor Jeb, but
maybe it was a clever
official who claimed she was trying to make it easier for the "elderly
to read" the ballots. Or was it
a mole (Republican, Democrat, Jewish) passing as an apolitical and inept
draftsman who years
ago created the "butterfly ballot" for Palm Beach County. Did she not
know it violated electoral
law to surreptitiously list VP Gore in 3rd Place and assign Buchanan's
"button" to the 2nd rank.
Then did other moles (of whatever affiliation) make sure that these
tricky buttons were left off
the sample ballots? and that these samples were different and clearer
than the cards the many
retirees of Palm Beach got when they went into the booth. Even the
newspapers left the buttons
out when they "explained" the complicated butterfly ballot. It was a
very messed up butterfly
experience once they got into the voting booth!
So now like a putsch in reverse, a double 2 step, and seemingly
diabolical strategy was set to
catch thousands of unsuspecting Palm Beach voters. In fact, over 19,000
ended up so confused
by the sudden appearance of oddly (and illegally) placed "buttons," they
punched two buttons to
the right of Gore's name - perhaps just to be sure or maybe trying to
hit the correct one. These
19,000 votes where then all thrown out! Thousands more found themselves
struggling to choose
the right button and too their credit, didn't push two buttons. But, if
they were voting for Bush it
was relatively easy since he was on top and only one button stood to the
right. But if they were
trying to prevent a slide down that slippery slope to the right, they
selected button number two -
which according to the instruction booklet was supposed to stand for the
number two candidate --
and to their later horror, selected Buchanan! Outside the booth they
would cry they "would
rather die than have voted for Buchanan!"
Even Buchanan himself believed these voters mistaken. Though he later
said he'd keep them!
Imagine them finding themselves alone in the booth with mounting anxiety
and no way to
straighten it out. No wonder so many had double punched. But here the
conspiracy begins to
reveal itself - if that is what it really was.
"I didn't go there to take a test, I went to vote!"
Florida law requires a state recount of all the accepted votes and while
Bush's margin has shrunk,
it is likely he will prevail with the help of the more conservative
overseas ballots.
But it doesn't stop there. The legal maneuvering has already begun, but
more importantly, the
Battle of Palm Beach can now begin. Voters of all types, furious and
feeling disenfranchised add
their grievances to the growing demand for justice and taking to the
streets with a growing cry for
a re-vote in Palm Beach! The uncounted and disenfranchised voters of
Palm Beach threatened not
to be silenced until the Supreme Court heard their cries!
"The confused old people were being civically responsible" or
"victims of a unnecessarily confusing and even illegal ballot"?
The Battle for a re-vote on ballots that allow clear voting sounds
increasingly reasonable.
Republicans cry foul and warn "if you allow the Palm Beachers to
re-vote, why where will it
stop?" Of course they attempt to divert the issue, but the law and
democracy demand that were
any significant number of voters are deprived by legally irregular
procedures and is there a means
of redress, the citizens and nation deserve no less. If Bush supporters
really support democracy,
why would they fear a legal re-vote to fix the problem in Palm Beach?
FIX THE MESS?
Palm Beach will vote again and maybe on ballots that don't confuse, one
punch to one candidate
and then it will be clear how these many Jewish retirees and the
majority of the nation voted.
So maybe the Jewish vote will save the day for Gore and Lieberman after
all!
We well see!
Walter Teague, 11/10/2000
wteague@erols.com
http://www.redandgreen.org (See Re-Vote Protest photos on this site)
[P.S. Florida Law says the "written" ballot must have the mark to the
right of the candidate and
the second most popular candidate be listed second. The mechanical
ballot is supposed to be look
like the written ballot. But on the punch card ballot, the second mark
or button was on the left of
and for Buchanan! How hard would it be to follow the law and make the
ballots clear?]
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : 11/10/00 EST