If it was a coup, there was participation at many levels, as shown by this one of many examples cited by Alexander Cockburn below. But it also had the participation of the Democrats and the Gore Administration which so obviously pulled its knockout punch by refusing to challenge the election on the basis of the flagrant violations of the Voting Rights Act in the case of Black voters which would have been much harder for the Gang of Five to reject, as opposed to the confusing issues of dimpled or hanging chads and interpreting what was or was not the intention of individual voters. It has been clear for some time that the Democratic Party no longer wishes to be perceived as the party representing African-Americans, and maintaining this position was apparently more important than winning the election. For if they had raised the question of Voting Rights Act violations, and had won, the perception would be that Gore's election was due to the Black vote, and as a consequence, the Democrats would have had an obvious obligation to respond to the issues of Black America. Since doing so is not on the agenda of the corporate sponsors of the Democrats any more than it is of the Republicans, using the issue of the Voting Rights Act violations, even if it meant winning the presidency, was not an option. Jeff Blankfort Now, here's what Cockburn wrote: Try this story detailed by Ron Davis of Miami-Dade County. "Our family always votes together. This year, it was my turn to drive. After work, my wife Lisa and I borrowed a van from a friend and picked up my brother, my parents and my uncle and aunt. About a block away from the polling place, we were pulled over by a county sheriff. He looked in the van and asked me if I had a chauffeur's license. I said, this is my family, and we're going to vote. He said, 'You can't take all those people to the polling place without a license. Go home, and I won't write you a ticket.' I was tired of arguing. We went home, and all tried to vote later. But it was too late." Or how about this, from Dave Crawford of Broward County: "I showed up at the polling place with my 5-year-old daughter. I was stopped at the door by an election official. He asked me my name. I told him. He said, 'Son, we've got a problem. You're not allowed to vote.' I asked him what the hell he was talking about. He said, 'Son, says here you're a convict. Convicts can't vote.' He had this list in his hand. And I told him that I'd never even been arrested in my life. I handed him my voter ID card. He just shook his head, smiled and pointed at a list. He never showed me my name. My daughter began to cry, and I left in disgust." --Alexander Cockburn "No Closure For Those Uncounted" WorkingForChange December 14, 2000 <http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?ItemId=10367>
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