Michael wrote:
> As for Gore's projected popular vote margin, it's almost >200K based on
99% of precincts nationwide actually being >counted, not projected. It's
possible that the remaining-to->be-counted votes will change that 200K
deficit, but fairly >unlikely. And if it does, the actual count then will
>determine the popular vote winner, not today's projection.
That's what I thought I was saying. But again, I am coming from the
frustration of the media advancing its information like it is final truth
"Gore won the popular vote!!" and then it all quickly advances to "let's
throw out the Electoral College" and so on. If we are to be as technically
and excruciatingly accurate as is being demanded down in Florida, then our
news providers should be a little more careful, too. We can all agree they
were calling elections a couple days ago with only 1% of the vote in in some
states, right? You can argue endlessly about how the early and sometimes
inaccurate media projections may have caused some irregularities in the
vote, too.
> We can cut down on fraud and irregularity,
> and perhaps move to popular rather than electoral voting, to >reduce the
arbitrariness, but we cannot eliminate it. Dems >benefited from it with
Kennedy's election; Reps likely will >benefit from it with Bush's..
See Michael, this is where I start to spin - the Dems in 1960 benefited from
*proven*, in a court of law, criminal fraud consisting of votes from people
who were dead and other ballot box stuffing (This was also was explained to
me by the esteemed NPR radio today). Please don't lump in the situation in
Florida with that unless fraud there is proven in a court of law, too.
> As for letting the media run the U.S., I'm not sure exactly >what action
we could take to undercut media power in this >instance other than to demand
that election and counting >practices conform with the law, which is exactly
what >everyone from Buchanan to Bush to Gore to patient but
> perplexed Americans seems to be doing.
I won't say we should undercut the media's power but it would be refreshing
for a change for people to acknowledge their misuse of it as is always done
when most other institutions or entities in the U.S. misuse their power.
Kakki
