[Winona Online Democracy] >Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 11:06:11 -0600 > >> >>Quinn, >> >>Interesting stuff, but I wonder about one section: "If, as polls showed, >>most Nader voters would have voted for Gore over Bush, then most of those >>voters' second choices would have become votes for Gore. Under this "single >>transferable vote'' system, Gore would have won." >> >>Nader's biggest votes came in states that were already in Gore's camp; the >>closest Nader came to costing Gore a state was in Oregon, but I don't know >>of any states that Bush won where a total of the Gore and Nader votes >>exceeded the Bush vote. Do you? >> >>This idea, however, has been strongly promoted by the Democrats as a whip >>to keep Green voters in the Democratic fold. >> >>The real reason that Gore and the Democrats have come this close to losing >>was something far more embarrassing: turnout. The voting rate for >>Gore-Bush was a point LOWER than the over-before-it-was-over Clinton >>re-election campaign. The traditional way for the GOP to win is to run a >>boring campaign and keep turnout low; the way Dems win is to fan the flames >>and get voter turnout high, especially in minority areas. Gore's sheer >>dynamism and charisma coupled with his utterly fascinating talent at >>oration and media events failed to do this. >> >>One thing for certain: if Nader and Buchanan had been granted their legal >>rights to be on t.v. debates, the election would have been different. Bush >>and Gore both came off better than they should have, because each was busy >>trying to be the other and confuse the voter in the middle into voting for >>him. This played into Bush's strategy by keeping the swing voters away >>from the polls on voting day; neither candidate was interesting to them, >>and they were too moderate to vote for Nader or Buchanan. >> >>All four candidates ran truly lousy campaigns, let's face it. Gore was >>Bashful, Bush was Dopey, Nader was Sneezy and Buchanan was Grumpy. Only >>Bush took his home turf, so big surprise, it looks like he wins (had to >>steal Florida to do it, the nitwit). >> >>When "Big Jim" Thompson, Illinois' sexually adventurous former governor, >>was asked to name his crowning political achievement over four consecutive >>terms as governor, he said, "I carried my precinct in all four elections." >>He was not being flip; he is a true politician. Gush and Bore are what >>your basic pinkie ring Bridgeport precinct captain would disdainfully call >>"silk stocking" candidates -- too important to carry their own precinct. >>The Green Party, whose platform I like a lot, seems to be an entire party >>of silk stockings devoid of any real precinct captains, who are the people >>who win elections. No real political activist likes working for silk >>stocking candidates. If Al Gore can't carry his own precinct, he should >>not have declared. >> >>Larry Rand >> ---------------- This message was posted to the Winona Online Democracy Project. Please visit http://onlinedemocracy.winona.org to subscribe or unsubscribe. Please sign all messages posted to this list with your actual name. Posting of commercial solicitations is not allowed on this list. Report problems to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
