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2000 election
results by state
2000 election
history
An historic
moment
The Supreme
Court Decision
A somewhat
boring legal analysis
An expletive
laden tirade on Gore
The First Gore
Bush debate
The second
Gore Bush debate
The third Gore Bush debate
A reasonable
debate parody
Gore against
Bush in '06
Gore on Bush two
years ahead of the curve
bigfoto
(for providing background color)
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THE POLITICS OF PASSION, AND FOCUSING ON
THE RIGHT THINGS
Dear [syndicated political columnist
George] Will:
You write eloquently ["Politics
Without Passion," May 14] of Joe Klein's
book and politics. You also reference the impact of Gore's
misplaced sighs during the debates.
Those sighs by Gore did not exhibit disdain for Bush, so much as
frustration at the misrepresentations that Gore believed were being
made. Instead, Gore
should have focused in on the representations themselves, and if
he believed that they had been made, not let go until they had been
both clarified, and used to highlight the critical facts of either
lack of trustworthiness, or misconstruction of the issues by his
opponent. As should have those who supported Gore.
But this is a typical democrat mistake.
The most egregious of such sighs transgressed over into a physical
approach into Bush's personal space during the debate, a spontaneous
moment which more than any other single snafu cost Gore the election.
Why? Mainly because most of America did not know why Gore did it; in
essence, what frustrated him about the integrity of the conversation
before the American people. Again, an inability of democrats to make
this case effectively.
Bush had just told the nation, in essence, "In Texas, I brought
democrats and republicans together to pass just this type of health care
patient's rights legislation," and then continued to insist upon it.
Technically, this was true, in the sense that Ken Lay could say "I
helped clean up corporate information scandals" by engaging in one and
bringing the spotlight to it: Bush vetoed the specific legislation that
he was referring to, and thereby "brought" democrats and republicans
together to pass it with a veto proof super majority.
While a few erudite columnists mentioned this point here and there, most
Americans still don't know it. This is the democrats problem, even more
than Gore's foolish response, rather than simply making sure that he
laid this out to the American people, right then and there. And if
further misrepresentations were made in response (as happened during
those debates when Gore did try, hence his frustration) getting his
supporters to focus on the media until they get it right. Instead,
democrats spend too much time sighing. And too little time focusing on
what needs to be focused on.
Sincerely,
Ivan Carter
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