I don’t know that there is much to add to the discussion of who contested what in the Florida recount. Enough diaries are out there noting the fact that it is Bush v. Gore, not the other way around. Mark Sumner’s diary goes over that in good detail. What I want to focus on in this diary is what happened after the Supreme Court’s decision.
We all remember Gore on the steps of the Supreme Court conceding that he had lost, and stating that while he vigorously disagreed with the Court, that he would accept the result. That, however, did not resolve the matter for many Americans, including several members of Congress, particularly the Congressional Black Caucus. What transpired a few weeks later during the Joint Session of Congress where the votes of the Electoral College were counted I believe shows the stark contrast of the difference between Donald Trump’s outrageous statements last night and what happened in 2000.
When a Member of Congress wishes to object to the electoral votes of a State, the rules state that said objection must be in writing and must be signed by a member of the House and the Senate. No Senator would agree to sign any objection. Consequently the chair of the Joint Session, Vice President Gore, refused to receive any objection and had to politely tell members of his own party in public, on TV, that their objections could not be heard.
The most memorable of all was the objection of Maxine Waters:
WATERS: Mr. Vice President, I rise to object to the fraudulent 25 Florida electoral votes.
GORE: Is the objection in writing and signed by member of the House and a senator?
WATERS: The objection is in writing, and I don't care that it is not it is not signed by a member of the Senate.
GORE: The Chair will advise that the rules do care, and the signature of a Senator…
[laughter, applause]
GORE: The signature of a Senator is required...
Can any of you imagine, were Trump to have been in Al Gore’s shoes, that he would have behaved in the same manner?
That is the stark difference between these situations.
