Election Process Swayed By Rhetoric, Common Sense Not
I find it very disturbing that many of the citizens of the United States do not understand the basic principles of our government, the election process and can be swayed by rhetoric instead of common sense. A few observations:
Many Americans did not know that the President and Vice-President are chosen by the electoral college. Many Americans where dumbfounded, horrified and did not even know that the electoral college existed. They were under the impression that the candidates won by popular vote. After learning about the electoral college which has been around for over 200 years they know want to change it without understanding why it is even in existence. Even a certain Senator-to-be has stated that she will co-author a bill to do away with the electoral college and have the popular vote used instead. Of course, she is in one of the most populated cities in the country and would benefit from this change. All she needs is New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicage, Philadelphia, Boston, and a few other DEMOCATIC cities and could become President without ever having to address the needs or even visit smallerl populated areas! Thank goodness the framers of the Constitution had the foresight to make it very difficult to get rid of the Electoral College.
Voter responsibilities have not really been addressed to any great detail by either the Republicans or Democrats except as a side issue. This should be the major issue with the problem in Florida. If people would have punched out the entire chad with the stylus, turned over the card and made sure the chad was gone we would have had no need for a manual recount. The signs were posted in every voting area, was legible and had people standing by to assist and still the voter bears no responsibility to do what even a five-year old could have done. Instead, the voter is a victim and we must "devine his/her intention". Remember, this ordeal started with a "butterfly ballot" that so difficult that the voter was "confused". How hard is it to find a name, follow the arrow and punch out the area designated? I, for one, would never admin to anyone that that ballot confused me. The ballot was designed for the elderly to make it easy to read, the voters were sent a copy in the mail, it was published for days in the local newspaper and there was assistance available. Voter responsibility was addressed only a couple of times during this entire event.
The Republicans must reach out to the Democrats because they feel that the election was stolen from them because they KNOW that Gore had won more votes. This argument is rediculous because in all the states, all the votes were not counted because there was no need. Many of the absentee votes were not counted because there was no need. Bush would have won most of these votes which probably would have given him the popular vote also. In addition, the Republicans owe the Democrats nothing because Bush won and Gore lost! I know this is the very difficult concept but it is fact. Therefore, the Bush agenda should go forward just as the Democrat agenda would have if Gore had won.
One person--one vote. Great concept but has never happened nor will it ever. A small percentage in every state is not counted for various reasons and that is a defect that we must live with.
This election has brought out the best and worst in this country but the country will go one. We have learned that the Supreme Court is just as biased as everyone else and has a political agenda. We have learned that lawyer's putting out rhetoric is accepted by the masses without each person making up his/her own mind. We have learned that politician's put their own goals and aspirations ahead of the country and do so in the name of patriotism. The talk is now creating voting machines that do not make errors, is easy to use, and is foolproof. Let me tell you...no matter what type of machine is created it will have problems because we have now set the standard that people aren't capable of reading simple instructions and carrying out simple functions.
Signed,
An independent looking for a real independent party
Editor's Note: I, too, listened with great interest as Al Gore gave his concession speech the other evening. Although he talked about bypartisan effort in Washington, you can bet that anything but cooperation will ensue. Oh, perhaps for the first few weeks or months it will appear that the liberal left is working hard to cooperate with George W. Bush, but in the end analysis, you will find that they complain of partisanship.
The liberal left, the socialists they really are, will inevitably claim that the Republicans have failed to keep their end of the bargain and they will complain bitterly. Many so-called journalists will follow this with great bias until you and many others believe it--but don't you believe it.
The fact is, the bypartisanship being promoted by Al Gore and his radical leftist friends will do nothing more than further divide this nation. No, what this nation needs is a unifying force, one that has every American's interests at heart, not just their own. Wait and see and then remember what I've just told you.
--Al Colombo
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