Al Gore Lost in 2000. He Didn't Incite an Insurrection
In Praise of One of the Most Understated Moments in our Democracy
537 votes.
That was how much Al Gore lost the 2000 election to George W. Bush, by 537 votes.
After a contentious back and forth campaign, election night 2000 came down to only one state, Florida. Earlier in the night, networks had given it to Al Gore based on erroneous information. After correcting it and putting it back in the “undecided” column, it became a nailbiter all night. Every hour as state after state came off the board for Gore or for Bush, Florida remained, sticking out like a sore thumb. Tim Russert, famously doing the calculations on a dry erase board, made it clear to everyone, the deciding state was going to be Florida.
It wasn’t decided that night. Days of counting continued and it was evident to everyone it was going to be within the margin for a mandatory recount. Days became weeks. Anomalies started being higlighted:
The famed “butterfly ballot,” a confusing ballot design resulted in clearly Gore votes going mistakenly to Pat Buchanan. Given the location as a hardcore Democratic stronghold, even Buchanan confessed his exceptionally high total there was likely due to confused Gore voters.
In counting the ballots on punchcards, the standards of the “hanging chad,” that portion punched out or indented still attached to the ballot, became scrupulously litigated.
Various counties were alleged to have cut off or restricted the ability of legitimate voters to exercise their right to vote.
Recounts were the scenes of vitriolic protests, including one case where a person obtaining a sample ballot was mobbed by protestors accusing him of stuffing a ballot box.
Eventually, Katherine Harris, the Florida Secretary of State, certified a margin of victory for George W. Bush of 537 votes. Gore’s team began the litigation, contesting various separate counties needed to be hand recounted again. Bush’s team countered with highlighting counties amenable to their own should be recounted as well. It worked it’s way to the State Supreme Court who sided with Gore. That’s when the U.S. Supreme Court stepped in and in a 5-4 decision, along typically partisan lines, shot down the Florida Supreme Court and cut off the recounts. The 537 vote margin would stand. The Supreme Court had effectively given the White House to George W. Bush.
If anyone had a right to be upset, it was Gore. He had worked his whole life for this moment. He had endured 8 years as Bill Clinton’s Vice President and had to watch quietly after Congressional investigations into Clinton and Impeachment looked like it would prevent him from fulfilling his dreams. Now, with victory in sight, the judges had given a photo finish to his opponent.
Did Gore complain of a fixed election?
Did he try and lean on local Democratic vote counters to “find him the votes?”
Did Gore complain about how the Supreme Court ultimately selected the head of another branch of government?
Did Gore call on angry supporters to insurrection on the Capitol the day of the Electoral College vote?
Nope. He did none of those things.
He made the video statement at the top of this page graciously conceding defeat and the day of the Electoral College vote, despite numerous opportunties for objection raised by many angry Democratic Legislators, he presided and counted the Electoral Votes giving the White House to Bush as he was obliged to do as sitting V.P..
He maintained his dignity, upheld the standards of American governance and graciously conducted himself in the manner we expect elected officials to adhere to. Not since John Adams ceded the Presidency to an adverse party in the election of 1800, the first time in world history, did a Presidential loser do more to establish and maintain American Democracy as we know it.
So as you read the indictments of Donald J. Trump, the greatest sore loser in American Political History, consider how things could have gone. Not just in 2020, when Trump incited a mob to attack the Capitol, but also how in 2000 Gore could have done the same (and had much more of a right to than Trump) and instead showed the courage and conviction to do the right thing.
God Bless You Al Gore.
PurpleAmerica’s Recommended Stories
There have been several books about the 2000 election, but to me the best was Jeff Greenfield’s, “Oh Waiter, One Order of Crow.” It covers everything leading up to the strange election night and the aftermath, right up to Bush’s inauguration.
https://a.co/d/abLnI02
When it comes to the actual Supreme Court case, I would normally suggest just reading the case. However, that one, for various reasons1 should be avoided at all costs. If you want a decent and fair breakdown, I would recommend “Bush v. Gore, Exposing the Hidden Crisis in American Democracy.”
https://a.co/d/e8GbM4O
PurpleAmerica’s Obscure Fact of the Day
Al Gore has lived an interesting life, but to me one of the most fascinating facts about him is that his college roommate was Tommy Lee Jones. That’s right, this guy.
I seriously wonder what that was like.
PurpleAmerica’s Cultural Corner
Soon after the election, Gore re-emerged and focused on an issue near and dear to him, the environment. He took a powerpoint presentation he had made numerous times and turned it into a documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth.” Watching this after 20 years, as climate change gets increasingly unwieldy, is a sobering thing to view today.
PurpleAmerica’s Final Word on the Subject
It’s not often Presidential losers get a second act in life. His work on the Climate Crisis led to his receiving a Nobel Peace Prize. We’ll give the final word to Gore, and his Nobel Acceptance Speech. He’s more than earned it.
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2007/gore/lecture/
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Footnotes and Fun Stuff
The main ones are that each Justics offered their own opinion and there didn’t seem to any consensus or overlap other than the judgment; but the real offensive reason is that they themselves stated that the Bush v. Gore decision was not to be used ever as precedent, demonstrating that they themselves knew the judicial foundation it was based on was B.S.
Thanks for reminding everyone of the Al Gore situation from 2000. Everyone seems to forget and almost no one pushes back on the Trump enablers as to how a loser of a Presidential election should accept defeat by using the Gore example. The differences are astounding and Trump’s actions were and are unacceptable in a democracy (or democratic republic if you prefer) and should be denounced by all the leadership in both parties as beyond the pale.