-Caveat Lector-
Cowan
1) Myth: Al Gore has a responsibility to concede the election.
MJ
Who claimed this?
*IF* the votes are certified by the proper State of Florida gurus
and Bush remains the winner ... then ...
Cowan
2) Myth: the number of "spoiled ballots" in Palm Beach County
was typical. In a press briefing televised live on all networks
on 11/9/00, Karl Rove of the Bush campaign compared the 14,872
invalidated ballots in the 1996 Presidential race to 19,120
ballots for President that were spoiled in this election.
Fact: the Bush campaign was comparing apples and oranges.
There were actually 29,702 invalidated ballots this year in Palm
Beach County. This is almost twice the number in 1996.
"19,120" refers to only those 2000 ballots which were thrown
out for voting for two Presidential candidates. The remaining
10,582 ballots had no choice recorded for President
MJ
You are adding a red herring in order to 'taint' the comparison.
No one has stated how many people chose NOT to vote for
President in 1996.
Cowan
3) Myth: The Palm Beach ballot is definitely illegal due to the
presence of punch holes to the left of some of the candidates.
Fact: According to the Secretary of State's office, there is a
loophole in Florida law that may allow ballots used for voting
machines to deviate from the rules governing paper ballots.
MJ
Loophole?
Cowan
4) Myth: "The more often ballots are recounted, especially by hand,
the more likely it is that human errors, like lost ballots and
other risks, will be introduced. This frustrates the very reason
why we have moved from hand counting to machine counting." --
Former Sec. of State James Baker, speaking on behalf of the
Bush campaign at a press briefing televised by all networks on
11/10/00.
Fact: In 1997, George W. Bush signed into law a bill stating that
hand recounts were the preferred method in a close election in
Texas. The bill, "HB 330", mandated that representatives of all
parties be present to prevent fraud.
MJ
This 'fact' may be a 'fact' but is irrelevant to this situation. One
of the main complaints was the method of GUESSING who the
voter must have wanted to vote for ... changing criterions one-third
of the way in ... and resuming the first method somewhat later in
the process.
Cowan
5) Myth: The process is unfair because hand recounts were held only
in liberal areas of Florida, where Gore stands to pick up the most
votes.
Fact: It is true that a statewide recount would be more fair, and
the Bush campaign has every right to request one.
MJ
This too does not address the so-called myth.
Cowan
6) Myth: "Palm Beach County is a Pat Buchanan stronghold and that's
why Pat Buchanan received 3407 votes there. According to the
Florida Department of State, 16,695 voters in Palm Beach County
are registered to the Independent Party, the Reform Party, or
the American Reform Party, an increase of 110% since the 1996
presidential election" -- Ari Fleischer of the Bush Campaign,
11/9/00. The 2,000 votes received by the Reform party candidate
for Congress indicate that party's strength in Palm Beach County
(James Baker on Meet the Press, 11/12/00).
Fact: Of those 16,695 voters, only 337 (2 percent) are in the
Reform Party according to Florida state records. The Reform
party candidate for Congress, John McGuire, is connected to a
more centrist wing of the Reform Party, predating Buchanan's
involvement. An analysis of his support indicates that it came
largely from reform-minded Ralph Nader voters.
MJ
Buchanan received over 4,000 votes in 1996 from this area.
Another Reform candidate in Palm Beach received over 2600 votes
from the 2000 election.
That some voters are registered this or that is irrelevant and presumes
people ONLY choose their party's offerings.
Cowan
7) Myth: If Gore (or Bush) ends up winning the popular vote, he
really should win the election even if he loses Florida and other
states.
Fact: This is not the way the U.S. Constitution is written.
MJ
Hurray.
Cowan
9) Myth: The election process in Florida outside of Palm Beach County
was fair.
Fact: Actually, thousands of irregularities in over a half-dozen
categories have already been reported:
MJ
Interesting how you failed to mention the calling of Florida by the
major networks BEFORE the polls were closed in the Western
portion of the State ...
Cowan
11) Myth: It is highly unusual for judges to intervene after an
election. Since the designer of a disputed ballot in Florida is
a member of the party contesting the election, a legal challenge
is impossible.
Fact: The most fundamental right of a democratic society is
the the right to vote, and to have one's vote correctly counted.
MJ
... it assumes his ability to read and his intelligence to
indicate his choice with the degree of care commensurate
with the solemnity of the occasion ... it may be observed
that it has often been held that one who does not avail
himself of the opportunity to object to irregularities in the
ballot prior to the election may not object to them after.
-- Nelson v. Robinson, 301 So. 2d 508 (Fla. 1974)
Regard$,
--MJ
Probably not many realize how the rapid centralization of government
in America has fostered a kind of organized pauperism. The big
industrial states contribute most of the Federal revenues and the
bureaucracy distributes it in the pauper states wherever it will do
the most good in a political way. The same thing takes place within
the states themselves. In fostering pauperism it also by necessary
consequence fosters corruption. ... All this is due to the iniquitous
theory of taxation with which this country has been so thoroughly
indoctrinated -- that a man should be taxed according to his ability
to pay, instead of according to the value of the privileges he obtains
from government. -- Albert Jay Nock
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