Jewish World Review Nov. 13, 2000 / 15 Mar-Cheshvan, 5761
David Limbaugh
Al Gore: Thy country or thyself?
http://www.jewishworldreview.com --
THE BURDEN is now on Al Gore and the Democratic Party to prove that
they are still capable of putting the nation's interests above their
own.
During the impeachment saga, Republicans insisted that Democrats were
sticking by Clinton -- despite his manifold abuses of power and felonies
-- because he was their only remaining avenue to power. Democrats denied
it, saying they were defending him because he was guilty only of private
misconduct involving sex.
The Gore team is continuing the Clinton-Gore tradition of
subordinating all things sacred to its power-lust. When it appeared that
it would take a minor miracle for Gore to win Florida on the recount,
Gore's aides called a press conference and promised to contest the
election. They are following the Clinton/Gore precedent of using
litigation as a tool to thwart the people's will.
It is unconscionable for them to continue to put the American people
through this turmoil. The impeachment analogies are striking. Just as
Bill Clinton claimed to be defending the Constitution when he fought
impeachment, Gore asserts that he will be vindicating democracy by
challenging the election. Just as Bill Clinton deliberately leaked
secret grand jury information and fraudulently accused Ken Starr of
doing it, Gore is accusing George Bush of being the one who is unwilling
to abide by the will of the people. Just as Clinton used the full power
of his office to marshal public opinion against his enemies, Gore has
launched a nasty, post-election air war that is exacerbating the
existing animosity among the already divided electorate.
Gore says that if Bush fails to win the popular vote he will have no
mandate and cannot fairly pursue his agenda. He is wrong. If Bush wins
the electoral vote he will become the president, and will have every
right to try to promote his agenda without adulteration or compromise.
It is outrageous and irresponsible for anyone to suggest that Bush must
win the popular vote to be entitled to the full constitutional authority
of his office.
It's not just Gore and his team that are arguing that we ignore the
election results or the Constitution. Editorial writers and Democratic
politicians are following suit.
Columnist E.J. Dionne asks how any self-respecting Democratic
partisan can just sit by and let Bush take the White House and assume
leadership of an all-Republican government in Washington? Republican
control of both branches, he writes, "cannot possibly be seen as
reflecting the will of an electorate that spoke in moderate tones on
issues." His solution? Scrap the Electoral College -- and in the
meantime, Bush and Gore should get together and work this thing out.
Can you believe this? There's nothing to work out. The Constitution
provides that the winner of the electoral vote wins, period.
Senate Democrats are also flexing their muscles. The day after the
election they demanded a system of "power sharing" with the Republicans.
They threatened to disrupt Senate business if Republicans do not accede
to their demands.
Now that Gore is trying to delegitimize the Florida election, the
people of this country are getting a taste of the way he operates. The
real Al Gore has finally stood up. He's the Al Gore of the first debate:
Slash and burn, and win at all costs.
When Republicans proudly cite the Constitution and the rule of law
they are not just trying to sound patriotic. The integrity and stability
of our entire political system demands that we adhere to the precepts
and laws laid out in our Constitution. We cannot afford to make up the
rules as we go.
Gore's objections to the Florida election are patently specious. He
should follow the class example of Sen. John Ashcroft, who, for the sake
of the state of Missouri, the United States and the healing of the
American people, conceded an election that, by contrast, he had every
moral right to challenge.
Gore has every right to wait until the recount, including all
overseas ballots, is complete before he makes any announcements. But if
he is still behind after all the votes have been retabulated, he should
do the honorable thing, call down his forces, and concede the election
to George Bush. By dragging out this bitter drama he will be tearing
this nation apart and further dividing its people. Throughout this
campaign Gore has been trying to prove he's not Bill Clinton. Now's his
chance.
JWR contributor
David Limbaugh
is an
attorney
practicing in
Cape Girardeau,
Missouri,
and a
political
analyst
and
commentator. Send your comments to him by clicking here.
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