Jewish World Review Dec. 6, 2000 / 10 Kislev, 5761
David Limbaugh
The four years war
http://www.jewishworldreview.com --
I TRULY HOPE I'm wrong about this, but I have come to conclude that
Gore's perpetual post-election tantrum is just a prelude to the next
four years. Democrats, I'm afraid, are just getting warmed up for their
Four Years War.
Yes, they are trying to change the outcome of the election, even
though they know it's a long shot. But their tactics in furtherance of
that end also square nicely with their aim to delegitimize Bush's
presidency in the event their contest fails. So, from this perspective,
what do they have to lose?
In seeking to win they have ignored mandatory deadlines, filed false
affidavits, misrepresented case law both to the Florida Supreme Court
and to the state circuit court, ignored the clear mandates of the
federal Constitution, overtly changed rules in the middle of the stream,
euphemistically characterized improperly cast votes (non-votes) as
"undervotes," contacted electors to intimidate them into switching their
pledged Bush votes to Gore, and defamed Secretary of State Katherine
Harris for performing her legal duties.
Now, in anticipation of their inevitable defeat, look at some of the
arguments they are making and actions they are planning:
They "know" that Gore received more votes than Bush in Florida.
How do they know? Some brilliant Ivy League professor told them so,
using a statistical model that was resoundingly discredited by Bush
attorney Phil Beck. But James Carville and other Democrats are promising
to conduct manual recounts even after Bush's inauguration under ballots
obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. Their goal? To
undermine Bush's moral authority as president.
Gore, they say, won the national popular vote, and is "leading"
the electoral vote. Under our system, the winner of the popular vote is
legally irrelevant. Clinton never received a majority of the popular
vote. And, Gore is not leading anything -- that implies that the
election is still underway. It's over, the properly cast votes have been
counted, and Gore lost.
They contend Bush has no mandate because the election was so
close. Yet, nothing in our Constitution says that you have to win by a
wide margin in order to acquire full executive authority.
Congressional Democrats are elated over Maria Cantwell's victory
over Senator Slade Gorton in the state of Washington, which will make
the Senate evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. The
Washington Post reports that this development "has touched off a
full-bore Democratic push for 'power sharing' in the next Congress." In
an unprecedented and audacious power play, Democratic senators are
demanding a coalition government -- parity in committee assignments,
staffing and funding. They are threatening to rule by filibuster if they
don't get their way. This, notwithstanding the fact that the Republicans
will have an effective majority through the tie vote of Vice President
Dick Cheney as the Senate's presiding officer.
The New York Times reports that "an array of liberal groups have
begun organizing for what could be a succession of quick, brutal battles
on nominations, tax cuts, the budget and other issues." These groups are
said to be "energized and ready to fight." A far cry from the usual
liberal cries for bipartisanship, no?
The media is already beating the drums for Bush to make concessions
by appointing Democrats to cabinet posts and diluting his agenda -- as
if Bush has done something wrong for which he must seek atonement.
I remind you that Clinton, despite being elected by only 43 percent
of the popular vote, did not scale back his programs one smidgen. He
attempted to take over a seventh of the economy through nationalized
Hillary-Care, and did pass the largest tax increase in American history
-- with Al Gore casting the tie vote. I further remind you that we heard
not a peep of protest from Clinton's media cohorts.
Al Gore's enormously selfish act of putting the nation through the
trauma of his election challenges has severely strained our economy and
stock market. This makes the implementation of Bush's pro-growth tax-cut
agenda that much more imperative.
Bush, as the lawfully elected president, will likely assume the
presidency in a war not of his making. While he should still reach out
to Democrats in an effort to work with them, he should be prepared to
govern over their planned obstruction and must not retreat from his
programs.
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.
12/04/00: Debunking Gore myths
11/29/00: Defending the smaller principles
11/27/00: Albert O'Gore and the little people
11/22/00: Doing 'anything to win'
11/15/00: Enough is enough, Mr. Gore
11/13/00: Al Gore: Thy country or thyself?
11/08/00: Bill and Al: Your time is up
11/06/00:The impending Bush mandate
11/01/00: Can't stop thinkin' 'bout tomorrow
10/30/00: George: Give Gore the ball back
10/25/00: Mr. Gore: A few more questions
10/23/00: It's the big government, stupid
10/18/00: Gore's down, so will he panic?
10/16/00: We're fresh out of new Al Gores
10/11/00: Gore: Fuzzy math = dirty politics
10/10/00:Gore: Renaissance man or unbalanced?
10/04/00: Where have you been, Albert Jr.?
10/02/00: Clinton’s fragmented presidency
09/27/00: Liberal media doth protest too much
09/25/00: AlGore: Turning dreams into nightmares
09/20/00: Something fishy's going on
09/18/00: It's the liberalism, stupid
09/13/00: An open letter to open-minded cynics
09/11/00: The virtues of going negative
09/06/00: On a mission for marriage
09/04/00: Al Gore's 'Trivial Pursuits'
08/30/00: Lieberman and the paradox of liberal 'tolerance'
08/28/00: A campaign divided against itself
08/23/00: Al Gore's trickle-down populism
08/21/00: Prosperity without a clue
08/16/00: AlGore can run but he can't hide
08/14/00: When hate speech is OK
08/09/00: Bush: The pundits' enigma
08/07/00: GOP convention: Live or Memorex?
08/02/00: The first attack dog
07/31/00: The Cheney taint?
07/26/00: The anti-gun bogeyman
07/24/00: The raging culture war
07/19/00: Is Hillary 'Good for the Jews'?
07/17/00: How dare you, George?
07/12/00: Jacoby's raw deal
07/10/00: The perplexities of liberalism
07/05/00: Big Al and big oil
07/03/00: Partial-birth and total death
06/28/00: Some questions for you, Mr. Gore
06/26/00: Supreme Court assaults religious freedom
06/21/00: Waco: We are the jury
06/19/00: "Outrage" just doesn't quite cut it anymore!
06/14/00: Al Gore: Government's best friend
06/12/00: Say goodbye to medical privacy
06/07/00: Elian: Whose hands were tied?
06/05/00: Who, which, what is the real Al Gore?
06/01/00: Legacy-building idea for Clinton
05/30/00: Clinton: Above the law or not?
05/24/00: Not so fast, Hillary
05/22/00: Gore's risky, fear-mongering schemes
05/17/00: Can Bush risk pro-choice running mate?
05/15/00: Right to privacy, Clinton-style
05/10/00: Patrick Kennedy and his suit-happy fiddlers
05/08/00: Don't shoot Eddie Eagle
05/03/00: Congress caves to Clinton, again?
05/01/00: The resurrection of outrage
04/28/00: A picture of Bill Clinton's America
04/19/00: President Clinton: Teaching children responsibility
04/17/00: Elian, Marx and parental rights
04/12/00: Elian, freedom deserve a hearing
04/10/00:The fraying of America
04/05/00: Noonan: End Clintonism now
04/03/00: Bush: On going for the gold
03/29/00: Phantasma-Gore-ia
03/27/00: Treaties, triggers, tobacco and tyrants
03/22/00: Media to Bush: Go left, young man
03/20/00: Stop the insanity
03/15/00: OK Al Gore: Let's go negative
03/13/00: Deifying of the center
03/08/00: The media, the establishment and the people
03/01/00: McCain's coalition-busting daggers in GOP's heart
02/28/00: Bush's silver lining in McMichigan
02/24/00: A conservative firewall, after all
02/22/00: Bush or four more of Clinton-Gore?
02/16/00: Substance trumps process
02/14/00: The campaign finance reform mirage
02/09/00: President McCain: End of the GOP as we know it?
02/07/00: From New Hampshire to South Carolina
02/02/00: SDI must fly
01/31/00: Veep gores Bradley
01/26/00: The issues gap
01/24/00: GOP: Exit, stage left
01/20/00: Nationalizing congressional elections
01/18/00: Do voters really prefer straight talk?
01/12/00: Media's McCain efforts may backfire
01/10/00: Conservative racism myth
01/05/00: Just one more year of Clintonian politics
01/03/00: McMedia?
12/27/99: Al Gore: Bullish on government
12/22/99: Bradley's full-court press
12/20/99: Bush: Rendering unto Caesar
12/15/99: Beltway media bias
12/13/99: White House ambulance chasing
12/08/99: Clinton's labor pains
12/06/99:The lust for power
12/01/99: In defense of liberty
11/29/99: Are Republicans obsolete?
11/24/99: Say you're sorry, Mr. President
11/22/99: Architects of victory
11/17/99: Trump's tax on freedom
11/15/99: GOP caves again
11/10/99: Triangulation and 'The Third Way'
11/08/99: Sticks and stones
11/03/99: Keyes vs. media lapdogs
11/01/99: Signs of the times
10/27/99: The false charge of isolationism
10/25/99: A matter of freedom
10/20/99: Clinton's mini-meltdown
10/18/99: Senate GOP shows statesmanship
10/13/99: Senate must reject nuclear treaty
10/11/99: Bush bites feeding hand
10/06/99: Jesse accidentally opens door for Pat
10/04/99: Clinton and his media enablers
09/29/99: Reagan: Big-tent conservatism
09/27/99: The Clinton/Gore taint?
09/22/99: Have gun (tragedy), will travel
09/20/99: Hillary's blunders and bloopers
09/15/99: GOP must remain conservative
09/13/99:Time for Bush to take charge, please
09/10/99: Bush's education plan: Dubya confounds again
09/07/99: Pat, savior or spoiler?
09/02/99: Character doesn't matter?
08/30/99: Should we judge?
08/25/99: Dubyah's drug question: Not a hill to die on
08/23/99: Should Dubyah start buying soap ... for all that mud?
08/16/99: 'W' stands for 'winner'
08/11/99: The truth about tax cuts
08/09/99: Hillary: Threading the needle
08/04/99: What would you do?
08/02/99: No appeasement for China
07/30/99: Hate Crimes Bill: Cynical Symbolism
07/26/99: It’s the 'moderates', stupid
07/21/99: JFK Jr. and Diana: the pain of privilege
07/19/99: Smith, Bush and the GOP
07/14/99: GOP must be a party of ideas
07/12/99: Gore's gender gap
07/08/99: Clinton’s faustian bargain: our justice
07/06/99: The key to Bush's $36 million
06/30/99: Gore: a soda in every fountain
06/28/99: 'Sacred wall' or religious barrier?
06/23/99: GOP must lead in foreign policy
06/21/99: Crumbs of compassion
06/16/99: Compassionate conservatism: face-lift or body transplant?
06/10/99: Victory in Kosovo? Now What?
© 2000, CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
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