Why We Count

A few conservatives who apparently don't understand democracy or what happened in Florida in 2000 are wondering why some Democrats and others are pushing for recounts in Ohio.

The Wall Street Journal's online OpinionJournal said some of its readers "have written us asking if there is a possibility that the Democrats actually will manage to steal the election." (You mean like the GOP did in 2000?) No, the Journal blamed the vote recount effort on bitterenders not willing to accept Bush as president;others pushing to establish permissive standards for future close elections; and an attempt by Democrats to go after promising conservative blacks like Ohio's Secretary of State Ken Blackwell.

In the Journal's proud tradition of turning a blind eye to reality, the Journal misses the point.

Yes, some people (i.e. most of the world) have a hard time accepting that a majority of Americans could be so foolish that they would vote for Bush. And permissive standards are only bad if you believe the idea that in America it is vital that every vote count, and that every vote be counted is radical or unAmerican. But it is the conservatives and the GOP who are playing the race card so that Republican Hispanics and blacks can not be criticized, for if Democrats dare to do so, then they are racists. So Clarence (beating inmates in Louisiana isn't cruel AND unusual) Thomas and Ken (sorry, that's only 70 pound paper) Blackwell can not be criticized

But the real reasons people want to count all the votes is the knowledge that because not all votes were counted in Florida in 2000, George Bush was installed as president. Despite Jim Baker's false protestations that the vote in Florida was fully counted and then recounted, a number of counties only checked their totals and did not recount the vote and Bush ended up ahead by around 600 votes while 180,000 were left uncounted. If all votes were counted, Gore would have won.

The Journal had the right idea that one party is trying to set standards for future elections, except that it is the GOP that is trying to set a bad standardsfor future elections. If the GOP can intimidate Democrats into not standing by the idea of "count every vote and every vote counts" then it will be easier to steal future elections.