December 17, 2000

Political Postmortem Discloses Nader Was a Spoiler

Political postmortems are dreary exercises, but somebody has to do them -- this year’s presidential election especially.

Neophyte pundits emphasize that the election was a "tie" or "split down the middle" thus handicapping President George Bush’s agenda.

Not so. The vote count was the closest in history, and hotly litigated; but Bush won one more electoral vote than necessary to win. A win, is a win, is a win.

Sorehead liberals bleat that Bush is not a "legitimate" president because of the miniscule 537 official Florida vote-count majority.

Bunk. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that a partial hand-count in a few, heavily Democrat precincts violates the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing "equal protection of the laws."

This is a judicial landslide by any standard.

When Bush raises his right hand and takes the oath office on Jan. 20, he will be as legitimate as he would have been by a popular landslide. The only residual question is whether individual citizens are legitimate if they act to obstruct the rule of law.

Much has been made of the fact that Gore won 251,000 more popular votes than Bush in the 97 million cast nationwide. Gore’s total of 49.96 percent of the total is three-tenths of one percent greater that Bush’s total of 49.93 percent.

There were two million votes nationwide tossed out because of irregularities. Consequently no one can say for sure who won the popular vote if total voter intention could have been ascertained.

It should be remembered that President Clinton won office against George H. Bush and Ross Perot with only 43 percent of the popular vote. Yet, no one accused Clinton of not being legitimate.

A generally overlooked, aspect of this year’s election is the role of Green Party candidate Ralph Nader. This was the crucial factor in Gore’s defeat.

Nationwide, Nader polled less than three percent of the total – way less that than the five percent necessary to obtain federal funding for another try in 2004. Like Perot in 1992, Nader is finished politically.

Nonetheless, Nader’s effect on the Florida outcome is instructive.

Keep in mind that Bush’s final, certified, popular majority in the Sunshine State was 537 votes. Of the six million Florida votes cast, Nader polled 97,488 votes. If he had polled 538 less votes, Gore might have won the presidency.

It is said that many Nader voters would have stayed at home if it were not for him. Still, many more Nader voters were siphoned from Gore’s support.

AFL-CIO president John Sweeny told reporters after the election that Nader was "the difference in having George Bush as president, and we find that really reprehensible."

In the hotly contested, preponderantly Florida Democrat counties, Nader won 5,362 votes in Miami-Dade, 5,565 in Palm Beach, and 7,104 in Broward.  

Even in little, Republican Charlotte County, Nader garnered 1,462 votes – that alone enough to wrest the election from Gore.

It is ironic that the same third-party effect that "stole" the election from President Bush, Sr., in 1992, operated to swing the election to his son this year!

The United States was hooted by foreign nationals when the world’s most powerful democracy became mired in butterfly ballots, chads, dimples, pregnant indentations and hanging doors.

Now, after 36 days of swirling controversy, there is sheepish admiration abroad.

No cabal of generals took over the national capitol. There were no armed soldiers on street corners. There were no riots or water cannons. Citizens went on about their everyday affairs, though slightly annoyed at the delay in determining a winner.  

Oh, Rev. Jesse Jackson threatened to launch a "civil rights explosion and fight in the streets" if the courts held in favor of George W. Bush. However, no one pays much attention any more to Jackson.

The nation, and the world, is a-changing. Special interest politics by religious conservatives, labor union liberals and myopic minorities are waning.

There has been some surprise on the part of many citizens to learn that Supreme Courts – state and national -- are "political." This is not untoward. Politics is the art of the possible.

 "Fairness" is not a goal, Impartiality is. If the rules are not fair – to whom? – then politicians must thresh out new rules. This is after the fact, but better this than anarchy.

The reassuring thing about a nearly even distribution of power in the federal government is that the solons are forced to work together constructively.

As that great "Greek philosopher" A. Nonymous once said: "There is no limit to the amount of good that can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit."

 PARTING SHOTS

Bush beware!  The liberal motto is: "Revenge is the best revenge."

 * * *

 In a sled race, only the lead dog gets a change of scenery.  

By Lindsey Williams, columnist for Sun Coast Media Group newspapers