November 28, 2000

It's time for Gore to accept outcome

Vice President Al Gore Monday night told the nation he wants ALL the votes to be counted from the Florida presidential election of Nov. 7.

He would have us believe that he is motivated by a desire to preserve the democratic process for the people of Florida, not solely by a desire to round up enough votes for himself to get the state's 25 electoral votes in order to be elected president.

We must ask, if the vice president really wants a fair tabulation of all Florida votes, why those working for his campaign have:

• Tried to stop the counting of overseas military ballots that arrived in Florida on time, but did not have a postmark or were postmarked after a election day, something beyond the control of the men and women serving their nation abroad?
• Aimed calls for hand recounts only at a handful of counties, ones in which Gore ran well ahead of George W. Bush? Wouldn't that selectively affect the democratic process? Gore says there are thousands of ballots that have not been counted. He's referring to ballot cards that were not punched completely and/or properly. His concern would ring true if:
• He were not ignoring the fact that such ballots are not counted everywhere in the nation that punch card ballots are used. Has anyone heard him calling for a hand count in Seneca County, where there certainly were presidential ballots that were not counted because the holes were not punched enough for the machine to read them?
• His righteous concern for the counting of Florida ballots had not started as of Nov. 7, 2000. The voting methods of Florida have been in effect for years. Where was Gore's vigilance about such Florida ballots in 1996 or 1998?

We're not buying the rhetoric about his absorption with the greater good. He just wants enough votes to be the winner. No matter what or how long it takes.

After a count, and a recount, and another partial recount at his behest, it has gone far enough.

It's time for Al Gore to accept the Florida vote certification and step aside.

Americans are ready for it and they're tired of chads.