Winners and Losers (Part 2)

It is a time for winners and losers and we have only to this date on the Presidential election come up with losers.  The tight race is Florida has shined the bright flashlight in a dirty kitchen and we have seen the all the roaches scurry for cover. 

After this election we will no longer look with pride on our election system.   The time of dewy-eyed pride is gone; the age of cynicism is here and will dirty our system for a long time.  Isn’t it ironic that we honor our “greatest generation” at a new World War II memorial, and dirty the legacy they fought for.

 Earlier this week I was gone to write a column defending the Electoral College.  Indeed it does need defending.  If we had not had the Electoral College system in place we would have seen the “Florida Debacle” spread out across the country with lawyer to lawyer hand fighting for every vote..  It is easy to point a finger of ridicule at Florida, but if every state had had the hoard of lawyers we have had, they would have laid waste almost every precinct across the country. 

And laid waste the lawyers have, and the losers add up.  A bunch of proud senior citizens  in Palm Beach County were made to look like dupes, and willingly so, at the hands of telemarketers for the sake of public opinion. In fact Palm Beach Countians will for the next few years be the butt of jokes.  Ten-year-old school children could do what as too difficult of those senior citizens.  Let them go to bingo, keep them out of the voting booth!!!! 

And of course, Jesse Jackson was fast as a flash in front of a TV camera, not to solve, not to salve, but to incite.  We heard about “dogs” in the civil rights issue.  The African American was again “victimized”.  The sure were, but not by the electoral system, but by Jesse Jackson.  When will Jesse Jackson quit looking for a TV camera and use his considerable skills in an uplifting enterprise.  Another loser. 

We do have pride is a hard fought battle and salute the victor.  But we had always assumed the hard fought battle was over when the votes were cast.  Now we know what the insiders knew all along…  It is not who votes, it is who counts the votes.  The battle goes on long after the polls have closed.  It is like Florida and Florida State battling long after the game is over to get an advantage.  I think the closest football analogy is the pile of players on a fumble.  Who really knows what goes on at the bottom of that pile.  Thanks to Florida 2000 and the sunshine law, we know a little more about our “Great System”. 

Both the candidates have lost in stature, at least so far.  George Bush may have just slightly the higher ground, he piously talks about the rule of law, knowing that the law is on his side, unless the high priced lawyers can do some hasty, on the fly rewriting of the laws before our very eyes.  Al Gore on the other hand just a piously “wants every vote counted”.  Knowing full well he does not want every vote counted, he wants certain votes counted, and only in a certain way.  The count on election night of every vote and the recount or every vote wasn’t just what the lawyers ordered for Al Gore.

 Overlooked in this hyper atmosphere was a real winner.  Senator John Ashcroft came out a winner big time and he lost!  Thrown into an impossible situation where is opponent was killed in a plane crash and the grieving widow essentially took his place. Senator Ashcroft lost the election on election night.  Again there were shenanigans that dirtied the system.  But the Senator was able to keep his eye on what was important.  He had served, and served well.  He had fought and fought well in most difficult situation and he had lost.  He said no to the endless fighting.  He said thank you and went into the sunset with his family with such kind words… “Perhaps the vote in Missouri will be some measure of comfort to Mrs. Carnahan.”.  Words spoken with true class.  Not a hint of anger, not a hint of remorse.  Actually you could see the happiness in his face as he spoke that he could go onto his life and enjoy his family and little grandchild a little more.  The election was important to the Senator, but something was more important; dignity, class and family. 

Can you picture Al Gore doing something similar?  Fat chance.  You might picture George Bush doing something similar.   There is still time to come out of the mud, but somehow, I think it won’t happen.   Class may yet show, but in our current system, class doesn’t always win elections.  Down and dirty is in.  Class is in second place when it comes to elections.  Sad.