Friday, May 28, 2004
After the election of 2000, Al Gore's role as an American leader seemed to be over. His credibility and capability as a leader were in great doubt, and it seemed clear that he would only be relevant in American politics as a historical lesson. But Al Gore has not gone quietly. And in the election of 2004, Al Gore has made himself newly relevant to the process. As the media is forced to re-assess him, a new picture of Al Gore as a man of ideas and integrity is emerging. Now, I'm not suggesting that this is an accurate portrayal of the man, but then, neither his portrayal by the media in 2000.
I recently saw a documentary about the 2000 election called Unprecedented. It's very interesting, and I'll probably write a bit more about it later on, but I specifically wanted to bring up a quote from Al Gore during the recount process. He said "What is at stake is the integrity of our democracy, making sure that the will of the American people is expressed." Amazing how true these words are. At the time, we perhaps did not understand the far-reaching effect and nature of this decision. Ralph Nader's opinion, that there wasn't much difference between Republicans and Democrats was a lot more believable. But ultimately Gore was right. The will of the American people was not done in November 2000, and for a while we thought that maybe it wouldn't matter that much. But today, we know exactly what Gore meant, because the integrity of our democracy was damaged in 2000. It enshrined the notion that you don't' actually have to win, you just have to have enough people be willing to pretend that you did.
We saw it in the election. Yes, there is some doubt about who won the electoral vote. Given all of the irregularities that plague any election, and given how close so many of the state races were, and even without judging whether any irregularities were intentional, the question of the true will of the American people by way of electoral vote remains an open question. However, there is no doubt that more people in this country voted for Al Gore than for George W. Bush. But Bush wins. And I'm not decrying the system, or railing against the inherent unfairness of the electoral college. I'm not here to assign blame. I'm just saying that Bush didn't win in the way that we generally mean it when we say that someone won. He somehow completed the victory conditions, but he didn't really win. And the will of America was not for George W. Bush to win. But he did, and today, our country makes choices and policies which do not reflect the will of the people. You can't win with faith alone, maybe you also need good works.
In November, when you are sealed within the voting cubicle, I wish to you that you can express your will for America, and that your vote will count. I'll be voting for Kerry, and I'm wondering if my vote will.
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I recently saw a documentary about the 2000 election called Unprecedented. It's very interesting, and I'll probably write a bit more about it later on, but I specifically wanted to bring up a quote from Al Gore during the recount process. He said "What is at stake is the integrity of our democracy, making sure that the will of the American people is expressed." Amazing how true these words are. At the time, we perhaps did not understand the far-reaching effect and nature of this decision. Ralph Nader's opinion, that there wasn't much difference between Republicans and Democrats was a lot more believable. But ultimately Gore was right. The will of the American people was not done in November 2000, and for a while we thought that maybe it wouldn't matter that much. But today, we know exactly what Gore meant, because the integrity of our democracy was damaged in 2000. It enshrined the notion that you don't' actually have to win, you just have to have enough people be willing to pretend that you did.
We saw it in the election. Yes, there is some doubt about who won the electoral vote. Given all of the irregularities that plague any election, and given how close so many of the state races were, and even without judging whether any irregularities were intentional, the question of the true will of the American people by way of electoral vote remains an open question. However, there is no doubt that more people in this country voted for Al Gore than for George W. Bush. But Bush wins. And I'm not decrying the system, or railing against the inherent unfairness of the electoral college. I'm not here to assign blame. I'm just saying that Bush didn't win in the way that we generally mean it when we say that someone won. He somehow completed the victory conditions, but he didn't really win. And the will of America was not for George W. Bush to win. But he did, and today, our country makes choices and policies which do not reflect the will of the people. You can't win with faith alone, maybe you also need good works.
In November, when you are sealed within the voting cubicle, I wish to you that you can express your will for America, and that your vote will count. I'll be voting for Kerry, and I'm wondering if my vote will.
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