When -- and why -- Gore should concede

By Andrew Ross

Published November 15, 2000 8:58PM (EST)

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The notion that Gore -- the guy who seems to have won both the popular vote and the backing of most Florida voters (unless you buy the argument that there are 3,000 rabid Buchanan supporters in Palm Beach County) -- should concede is nonsense. If anybody should back out it is Bush. Having lost the popular contest and only won the electoral vote (maybe) on a technicality, he should have the decency and good sense to bow out now instead of relying on his dad's ministers to bail him out of another scrape. Uniter, indeed!

-- Brian Begy

Hey, Andrew Ross, where is the fire? No one has yet made a reasonable case that making a timely decision is better than making the correct decision. Given that Bush lost the popular vote nationwide, it is especially important that he not be perceived to have manipulated the Florida vote count in any way. If he is perceived to have done so he will lose any and all claims to legitimacy.

-- Ramon E. Creager

While I agree with you that Al Gore should concede to George W. Bush to save himself and the Democrats, I think your criticism is a bit harsh. How could he run a campaign with such a liability as Clinton? I'm a Clinton fan, but let's be fair: Clinton owes Gore a big, fat apology. I know some people who voted for Bush only because they hate Clinton -- especially those who live in states such as Arkansas and Tennessee, where the good economy has brought them no benefits. I thought Gore managed really well, for example, in Michigan (where people are against NAFTA) and Washington (with Nader and Microsoft). What is my conclusion? Some people get everything easily, like Bush; some have to struggle against their fate, like Gore.

-- Michelle Do

Assuming the overseas ballots in Florida do not change the vote count in his favor (without any more manual recounts), Gore should concede. Manual recounts in only Democratic counties is unfair and would taint any Gore reversal. If Gore had won Tennessee he would have won the election. His failure there underlines the overall failure of his candidacy. In truth he ran an inept campaign and came up short. He was inconsistent and never found his stride, despite his superb qualifications and an unprecedented economy for a platform. It is time for him to step up and do the patriotic thing and end the Florida farce of lawsuits and manual recounts by partisan political operatives. We are soon to see how much courage and integrity truly lie within the heart of Al Gore.

-- John Bufe

I believe that Gore is so power hungry that he won't gracefully concede. The political life is all he knows. People are not giving Bush much credit, but given the chance, he probably has the personality and managing ability to avoid a partisan gridlock and get things moving in a positive direction. The Dems probably know this and are afraid to let Bush get elected. They are really afraid that Bush will be a successful leader, not a failure.

-- John Sneeringer

As if the campaign process weren't bad enough with all of the charges, countercharges, lies, promises and just plain old-fashioned political pandering to the masses, now we are subjected to the ongoing battle of a recount in Florida. Enough is enough. How much of this do the citizens of this great land have to endure? It's time to call the election an official draw. Here are my Top 10 Ways to Break the Tie:

10. Paper, Rock, Scissors. I think they should use the real items. I've always questioned whether paper could really beat a rock.

9. One Potato, Two Potatoe. Actually, this was suggested by Dan Quayle, who insists that in the case of a tie, he should be made president.

8. Eenie, meenie, minie, moe. The challenge here is to complete the age-old rhyme without committing p.c. sacrilege by invoking the name of a minority group or advocating cruelty to animals.

7. Hands On. We place the candidates in the Oval Office with their hands on the desk. First one to lose contact with the desk loses. Sitting on the desk is a disqualifier.

6. Kiss-a-thon. Hook them up with their wives (or approved surrogate), and the longest kiss wins. The advantage to this is that they will both be unable to speak.

5. Beer guzzling. Fastest consumption of a pitcher of beer without spilling.

4. "Survivor." Put them both on a deserted island with nothing but a knife.

3. "Who Wants to Be a President?" Hosted by Regis Philbin.

2. Tough Man-style boxing match. Actually, this might be a good alternative to all elections.

1. Wrestling. Ideally this would be a "cage match" where both contestants are enclosed in a steel bar cage with the referee. Last man standing wins. Third man in the ring would be Jesse Ventura. In the event that neither candidate is left standing, Ventura would become president.

-- Bob Cortez


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2000 Elections