George W. Bush is elected President of the United States.

January 6, 2001 1:50 PM

George W. Bush is elected President of the United States. Affirmed by no less than Al Gore himself. The electoral votes have been tallied and certified. It. Is. Over.
posted by aaron (30 comments total)

good luck.
get a passport.
posted by deboute at 1:52 PM on January 6, 2001

I think Gore wants it over. Perhaps he realized he didn't want the job after all. Now he can throw the weight of his father legacy off his back and do what he wants to.
It will be interesting to see how he spends the next four years.
posted by black8 at 2:01 PM on January 6, 2001

Hail to the thief!Am I the only one bothered by the fact that our 'president' was not only not elected by the popular vote but appointed by the Supreme Court?
posted by Mr. skullhead at 2:03 PM on January 6, 2001

Now the fun starts.
posted by holgate at 2:11 PM on January 6, 2001

Pessimists, all of you.
:)
posted by pnevares at 2:13 PM on January 6, 2001

Wasn't it Alec Baldwin and Kim Bassinger (or some other tripe) that were going to leave the country if he was elected?
posted by holloway at 2:15 PM on January 6, 2001

No, skullhead you are not the only one.

j20.org
posted by capt.crackpipe at 2:17 PM on January 6, 2001

holloway:
a simple search for "baldwin" pulled up this.
posted by pnevares at 2:23 PM on January 6, 2001

A post by moi? that's where the eliteness starts, you are lucky enough to post something a couple of second earlier than someone else, and several months later someone's in need of that post. ~come to me, my little bebes!~

GW Bush is our rightful president, noting was stolen and no court acted as an elector.

Buy yourself a Bill O'Reilly spin-yo-yo.
posted by tiaka at 2:32 PM on January 6, 2001

Someone please produce the link to the guy who sells the "He is not my president" t-shirts from his web site. The news media does a great job of doing stories about the guy, but they never mention the URL.
posted by fleener at 3:01 PM on January 6, 2001

Too bad he didn't actually win Florida.

Oh well, it's not like it was important or anything.
posted by mathowie at 3:08 PM on January 6, 2001

It's too bad GW won. It's especially sad being that he's a robot.
posted by steve.wdc at 3:12 PM on January 6, 2001

holloway: Baldwin and Bassinger weren't the only ones. Robert Altman threatened to move to France if Bush won. Interestingly enough, Baldwin & Bassinger recently reneged on their promise. Altman has remained silent.
posted by ed at 3:28 PM on January 6, 2001

aaron: yep. Oh yes. Having spent the majority of my political life in opposition (including towards a Labour government I voted into office), I can tell you that it's a hard, nasty business. Let's just see how Bush copes with a fraction of the crazed vitriol that Clinton receives. Let's see the Freepers squirm at broken promises and political embarrassments. (Because any administration will be lambasted and embarrassed, because politics is the art of the possible.) Let's see if the right can turn its rhetoric into action. Come on. The left is waiting.

Oh, and the "next eight years"? I think not: both candidates this time round could have run on the slogan "four less years."
posted by holgate at 3:44 PM on January 6, 2001

Thanks, ed.




posted by holloway at 3:53 PM on January 6, 2001

http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=17110

Additional notes, including some facts not mentioned in the CNN/Reuters report:

Black members of Congress were not the only ones to object to Florida’s votes.

1) Rep. Patsy Mink also objected. She is of Asian descent.

2) Bob Flinner from California, of Caucasian ancestry also objected, saying, “I rise in solidarity with my colleagues.” He was booed by Republican members of Congress.

3) Rep. Peter Deutsch of Florida (another Caucasian) also said at the very beginning of the session “There are many Americans who still believe that the results that we are going to certify today are illegitimate.” He was shouted down and ruled out of order.

The following is a rough transcript of the final remarks regarding the legitimacy of Florida’s votes:

Rep. Cynthia McKinney (GA). I purpose adoption of a motion for members of the House to withdraw. House members should withdraw from joint session, to exercise their prerogative to debate the issue as an independent body.

Gore: Sect 15 paragraph 18 of title 3, says no procedural question is to be recognized without the signature of both a House member and a Senator.

M. Waters: I wish to rise to point out that the Chairman is stating his opinion. It is not written in that section.

Gore ignores this point.

Sheila Jackson Lee. We wish to delay until a quorum has been established.

Gore: Your request has not been signed by a Senator.

Jesse Jackson, Jr. “I object to the fact that votes in Florida were not counted.”

[Shouted down.] The chair rules this objection out of order.

Hastings. Can we appeal the ruling of the chair?

Gore: The chair finds that sect 17 of title 19 stipulates that such an appeal of the chair must be signed by a Senator.

Hastings: We did all we could.

Gore: The chair thanks the gentleman.

Waters: I rise for unanimous consent that debate on this issue go forward.

(General commotion).

Gore: The chair is advised that that order cannot even be entertained.

J. Jackson Jr.: Can we ask if a democratic Senator will sign our democratic resolution ?

No one steps forward.

[End of the discussion of Florida’s votes]

Gore goes on to consider Georgia’s electoral votes.

--------------

Additional comments made by representatives:

Alcee Hastings said

“I must object because of the overwhelming evidence of official misconduct [shouts from the floor], fraud, and an attempt to suppress voter turnout. . . .” [overruled].


Ms. Brown. . . . “This obection is in writing, and is signed by members of the House, and by myself, in behalf of twenty seven thousand citizens of Duval county, in which 16,000 voters, most of African descent, were disenfranchised. (Boos and general commotion from the floor).

Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson. “We have received hundreds of thousand of telegrams, and emails, and phone calls . . .” (Boos from the Republicans).

Mr. Cummings. “Our objection is signed by several representatives, and in behalf of the many disenfranchised voters in Florida . . .” [Booed and ruled out of order].

Rep Sheila Jackson Lee. [In a very strong and defiant voice]. “Our objection is signed by myself in behalf of my diverse constituents and the millions of disenfranchised voters by Florida’s innacurate vote count [Very loud bellows and boos from the Republicans on the floor].


Ms. Waters : I rise to object to the FRAUDULENT 25 Florida electoral votes. [Loud boos from the floor]. . . . Mr. President, there are gross violations of the Voting Rights Act in Florida . . . [more boos]

Ms. Barbara Lee : This objection is signed by myself in behalf of members of the 9th Congressional district, and all American voters who recognize that the Supreme Court, not the people of the United States, decided this election. [ruled out of order]

posted by capt.crackpipe at 4:14 PM on January 6, 2001

The only way to "prove" a Gore victory is to treat certain votes differently from all other votes (also known as "cooking the books").

Recent press reports indicate that Gore gains votes even in optical recounts of Republican counties, because of votes by people who chose a candidate and wrote that person's name on the "Write-In" line. If Gore had done the right thing and asked for a statewide recount right away, I think he would be president-elect.
posted by rcade at 5:15 PM on January 6, 2001

Encouraging the off-topic subthread here:

Note also that it wouldn't be difficult for the Bassinger/Baldwin Demoratic Duo to move here. They've already got a place in the Muskoka region. (Prime Ontario Cottage Country)
posted by cCranium at 6:24 PM on January 6, 2001

While we're on the topic of finding new homes for obnoxious thespians with delusions of political relevance, would Canada be willing to take Tim Robbins and Susan Saran-Wrap as well?

...and if you need a conservative to balance out the ticket, you can take Chuckie Heston too.
posted by MrBaliHai at 8:06 PM on January 6, 2001

Good grief, Chuck gets NO love. *"Get your hands off of me, you damn dirty Canadian!"*

IIRC, Pierre Salinger has bailed for the South of France.
posted by allaboutgeorge at 8:39 PM on January 6, 2001

Hey, "Susan Saran-Wrap"! That's almost, well, not really, clever. Right up there with "Nutscrape" and "Internet Exploder." When our political discourse gets down to the same level of stupidity as the browser wars, it might *be* time to move to France.
posted by rodii at 8:56 PM on January 6, 2001

M. Waters: "I wish to rise to point out that the Chairman is stating his opinion. It is not written in that section." Gore ignores this point.

He ignored the point because Rep. Waters was, to put it as gingerly as possible, incorrect. From 3 USC 15:

Upon such reading of any such certificate or paper, the President of the Senate shall call for objections, if any. Every objection shall be made in writing, and shall state clearly and concisely, and without argument, the ground thereof, and shall be signed by at least one Senator and one Member of the House of Representatives before the same shall be received.

posted by aaron at 10:33 PM on January 6, 2001

I don't have to move. He's simply not my president. I will refer to him as Country Governor for the duration of his stay in Washington. That is my silent protest. He might have all of you fooled, but not me. Due to the fact our political machine has completely failed to work the way it was intended, the richest bastard won. *shrug* It doesn't effect me personally. It will someday probably, but there's literally nothing I can do about it. My vote doesn't count, and I have no other power in this country. No one who wears a suit and tie represents me. No politician knows me. They don't understand me. I am experiencing taxation without representation, and have for some time. If anything, Dubya in Dah House just puts what I've already known for some time into sharp relief. My only alternative is to accept the audacity of it all.

Those of you who still support compassionate conservative republicans because you are conservative? You think politicians represent you? They're in there for themselves. Just because you happen to agree with them at this moment, don't expect that to last. It's luck. When the time comes, Dubya and his buddies will sell your soul to the Devil as soon as it becomes advantageous to them. Blackwood Avenue has a real kickass song about this called Political Man. I highly recommend it. The guys in the suits want us to continue believing it's conservative vs liberal or democrat vs republican. They want us fighting amongst ourselves so we don't see that the true enemy is them.. It's not you vs me. It's us vs them. The lifelong lawyers and politicians against normal people who don't try to be shysters for a living.

They're the predators. We're the prey. God bless America.
posted by ZachsMind at 2:40 AM on January 7, 2001

I am old (in 70s); I have served in the military twidfe (during war once); I have two older kids. I have two very young kids (second marriage): I have already told my son, nearly 13, not to go into the army if we go to war cause democracy no longer eists in this country. I will not serve jury dutyp; I no longer accept the judicial system. Other countries often appont their leaders through the military; we do it through the supreme court. We no longer have any right totell other countries that we are a model, a democracy to emulate. We ost to Brown Shirts and to an alliance of a governor, his sec of state, through denical of votes to minorities (and Jesse J has now sold out cause of money!), and , thugs sent in to disrupt counting (GOP thugs) and through the GOP appointed people on the Supreme Court who refused to recuse themselves when a number of them had self intereswt blatently showing.
posted by Postroad at 4:32 AM on January 7, 2001

get a passport

Of course, you realize that if GW manages to destroy the environment, allow the growth of monopolistic multi-national corporations, and start nuclear war, it won't matter what country you live in, your life will be adversely affected.

Better to stay and have some influence on the process.
posted by daveadams at 12:15 PM on January 7, 2001

Of course, you realize that if GW manages to destroy the environment, allow the growth of monopolistic multi-national corporations, and start nuclear war...

Dave!! Stop!! You're giving away the secret part of the playbook!

Just don't let on that ZachsMind is the first one scheduled for elimin-AACCK [thump]
posted by mikewas at 11:49 AM on January 8, 2001

I'd rather die then give him control. =) Heehee.
Ever heard the Devo cover of this song? Kicks ass.
posted by ZachsMind at 1:59 PM on January 8, 2001

Devo was around long enough after Pretty Hate Machine to cover a NIN song? This I gotta hear.
posted by kindall at 3:49 PM on January 8, 2001