The Art of Politics

Take It Like A Man

Do what Al Gore couldn't do...

Like many junkies, we stayed up... and up... and up... even when it became obvious. Even when Bush carried Ohio by more than Kerry carried Pennsylvania. Even when New Mexico vote counting wiped out a 5% Bush lead in minutes in a very curious tabulation. Even when the President obtained a very impressive 3+ million popular vote victory.

Waiting.

Waiting for the networks, those of which called Ohio for Bush not calling Nevada, those who called Nevada not calling Ohio.

And then we collapsed into a heap of exhaustion...

But these things are clear - Bush won the popular vote, big. He won Ohio, by the same margin as last time, and by more votes than he lost Pennsylvania by. The election is right where we thought it would be - except for Wisconsin, which Bush narrowly lost. A notable victory for Bush.

It's time for Kerry to recognize this.

Kerry has a current career in the Senate at stake. Gore destroyed his political viability and forever tarnished his image (which honestly he cemented with some wacko outbursts lately) by disputing Florida over a couple thousand votes in an election in which he won the popular vote total by some half-million. Kerry is losing every undeclared state by far, far more - New Mexico by some almost 12,000 votes, which Bush lost by mere hundreds and never challenged, Iowa by some 16,000, four times more than Gore won it by last time which Bush never challenged, and a whopping 140,000+ in Ohio, which is getting media spun despite being a bigger win for Bush than PA and other states were for Kerry.

This is important - whoever wins on election night, is the legitimate winner in the voters eyes. Bush won the remaining three states on election night, by margins that aren't particularly close as we've shown. They simply won't find that many votes buried in Ohio, and if they fight this past today, they are asking for a world of trouble - why shouldn't Bush crawl up the Wisconsin results with a microscope? He won't, because that's not his M.O., but it's food for thought.

Kerry needs to do what Gore couldn't - read the writing, see the lost cause, and maintain his relevancy. Spare us the avalanches of lawyers and spins, and realize you fought a hard, tough run, difficult campaign against an incumbent in wartime, and ultimately a losing campaign.

The election is already a Republican blowout - there is no need for the Kerry to make the party's situation worse by looking like they can't take no for an answer...

Posted by MEC2 at November 3, 2004 08:03 AM