2000 Us Presidential Election

Introduction

The US Presidential Election of 2000 featured George W. Bush and Al Gore. It will go down in history as one of the most closest electionsЎ¦ in US history. It also goes down as one of the most controversial. The final decision was based on just a few hundred votes in Florida. The controversy began when the media prematurely declared the winner twice based solely on exit polls. They finally conceded that the Florida count was just too close to predict. It would take a month before the election was ultimately certified after numerous court challenges and vote recounts. Republican candidate George W. Bush was declared the winner of the FloridaЎ¦s 25 electoral votes. This was a victory by a razor thin margin of popular votes. It was just the fourth time in United States history that a candidate had won the Presidency while losing the popular vote. How could this be and furthermore, how could this happen? Is this just the tip of the iceberg that election reform is necessary? We need to insure that every American vote counts. This is supposed to be the basis of getting Americans to the voting booths according to our founding fathers. So what can be done to make sure that every vote DOES count?

The Campaign

Al Gore was chosen by the Democratic Party as their choice for nomination. Al Gore had previously served under US President, Bill Clinton, and was immediately the front runner as the partyЎ¦s top choice. His choice for Vice President was Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut. Leiberman was also the first person of Jewish dissent to be name to a national party ticket. His choice of Lieberman was determined to have been made to separate Gore from the scandals of President Clinton. It was necessary for Al Gore to distance himself as far as possible from the inherited connections. He declared himself as defender of the people against large corporations, special interest groups, and the powerful. He pledged to extend Medicare to assist senior citizens purchase prescription drugs, push for a universal health care system, lower crime rates, and maintain the strength of our standing army.

Al Gore began his campaign trail by attacking George W. BushЎ¦s tax plans. A firm believer that these plans were only intended to benefit the most wealthy of AmericaЎ¦s citizens. His proposed tax plans were targeted at more of the US population- the lower and middle class citizens. Another important issue in Al GoreЎ¦s campaign was the protection of Social Security. This is an issue as important to the American citizens as taxes. People are in need of being reassured that the program remains solvent for their use when needed. American pay into the system and they expect to be recipients in their time of need.

George W. Bush was no stranger to politics. His father is George H. Bush, the 41st President of the United States. Son, George W. had his own career and experience working to his advantage in the state of Texas as Governor. Early in his second term as Governor, plans were being constructed for his run for the nationЎ¦s highest office. BushЎ¦s choice for a running mate was Dick Cheney. Bush felt that he was the best man for the position given his history in elected and appointed offices. CheneyЎ¦s resume includes serving as chief of staff under former president Gerald Ford, and secretary of defense for his father. This decision also gave George W. the solidarity it lacked when people questioned his experience. Cheney would be there to guide George W. in times of need.

George W. Bush ran his campaign on the philosophy of renewed moral leadership. Something that had been lost in the Clinton-Gore administration. Bush focused on issues such as providing tax cuts and improving education. He also had a desire to change Social Security by letting people invest a portion of their funds in the stock market. Something that we are seeing as being a controversial subject yet today.

November 7, 2000 - Election Night

The race between the candidates was expected to be a close one. However, no one ever dreamt the controversy that was about the unfold. As in the past, the media was covering the all important election. They had always relied on exit polls as the polls closed across the nation. In reality, the Florida results were just too close to call. Nevertheless, that did not stop the media from doing so. Not once, but twice, major news media outlets were erroneous in their report. Around 8pm, it was declared that Al Gore was the projected winner of the electoral votes in the state of Florida. However, a couple of hours later, the projection was retracted and restated as Florida as being too close to call. Then, just after 2am on November 8, the mistake was made for a second time.