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Dr. Love
10-20-2004, 08:50 AM
Kerry Recount Strategy Different From Gore's
Wednesday, October 20, 2004

WASHINGTON — Sen. John Kerry (search) has a simple strategy if the presidential race is in doubt on Nov. 3, the day after the election: Do not repeat Al Gore's (search) mistakes.

Unlike the former vice president, who lost a recount fight and the 2000 election, Kerry will be quick to declare victory on election night and begin defending it. He also will be prepared to name a national security team before knowing whether he's secured the presidency.

"The first thing we will do is make sure everybody has an opportunity to vote and every vote is counted," said Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter (search). "We will be ready to hit the ground running and begin a fresh start in this country, given that so many critical issues are before us."

The prospects for another contested election grow with every poll showing the race neck and neck.

Gore prematurely conceded the 2000 race to George W. Bush (search), then had to retract his concession after aides said Florida wasn't lost. He never declared victory, an omission Kerry's advisers — many of whom worked for Gore — now believe created a sense of inevitability in voters' minds about Bush's presidency.


Gore didn't plan for the legal showdown, though few could have predicted it before Election Day. And he watched as Bush seized political advantage during the 36-day recount by publicly discussing a transition to the White House.

Not this time, promise Kerry's advisers. If there is doubt about the results, they will fight without delay.

Six so-called "SWAT teams" of lawyers and political operatives will be situated around the country with fueled-up jets awaiting Kerry's orders to speed to a battleground state. The teams have been told to be ready to fly on the evening of the election to begin mounting legal and political fights. No team will be more than an hour from a battleground.

The Kerry campaign has office space in every battleground state, with plans so detailed they include the number of staplers and coffee machines needed to mount legal challenges.

"Right now, we have 10,000 lawyers out in the battleground states on Election Day, and that number is growing by the day," said Michael Whouley, a Kerry confidant who is running election operations at the Democratic National Committee.

While the lawyers litigate, political operatives will try to shape public perception. Their goal would be to persuade voters that Kerry has the best claim to the presidency and that Republicans are trying to steal it.

Democrats are already laying the public relations groundwork by pointing to every possible voting irregularity before the Nov. 2 election and accusing Republicans of wrongdoing.

On Election Day, Whouley will head the so-called "boiler room," probably in Washington, that tracks vote counts and ensures Kerry doesn't concede too soon. Whouley was the aide who, after noticing Florida was too close to call in 2000, called Gore's team in Tennessee and told them to put the brakes on the concession speech.

Campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill will be with Kerry in Boston, where they will field Whouley's calls.

Jim Johnson, who headed Kerry's vice presidential search team, former Labor Secretary Alexis Herman and longtime Kerry aide David McKean lead the team planning Kerry's transition to the White House.

Aides say the transition process is behind schedule, but Kerry will be ready to name a national security team shortly after the election. They say he has candidates in mind, but is reluctant to discuss the transition while campaigning.

The advisers spoke on condition of anonymity because Kerry wants the focus to be on his campaign for now.

The plan to quickly name a national security team is partly practical (at a time of war, continuity is necessary) and political, aides said, because if there is another recount Kerry will want to show he's ready to take power.

Amid the tumult of the 2000 recount, Bush sought to make his presidency appear as a matter of time by leaking word of his national security team and bringing news cameras into his transition meetings. Gore and his staff were more reluctant to talk about the appointment process.

Kerry's advisers say Bush would have a natural political advantage in a recount in this election because he is the president, with a national security team in place and a public relations spotlight that comes with the White House.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,136011,00.html

Dr. Love
10-20-2004, 08:51 AM
Reading that depresses me. I hate to see the Presidency secured by political and legal wrangling instead of voting.

diamondD
10-20-2004, 08:57 AM
Once again, proof that Gore didn't have the guts and leadership to be president. He couldn't even fight for the job.


I'm with you Doc. I hope the margin of victory is wide enough where it's decisive without controversy.

Cathedral
10-20-2004, 09:00 AM
It will only be a problem if Bush fails to beat him by a landslide.

The polls here in Ohio are far, far from accurate given that 8,000 people that have never registered before have registered for this election. They haven't been polled at all.
And the number of Ohioans that use cell phones only were not polled either.
It could go either way in this state and i suspect it is a similar scenario in other states as well.

Technology in polling is behind given those circumstances. landline phones aren't cutting it.
Plus, You have the Christian vote, who are notorious for not taking polls.

But i am with you, Doc. It is no longer about the votes, but how many problems can be litigated to one persons favor or the other.
2000 was a cluster fuck, and i do not wish to see that happen again.

I am hopefull though....

Warham
10-20-2004, 09:59 AM
Kerry might have to call in the U.N. so they can sort through this mess.

Mezro
10-20-2004, 01:36 PM
If you think you've won it is worth the effort to fight.

Mezro...I voted for Gore in 2000 and thought he acted like a pussy by backing down...

BigBadBrian
10-20-2004, 01:40 PM
Originally posted by Dr. Love


Six so-called "SWAT teams" of lawyers and political operatives will be situated around the country with fueled-up jets awaiting Kerry's orders to speed to a battleground state. The teams have been told to be ready to fly on the evening of the election to begin mounting legal and political fights. No team will be more than an hour from a battleground.




The BCE has fighters ready to blast these fuckers out of the sky if need be. :D :gun: