A Long, Strange Journey
The race was tight because the runners were so alike
From the earliest days, the Bush campaign stressed Bush's inevitability, first as the Republican nominee and then as the winner of the general election. It's why Rove made such a wild prediction as to how much Bush would win by. Now, Bush was continuing the inevitability campaign: There really was no problem. Forget the recounts. It will all work out. He is the next president. And in "short order."
He and Cheney go in to lunch. Bush sits at the end of table nearest the windows with Cheney across from him. Laura Bush sits at her husband's left, and Lynne Cheney is across from her. They eat cold squash soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, and fruit. There are crystal glasses filled with water on the table. Bush greets the reporters by name and says, "I'm upbeat." One asks how it feels not knowing what his title will be in a couple of days. "Well, we feel very good about what our title's going to be," Bush says. "I'm looking forward to this being speedily resolved and that the vote that we believe we've got in Florida is confirmed. And when that happens I'll be the president-elect and my friend will be the vice president-elect, and we'll begin the transition. My soup is getting cold. But since it was cold to begin . . . . Thank you all. Everybody go back and get some rest. We will try not to make too much news for you between now and supper."
Missed opportunities? What could each candidate have done to boost his totals, to win more states? No one will ever know, but two theories will have people talking for years: First, did Gore use Clinton wisely? Instead of keeping him at arm's length, should Gore have embraced him, campaigned with him, or at least unleashed him to win his home state of Arkansas? The Gore campaign says no, citing poll numbers and focus groups showing that voters wanted to hear from Gore, not Clinton. And if Clinton was such a hot commodity, the Gore campaign asks, how come Democrats in contested congressional races didn't want anything to do with him? Second, should Bush have picked Tom Ridge, governor of Pennsylvania, as his running mate instead of Dick Cheney? This not only would have ensured Bush that state (which he lost) but, the theory goes, neighboring states as well, plus freeing up Bush to campaign elsewhere. No, the Bush campaign responds, Ridge's pro-abortion-rights stance would have raised the abortion issue and divided Republicans.
While most Americans are watching the eventual outcome with more than a little curiosity, it is important to remember that some Americans are watching events with outrage. Some minority voters clearly feel their votes and voices have been ignored once again: According to a national exit poll by the Los Angeles Times, blacks voted for Gore over Bush by 90 percent to 9, Latinos 61 to 38, and Asians 62 to 37. "Many Gore voters already feel disenfranchised," historian Troy says. "You had Jesse Jackson immediately going down to Florida to say just that. That's why a Bush victory might be more divisive than a Gore victory." On the day after Election Day, Jackson stands in the lobby of a Nashville hotel. He is waiting for a car to take him to the airport so he can fly to Florida. He looks haggard, his face puffy. He speaks in a low voice. "I've never traveled this many miles before, frankly," he says. "It's the most intense I have ever campaigned. I made maybe 250 stops between July and now. Some of the areas we focused on came through for us. There is no question that the black turnout was significant, in some places setting record highs. On Election Day I went to churches to take `souls to the polls,' where we had meetings and then marched to the polls to vote. And everywhere I went I told people: `The stakes are high, the lines are clear, your votes are essential.' "
Today, those votes are still being recounted. But no matter who emerges the winner, in an election where turnout was less than 51 percent, another quotation by Adlai Stevenson is apt: "Your public servants serve you right, indeed, often they serve you better than your apathy and indifference deserve."
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