George W. Bush Wins US Presidency by Default

FTLComm - Tisdale - December 13, 2000

Last night the fractured United States Supreme court ruled that the Florida supreme court had erred unconstitutionally in permitting a manual recount based on the lack of firm, statewide standards for such a count to take place. Their complex ruling remanded the Florida decision back to them and then went on in its verdict to indicate that no time was left for such a proper recount. The result of this ruling is essentially to make George W. Bush the next US president even though it is clear that with so many confusing ballot issues in Florida he was not elected but becomes the president by default. We Canadians have viewed this election with intense interest because it mirrors our own political situation. The American election put two very similar candidates against one another and because of their two party system votes had to chose between what seemed like little choice. A large number of voters (by American standards, where voter turn out is only a bit above 50%) voted for third party candidates and the result was a sort of draw with even the courts split on party lines and ruling along party lines. When the two candidates talked with one another on the phone election night Governor Bush pointed out that with his brother as Florida state government he had it in the bag. As mentioned this is similar to the Canadian situation, not because we had similar candidates but because the voters wishes really meant nothing in the outcome. The majority of American voters who went to vote voted for the Vice President yet the other guy wins. In Canada the only voters who matter are those people living in that Ontario Quebec region as they have and will continue to decide who runs the country, the election is just for show. But the US election is over, at last and perhaps stability will return to the stock and commodities markets. Stability will not come to the political scene as this will result in four very long years of nastiness. The sort of taunting will not be the rib jabs of Jay Leno and David Letterman who poke fun at their president's appetites be that for food or women, but this taunting will be nasty and down right ugly. In a quick tour of some of the web sites some flavour of what to expect can be found and in the list below you can have a look at the ugly political issues of the next few years with a president who lacks any legitimate or popularity founded on a majority support.

US Bush sites

http://www.gwbush.com/ a humourous and less than charitable look at America's new president http://www.policast.com/ a sample of the light way some are taking the results http://www.sonofbush.com/ more than a little bitterness showing on this site http://www.georgebush2000.com/ and this is just the beginning, anti-Bush stuff will top anything we have ever seen http://www.georgewbush.com/Issues.asp The official campaign web site with all the promises http://www.governor.state.tx.us/Governor/index.html you might find his official Texas biolgraphy interesting