Vote recount is smokescreen by media for their screwup

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I think it is important for the general public to sit back and look at this whole revoting issue. The big crime here is not really the ballots or how they were counted, etc. It is that the news media controlled the outcome of the election by publishing false results. This is egregious and most likely affected the final outcome of the election. Of course, they want to downplay their major mistake so they are hyping this voter ballot issue instead. I think the media should be held accountable. In future years they should be prohibited from publishing any results until all polls are closed. Ideally, I think all voting should be held on Saturdays so everyone is more able to get to the polling places. Additionally, the polls should be all open and closed at the exact same times throughout the country. In other words, the east coast opens at 10 a.m. EDT while the west coast is opening at 7 a.m. PDT. Then the east coast closes at 9 p.m. EDT while the west coast closes at 6 p.m. PDT. This way every poll closes at the same time and then the media cannot publish projections while some people are still voting. We need to focus more on this issue and ensure that next election there is no opportunity for the media to affect the outcome. The media should be held accountable. They invented the news, they did not report it. I think all three major networks and CNN should have major fines levied at them for misrepresenting the news. I hope this was a lesson to the general public that you cannot trust the news media. They make up the news all of the time and we believe them. That is why I don't watch the news.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), November 13, 2000

Answers

Well said.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), November 13, 2000.

You're right, nobody should know how the vote is going until it's over, including absentee ballots. Those ballots should be received and counted the same time as the other ballots. How would you feel if you were one of those absentee voters whose ballots won't be tallied until several days AFTER the election is all over?

-- ruth in s.e.IL (bobtravous@email.com), November 13, 2000.

Agreed, Collen,

The polls should close together thoughout the continental U.S. Not sure what to do about Alaska and Hawaii. Maybe they should vote first, the day before the rest of the country with their votes sealed, or untabulated until after election day. . The FCC has a powerful weapon with their broadcast licenses that radio and TV are required to renew each year. Impose a fine or, at worst, yank the license of a station that jumps the gun on election night? . Unfortunately, there still remains a brand new problem. WHAT ABOUT THE INTERNET? No one controls it. No one licenses it, No one owns it. No one can shut it down because it is world wide. There are several hundred foreign journalists that are in this country every four years to cover the presidential election. What about them? .

But, in my humble opinion, this rankerous debate is exactly what this country needs. To many assumptions and too much complacency over the years. Now the world gets to watch the U.S. work out their election process problems WITHOUT tanks attacking the presidential palace! Or blowing up the golf courses in Palm Beach :) .

Maybe Dan Rather will do us all a favor and retire! .

(:raig

-- Craig Miller (CMiller@ssd.com), November 13, 2000.


I'm not sure what the time difference is to Hawaii, but Alaska is only four hours off from the East Coast, so it shouldn't really be a problem to coordinate the voting hours there. I think it would be good if the absentee ballots had to be IN by election day. Our votes wouldn't count if we went to the polling place the day after the election, and if someone who is away from home wants to vote via absentee ballot, they ought to care enough to mail the ballot in a timely fashion so it gets there on time. I see the news media talking about, is it time to get rid of the electoral college -- we've already had a discussion of this here, and I think most of us realize that getting rid of the electoral college would mean less representation for rural states. So I'm wondering if this is part of the liberal agenda? To let the Sierra Clubbers (my word for greenies, etc.) determine the fate of our countryside? (In otherwords, the urban nature-worshippers.)

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), November 13, 2000.

Your politicans make the newes, who then leak it to the media, who then brain wash you into believing. Same thing goes on in our schools. You can only know what you are learned.

-- hillbilly (internethillbilly@hotmail.com), November 13, 2000.


Well said Hillbilly. Just another good reason to homeschool.

-- Bob Wick (bjwick@hotmail.com), November 13, 2000.

Don't be so sure that the politicians are totally controlling the media. The media is big business and they are not going to do what a politician says without their being bigtime bucks in it for them. They are a lot smarter than most politicians, rest assured. They will hide behind the politicians so they don't look bad but they are very aware of every decision they make.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), November 14, 2000.

Colleen, I thought at first you wrote "....look at this whole revolting issue". Then I realized you wrote REVOTING. I think it was more appropo saying it revolting. But seriously, I am more upset at having the worst (oh- I mean first) lady as my senator. It disgusts me that NYers are that stupid. Now I am stuck with her too. And we may all be if she runs in 2004.

-- evelyn b (peontoo@yahoo.com), November 14, 2000.

One of the things that bothers me about florida and it is no wonder that we are not hearing from the newsmedia. If you remember the networks called florida for gore at 7pm eastern time but most of the panhandle is in central so many in the panhandle which is more republican in all likely hood did not vote as they felt that it was useless. This is back to why the networks had supposedly agreed not to call an election until the polls had closed where they were calling the election. Just wonder in this close election how many more votes would shrub have got if they had not called florida an hour before the polls closed in the florida panhandle. As another thought what does the Bible say in regards to a jewish vp that becomes pres would that help along some of the end time prophecy? gail

-- gail missouri ozarks (gef123@hotmail.com), November 15, 2000.

Gail, you're exactly right about the media calling Florida before the polls closed in the panhandle of the state. I have some friends who work for the Tallahassee (or however you spell it) and they said exactly what you said. I just wonder what was behind it. One Bush spokesman suggested that someone with the al gore organized crime group was behind it some way.

-- Shooter (jcole@apha.com), November 15, 2000.


That's Tallahassee newspaper....

Last night on ABC Dick Cheney said they estimate 10,000 people in the conservative panhandle area of Florida didn't vote because the networks called the state for al gore before the polls closed. On the same show that idiot interviewing Cheney started a question with, "If by the wildest stretch of the imigination you win this election...".

-- Shooter (jcole@apha.com), November 17, 2000.


Evelyn, you probably are right, I just misspelled it. By the way the Office of Personnel Management, the federal agency that deals with personnel issues in all federal agencies, has decided that we are going to lose two federal holidays next year, Halloween and Thanksgiving. This is because the witch is moving to New York and she is taking the turkey with her. (Just a joke, folks)

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), November 17, 2000.

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