Al Gore presidential campaign, 2000
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| Al Gore | |
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| 2000 Democratic candidate for President of the United States |
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| Last office | Vice President of the United States 1993–2001 |
Al Gore's presidential campaign, 2000 details Mr. Gore's effort to win the presidency. In the 2000 election, Gore won the national popular vote, but lost the electoral college vote, after a bitter legal battle over disputed vote counts in the state of Florida. George W. Bush won the election on the electoral college vote of 271 to 266 (267 including faithless DC elector). The election was one of the most controversial in American history. [1][2]
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[edit] Campaign and election
Gore's daughter, Karenna Gore Schiff, worked on her father's campaign during the election as Youth Outreach Chair.[3] Together with her father's former Harvard roommate Tommy Lee Jones,[4] Schiff officially nominated Gore as the Democratic presidential candidate during the 2000 Democratic National Convention. [5] She also introduced her father during the launching of his campaign.[6]
[edit] Platform
In his 1988 Presidential campaign, Gore ran as, "a Southern centrist, [who] opposed federal funding for abortion. He favored a moment of silence for prayer in the schools and voted against banning the interstate sale of handguns."[7] Over a decade later, after eight years as Vice President, Gore's policies had changed dramatically for the 2000 campaign. According to an article by PBS, Gore
- promised to appoint pro-choice judges with more liberal leanings. Gore appointees are more likely to support gay rights and maintain a separation between religion and government [...] Gore has vowed to maintain a firm distinction between Church and State, and doesn't focus on religion as a major issue. However, Gore has promoted government partnerships with faith-based groups. His running mate, Senator Joe Lieberman, is an observant Jew and often talks about increasing the role of religion in public life [...] During Gore's eight years as vice president, the Clinton administration appointed 150 homosexuals to government posts. Al Gore says wants to lift the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays in the military, which was supported by President Clinton. Gore has also promised to work toward expanding gay rights, and supports legislation such as the Hate Crime Prevention Act that would broaden the definition of hate crimes to include crimes committed against gay people. [8]
[edit] Florida recount and Bush v. Gore
On election night, news networks first called Florida for Gore, later retracted the projection, and then called Florida for Bush, before finally retracting that projection as well. [9]Florida Secretary of State Republican Katherine Harris eventually certified the Florida count.[10] This led to the Florida election recount, a move to further examine the Florida results. The Florida recount was stopped a few weeks later by the Supreme Court of the United States. In the ruling, Bush v. Gore, the Florida recount was called unconstitutional and that no constitutionally valid recount could be completed by the December 12 deadline, effectively ending the recounts. This 7-2 vote ruled that the standards the Florida Supreme Court provided for a recount as unconstitutional due to violations of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and further ruled 5-4 that no constitutionally valid recount could be completed by the December 12 deadline. This case ordered an end to recounting underway in selected Florida counties, effectively giving George W. Bush a 534 vote victory in Florida and consequently Florida's 25 electoral votes and the Presidency.[11] The results of the decision led to Gore winning the popular vote by approximately 500,000 votes nationwide, but receiving 266(1 DC Elector abstained)electoral votes to Bush's 271 .[12]
Gore strongly disagreed with the Court's decision, but decided "for the sake of our unity as a people and the strength of our democracy, I offer my concession."[13] In the introduction to his global warming presentation, Gore later jokingly introduced himself as "the former next President of the United States".[14] Gore became the fourth candidate in American history to win the popular vote but lose the electoral vote.[15]
[edit] Aftermath
[edit] Theories
There were a number of theories connected to Gore's loss. Gore, according to a 2002 NPR article, attributed it to "the economic downturn and stock market slide that began earlier that year."[16] His running mate, Joe Lieberman, criticized Gore for adopting a populist theme, stating that he had objected to Gore's "people vs. the powerful" message, as he believed that it was not the best strategy for a Democratic win (Lieberman also stated that he would still endorse Gore if he decided to run for the 2004 election).[17] Other critics attributed Gore's loss in part to Green Party candidate Ralph Nader who garnered 2.7 % of the vote, enough of whose votes which they argued might have otherwise gone to Gore to swing the result.[18] [19]
[edit] Television appearances
A few years later, Gore began to make a number of television appearances in which he displayed a willingness to poke fun at himself, such as in episodes of Futurama and Saturday Night Live.[20][21] Some argued that this was evidence that he was "presenting a whole new side of himself" to contradict the perception of a persona "often associated with stiffness and caution." There was further speculation that it was indicative of a 2004 presidential run. [20]
[edit] HBO film
The election is the subject of a 2008 made-for-TV movie directed by Jay Roach, produced by, and starring Kevin Spacey called Recount. It premiered on the HBO cable network on May 25, 2008.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Al Gore. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved on 2007-10-13.
- ^ George W. Bush, et al., Petitioners v. Albert Gore, Jr., et al., 531 U.S. 98 (2000).. Retrieved on 2007-10-13.
- ^ The Daughter Also Rises
- ^ Joe Lieberman, Karenna Gore Schiff Speak to the Democratic National Convention
- ^ Democrats nominate Gore for presidency
- ^ Gore launches presidential campaign
- ^ The first presidential run
- ^ Presidential Candidates Stances on the Issues
- ^ Online NewsHour
- ^ Bush begins transition, urges Gore not to contest
- ^ Supreme Court Collection: Bush v. Gore
- ^ "It's a Mess, But We've Been Through It Before". Time Magazine. Retrieved on September 6, 2006
- ^ VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE DELIVERS REMARKS
- ^ Gore family values
- ^ "For Gore, It's Now or Never". Salon. Retrieved on October 14, 2007.
- ^ Al Gore Takes on Al Gore. National Public Radio. Retrieved on 2007-02-25.
- ^ Nagourney, Adam. "Lieberman Critical of Gore for Moving Campaign Off Center", New York Times, 2002-07-29. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
- ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A45950-2000Nov8?language=
- ^ Moore, Jessica (2004), Ralph Nader: The 2000 Election, Online Newshour, PBS, <http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2004/candidates/can_nader-00elect.html>
- ^ a b Marlantes, Liz (September 19, 2002). A 'new' Al Gore returns: front, not quite center. USA > Politics. Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved on 2007-06-06.
- ^ Al Gore Appears on "SNL". CNN (December 15, 2002). Retrieved on 2008-02-24.
[edit] External links
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