Scrivener.net

Monday, August 22, 2005


Paul Krugman, inexcusably tardy with the news...

In his latest column Prof. K breathlessly reports...
...the simple truth: "Al Gore won the 2000 presidential election."

Two different news media consortiums reviewed Florida's ballots; both found that a full manual recount would have given the election to Mr. Gore.
But, gee, if two major media consortiums found that back then, why does Prof K wait until 2005 to report it? Unforgivable! (Next he'll be reporting that Judge Crater is missing!)

Unless he has some excuse ... such as his being misled by the NY Times' own consortium finding...
ABSTRACT - Comprehensive review of uncounted Florida ballots from 2000 presidential election, conducted by consortium of eight news organizations and professional statisticians, indicates George W Bush would have won election even if US Supreme Court allowed statewide manual recount of votes ordered by state Supreme Court; finds, contrary to allegations by partisans of Vice Pres Al Gore, that Supreme Court did not award election to Bush;... [etc.]
(Overkill: Kaus stretches to defend Krugman, Richard Bennett shows Kaus didn't stretch far enough -- but then, the elastic man in the circus couldn't stretch far enough.)

Here's a prediction: As long as the Democrats keep obsessing over how they "really won" in 2000, the Republicans will continue to steal elections ever more brazenly by ever larger margins ... 2002 ... 2004 ...

So Karl Rove is hoping you stay right on message there, Paul.

And as an extra mental exercise, imagine what Ted Kennedy would be doing for a living today if the dead hadn't risen in record-breaking numbers to vote Democratic in Cook County in 1960.