A thought hit me considering that Gore won the popular vote… Could Jeb had put extreme pressure on the Delegates(?) that go to the Electoral College to “sway” their decision on how to vote? Just a wild thought crossing my mind bright and early this morning…
I expect I’ll catch some heat for asking this one… :rolleyes:
No.
But in an indirect sense…
Maybe.
But no.
The slate of electors that comes from each state is selected based on who wins the state. The electors that ended up voting Florida’s electoral votes were rabidly partisan GOPers, because the determination was that George W Bush won the state. Had Gore won the state, a different set of electors would have been selected.
So Jeb didn’t need to pressure the electors.
Whether he exerted any pressure to influence the outcome that led to the GOP electors being chosen is a matter of some debate. I would say no, but I recognize that others may disagree.
I’ve known An Actual Elector, a Democrat active in her party and an all-around sweet and savvy lady. In the 1988 election, there wasn’t room for me to be invited to the ceremony, so she showed me the script.
Yep. The script. It’s sort of like what would happen if Gilbert and Sullivan had written ‘1776’–“I am delighted to cast my vote the distinguished Guy X, and do hereby affirm that my vote for Guy X represents the will of my electorate in the Old Sussex District” or whatever.
I forget if she was sworn to vote the party line, I think she was, but she wouldn’t have been there if the Repubs had won at all, and if she was one she wouldn’t have cared what the Governor said.
Some states bind electors to vote for the candidate that recieces the majority vote in that state. According to this site Florida is not one of those states, although its electors are pledged to the party of the winner:
[sub]2000 election and Jeb Bush[/sub]
Wrong year, Dude. Jeb will be pressuring electors in 2008, when he’s getting ready to succeed brother George.
No. The Florida Democratic Party would have selected electors had SCOTUS not stopped the recount, and presumably they would have been immune to pressure from Jeb.
While he has many grievous flaws, and isn’t half the governor Lawton Chiles was (may he rest in peace), he didn’t do anything himself to influence the election.
He recused himself and left the decisions which needed to be made to Kathleen Harris, the Secretary of State. Admittedly, he is her boss, and she ain’t exactly pure as the driven snow.