# Supreme Court Ruling: Take the handcounts! **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 22, 2000, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-ruling-take-the-handcounts/42228 "2000-11-22T02:51:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Sterra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Sterra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterra)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-ruling-take-the-handcounts/42228/101 "2000-11-24T07:01:13Z")
Definately:) Stoid though you know most people can find good stuff about hitler, but you can’t find good stuff about Bush?🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-ruling-take-the-handcounts/42228/102 "2000-11-24T07:54:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Asmodean \* > \*\* > > Stoid though you know most people can find good stuff about hitler, but you can’t find good stuff about Bush?🙂 \*\* Good stuff about Hitler? You mean like the fact that he liked children and animals? Supposedly… As for Bush…no, I cannot say there is anything about him which _I_ find positive, good, pleasing, what have you. I know that many people find him folksy, accessible, pleasing in personality, but I am not among them. He gives me the willies because I don’t believe a thing about him, which makes his “folksiness” even more repugnant. I definitely do not like his policies or ideas for governing. I do not like his appearance, his voice… nothing. There is nothing about him that I like, respect, admire, relate to or agree with. Zip. I heard a wonderful interview with Harry Shearer on MSNBC tonight about all this (I adore Harry Shearer… I don’t know how many of you are lucky enough to hear Le Show, his radio show. Wonderful.) and he made a brilliant observation. We were all (mostly) completely bored with this election prior to actual voting. The campaign was a gigantic yawn. Why? Because it was completely manufactured, by both sides. Both sides “focus grouped”’ it, to use his amusing term, to the nth degree. So it was dull, it had no life, it was dishonest and ungenuine. Then…the ELECTION…and suddenly, as ugly as it is, it’s REAL. Suddenly, it’s interesting because it is Survivor, Presidential Edition, and we are riveted. As Shearer put it, we are watching these two ultra-manufactured and uber-groomed politicians doing the political and legal equivalent of rolling around in the mud, and THAT is interesting. He’s absolutely right, too. Stoid ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-ruling-take-the-handcounts/42228/103 "2000-11-24T16:00:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MysterEcks \* > **The networks (I’ll be damned if I think my television had anything to do with it) “gave” Florida to _Gore_ while the polls were still open in the Central Time portion of the Panhandle.** It’s true that they called while the Panhandle polls were still open. However, they were open for only **ten** more minutes (it was called at 6:50 PM CST, according to [CNN.com](http://CNN.com)). It could not have had much influence on the Florida Panhandle vote. What effect it had on the polls in states in Mountain and Pacific Times, cannot say. (Hawaii’s polls closed at 6PM local time, which is 11PM EST; most of the polls in Alaska closed at Midnight EST. Again, this is according to [http://www.cnn.com](http://www.cnn.com).) ---
**Author:** ![MysterEcks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@MysterEcks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysterEcks)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-ruling-take-the-handcounts/42228/104 "2000-11-24T23:36:54Z")
**jab1** said: > [@](#): > > It’s true that they called while the Panhandle polls were still open. However, they were open for only ten more minutes (it was called at 6:50 PM CST, according to [CNN.com](http://CNN.com)). It could not have had much influence on the Florida Panhandle vote. Perhaps not, though a measly 1000 votes would have doubled Bush’s lead. My point, however, wasn’t that; it was to reply to the ridiculous assertion that the networks “gave” Florida to Bush because of some nefarious influence. And now the US Supremes have granted cert to hear Bush’s appeal of the Florida Supremes’ decision to allow handcounts until Sunday. Watch the Democrats, who prefer federal power unless it suits their agendas not to, bitch and moan about it. Watch the Republicans, who prefer state power unless it suits their agendas not to, defend it. And, in the center ring, a man will eat a live chicken. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2000, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-ruling-take-the-handcounts/42228/105 "2000-11-25T01:02:45Z")
Well, well, well. The U.S. Supreme Court elected to hear this case. I’m amazed. However, I think it’s a good thing because at least THIS particular issue will be resolved. Any bets on what they’ll say? I’m thinking it’ll be that it’s a state issue and each county should decide whether a handcount is necessary. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-ruling-take-the-handcounts/42228.md?page=5)