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Twenty-three years in the past, November 2000, the liberal media unleashed their full fury on Florida’s Secretary of State, Katherine Harris, for following the election legal guidelines of her state in addition to numerous courtroom rulings to certify George W. Bush because the winner of her state’s electoral votes within the disputed 2000 presidential election. In the course of the recount drama, the nationwide media pushed a two-track technique: try to bully Harris into utilizing her workplace to help Democratic nominee Al Gore; or, failing that, to discredit her as a mere partisan serving to a fellow Republican block a full accounting of Florida’s votes.
On election evening (November 7), all three broadcast networks had declared Bush the winner, solely to retract their declaration when it turned clear that the vote margin in Florida was barely 500 votes — a minuscule quantity in a state which solid greater than 5.8 million ballots.
The Gore marketing campaign requested for recounts in simply 4 heavily-Democratic counties, hoping to salvage sufficient further votes to place themselves excessive. As each side went to courtroom, the authorized deadline for county election officers to submit their ultimate tallies — November 14, 2000 — neared. The Gore marketing campaign might proceed their courtroom challenges after certification, however didn’t need their candidate to be seen as a sore loser combating in opposition to official outcomes.
So the nationwide media went to work attempting to push Harris to delay certification for so long as attainable. “One of many key questions this morning, is the Florida Secretary of State completely wedded to that deadline of 5pm tomorrow?” ABC’s Diane Sawyer puzzled on the November 13 Good Morning America.
“Democrats say if she does cease the vote depend tomorrow, the nation will at all times marvel about her motives,” correspondent Linda Douglass relayed that night on World Information Tonight.
However over on the NBC Nightly Information that very same day, correspondent David Bloom truly learn the pertinent legislation to viewers: “If the county returns aren’t acquired by the Division by 5pm on the seventh day following an election, all lacking counties shall be ignored, and the outcomes on file shall be licensed.” So Harris was studying the legislation precisely proper.
“Do you assume, and to make use of a quite crude time period, that her determination doesn’t go the scent check?” NBC’s Matt Lauer teed up a high Gore marketing campaign official, William Daley, the following morning (November 14) on As we speak. Over on ABC, Diane Sawyer pressed Republican Senator Bob Dole if Harris’s determination “on its face, seems unfair.”
The Florida Supreme Courtroom (dominated by Democrats) pushed the deadline to November 26, to offer counties extra time to execute their recounts. The media stored up their marketing campaign to color Harris as a villain. “What do you say to Floridians who now consider that they’ve been left with no voice on this election due to Ms. Harris’s determination,” CBS’s Jane Clayson argued on the November 16 Early Present.
Over the weekend, media pundits had their flip. “She’s a partisan participant and happy with it,” Newsweek’s Eleanor Clift proclaimed on the McLaughlin Group.
“She marketing campaign for him [George W. Bush], she was his co-chairman in Florida, she expects an ambassadorship, lots of people assume, or she desires to run for Senate. Clearly she’s a partisan,” Time’s Jack White agreed on Inside Washington.
Within the November 18 Washington Put up, “Fashion” columnist Robin Givhan launched an advert hominem assault at Harris’s make-up: “At this second that so desperately wants diplomacy, understatement and calm, one wonders how this Republican lady, who can’t even use restraint when shes wielding a mascara wand, will handle to make use of it and make sound choices on this sport of partisan one-upmanship.”
Writing in Time journal (November 27 cowl date), Margaret Carlson slashed: “The one one who seems like a personality from one of many extra traditional cable dramas is Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris, a Bush marketing campaign co-chairwoman who combined the pious certitude of Linda Tripp with the hauteur of a Dynasty protagonist….Till the Florida Supreme Courtroom enjoined her from certifying the vote, Harris, usually in comparison with Cruella de Vil, snatching ballots quite than puppies, was briefly essentially the most highly effective lady on the planet.”
In a twist, future MSNBC anchor Lawrence O’Donnell rode to Harris’s protection. “She’s been following the legislation very fastidiously and scrupulously,” he introduced on the McLaughlin Group. “It’s unattainable to discover a politician in America who doesn’t help both Al Gore or George W. Bush. They’ll’t all vacate their places of work.”
On November 26, the brand new deadline set by the Florida Supreme Courtroom, Bush nonetheless led within the tally, so Harris fulfilled her obligation and licensed the outcomes. In a CBS Information Particular Report that evening, anchor Dan Somewhat went to preposterous lengths to insist the certification was solely as Harris “sees it” and “decrees it:”
“Nineteen days after the presidential election, Florida’s Republican Secretary of State is about to announce the winner — as she sees it and he or she decrees it — of the state’s doubtlessly decisive 25 electoral votes. Katherine Harris will formally certify the state’s election returns….The believed certification — because the Republican Secretary of State sees it — is coming simply hours after a court-ordered deadline for counties to submit their hand depend and recount totals.”
Whereas that was the start of the top for Gore’s problem, the 2 campaigns slugged it out in courtroom for one more two weeks earlier than the U.S. Supreme Courtroom lastly dominated in opposition to additional recounts. Late evening hosts, nevertheless, continued to take nasty potshots at Harris.
Then-ABC host Invoice Maher on November 30 was the nastiest: “Earlier right now, a rental truck carried a half one million ballots from Palm Seaside to the Florida Supreme Courtroom there in Tallahassee. CNN had reside helicopter protection from the truck making its means up the Florida freeway, and for a number of transient moments, America held the hope that O. J. Simpson had murdered Katherine Harris.”
For liberals who condemned Harris for someway abusing her workplace (by merely following the principles!), a media recount in 2001 was a shock of chilly water. “The primary main, impartial assessment of the Florida vote has discovered that President Bush would have gained by an excellent better margin if the Supreme Courtroom had not stopped the recount,” ABC’s Peter Jennings advised his viewers on April 4, 2001.
However the ultimate phrase went to Harris, a visitor of honor on the Media Analysis Middle’s 2002 “DisHonor Awards.” Harris accepted the “Sore Losers Award” on behalf of CBS’s Somewhat and his November 26, 2000 “sees it and decrees it” absurdity.
“A few of you could know me solely as Cruella de Vil,” Harris advised a whole bunch of MRC supporters on January 17, 2002, “or the partisan hack, or even perhaps the lackey of the Bush brothers who single-handedly ‘stole’ the election by taking the rigid, unfair, outrageous place that the rule of legislation truly mattered: that the legislation mentioned what it mentioned, and never what Dan Somewhat deemed it, or wished it to say.”
Right here’s video of your complete presentation with Harris’s full remarks, as launched by conservative columnist David Limbaugh:
For extra examples from our flashback collection, which we name the NewsBusters Time Machine, go right here.
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