The UCSD Guardian is published twice a week at the University of California, San Diego. Contents (c)2000. Views expressed herein represent the majority vote of the editorial board, and are not necessarily those of the UC Board of Regents, the ASUCSD, nor the entire Guardian staff.
Vincent Gragnani, Editor in Chief
Bill Burger Managing Editors
Jeffrey White, Copy Editor
Tom Vu, Opinion Editor
Lauren I. Coartney, News Editor
Robert Fulton, Sports Editor
David Pilz, Photo Editor
With the announcement of the certified vote in Florida on Sunday afternoon, Texas Gov. George W. Bush has been unofficially named the president-elect of the United States. This, however, has not stopped Vice President Al Gore from contesting the results of the election on several counts in an attempt to have the decision turned in his favor. The Guardian believes that it would be in the best interest of the Democratic Party if Gore conceded the election now and looked toward the 2004 election.
Was Gore cheated? Possibly. Did more people vote for him than Bush? Definitely. Does he, by all rights, deserve to be the next president of the United States? Perhaps. Despite all this, it would be better for Gore’s party if he conceded now.
First of all, by conceding, Gore would make the Democrats appear that they have the best interests of the presidency and the country in mind. This would plant a seed in the minds of voters that the Democratic Party is attempting to do away with partisan politics, a problem against which the population claims to be rebelling. With this thought entrenched in their minds, the voters would be much more likely to elect a Democratic president in four years.
Second, winning this election is not much of a prize anymore. Whoever does win will be labeled a phony or counterfeit president and will likely not be given the support and power that the office normally earns. After four years of a weak Republican president, the nation will likely vote in a Democrat next election, whereas if Gore did happen to win, he would stifle the candidacies of many qualified Democrats in 2004 and almost ensure that the next president is Republican. At this point, it is almost certain that Democrats like Hillary Clinton and Dick Gephardt are holding out for a Gore concession.
A Gore loss would also put Joseph Lieberman back in the Congress for six more years as a senator from Connecticut. In a Senate that will most likely be split 50-50, the loss of Lieberman to the vice presidency could be catastrophic for the Senate Democrats by giving the Republicans the slight majority.
Gore may have something to gain by contesting the results in Florida, but the Guardian feels he would be better serving his party if he simply conceded the race and cut his losses. This election is obviously a very disappointing one for the Democratic Party, one that they felt they should win because of the strength of the economy and President Bill Clinton’s two-term legacy. Despite how much it will hurt to lose the election, it is better to forfeit it now then to go on contesting it and further alienate the American people.
