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Florida election chaos in 2000 as a prelude to 2020
'537 Votes' revisits Florida election chaos in 2000 as a prelude to 2020
The timing of “537 Votes” isn’t subtle, focusing on election chaos and chicanery surrounding the 2000 Florida recount weeks before concerns about a repeat two decades later. The HBO documentary, however, provides a contextual, nuanced view — rooted in the controversy over Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez — while painting a colorful portrait of the ensuing battle, when the Democrats brought the equivalent of a strongly worded letter to a knife fight....
The Republicans, though, not only had that strongly motivated portion of the Cuban-American community on its side, but once the electoral skirmish began, a team of operatives who engaged in bare-knuckled tactics and sound bemused and completely unapologetic reminiscing about them now.
Whoever deserves the credit and/or blame, the primary takeaway from “537 Votes” — aside from presenting Miami as a hotbed of craziness — is that while Gore’s representative, former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, wanted to send the world a broader message about decorum and democracy, Republican steadfastly focused on victory. Toward that end, their efforts to halt the vote counting — including the so-called “Brooks Brothers Riot” — were “run with care and with shrewdness and evil intent, and it worked,” Miami political reporter Michael Putney says....
While some of the details might have faded with memory, “537 Votes” nicely encapsulates the descent of politics into a blood sport where rivals are viewed as enemies, not opponents. Wherever one falls on the political spectrum, reliving the tumult and mayhem of that campaign it’s reasonable to hope the past isn’t prologue, and that what happened in Florida two decades ago doesn’t serve as the extended trailer for 2020.
The timing of “537 Votes” isn’t subtle, focusing on election chaos and chicanery surrounding the 2000 Florida recount weeks before concerns about a repeat two decades later. The HBO documentary, however, provides a contextual, nuanced view — rooted in the controversy over Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez — while painting a colorful portrait of the ensuing battle, when the Democrats brought the equivalent of a strongly worded letter to a knife fight....
The Republicans, though, not only had that strongly motivated portion of the Cuban-American community on its side, but once the electoral skirmish began, a team of operatives who engaged in bare-knuckled tactics and sound bemused and completely unapologetic reminiscing about them now.
Whoever deserves the credit and/or blame, the primary takeaway from “537 Votes” — aside from presenting Miami as a hotbed of craziness — is that while Gore’s representative, former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, wanted to send the world a broader message about decorum and democracy, Republican steadfastly focused on victory. Toward that end, their efforts to halt the vote counting — including the so-called “Brooks Brothers Riot” — were “run with care and with shrewdness and evil intent, and it worked,” Miami political reporter Michael Putney says....
While some of the details might have faded with memory, “537 Votes” nicely encapsulates the descent of politics into a blood sport where rivals are viewed as enemies, not opponents. Wherever one falls on the political spectrum, reliving the tumult and mayhem of that campaign it’s reasonable to hope the past isn’t prologue, and that what happened in Florida two decades ago doesn’t serve as the extended trailer for 2020.
“537 Votes” premieres Oct. 21 at 9 p.m. on HBO.
https://abc17news.com/entertainment/2020/10/21/537-votes-revisits-florida-election-chaos-in-2000-as-a-prelude-to-2020/
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