WP: In a Changed Florida, The Acrimony Remains

[kskiska]

Monday, November 1, 2004; Page A01

MIAMI, Oct. 31 -- Four years of fermenting political acrimony is funneling into the final hours of a campaign for Florida's crucial electoral votes awash in brawls over lost absentee ballots and accusations about plots to disenfranchise black voters.

The emotional residue of Florida's pivotal role in the 2000 presidential election morass shaped the race here from the beginning and shows no signs of waning -- a big billboard in the vital swing city of Tampa declared, "Last election, the Supreme Court decided. This time, you decide." Not far away, Kelly Given, a supporter of President Bush, lined up at an early-voting precinct and said, "Last election opened a Pandora's box we'll never be able to close."

Yet, for all the obvious comparisons to the days of recounts and dimpled chads, the Florida of 2004 is a very different place from the Florida of 2000, even as polls show the presidential race as close as it was four years ago. The punch cards and the butterfly ballots are gone, replaced in 15 counties by touch-screen voting machines, whose reliability has been questioned by voter advocates. There are 1.5 million new voters, huge crowds outside the state's first presidential election early-voting locations and far higher percentages of Hispanics who are not Cuban Americans.

"Florida is now the most complex state in America," said Simon Rosenberg, president of the Washington-based New Democrat Network, which is running ads targeting Hispanic voters in Florida. "It is the hardest state to poll."

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14489-2004Oct31.html

[Democat]

1. Nothing really changes in Florida until Jeb is gone!

We learned the lesson that we are going to have to fight harder, but until Jeb is gone, Florida's government will be crooked and right wing!

[KoKo]

2. What pisses me off is that they always say only "Black Voters" still

care about what happened in Florida. It's like no one marched against Iraq Invasion and No One thinks 9/11 wasn't just a mad man who attacked America.

There's plenty of anger about what happened in FLA all over America, but the politicians of both sides want to sweep it under the rug and blame it on "Black Voters" just like if Kerry doesn't win or does win...it's because of the "Black Vote."

It's disgusting what goes on in this Whore Media... I almost can't read stuff like this even from newspapers...ugh.

Voters being disenfranchised IS WRONG! And it affects everyone...and minorities more...but it's all our jobs to fight for the disenfranchised.

Hell' half of America under Bush is Disenfranchised...

[quaker bill]

6. It was not the black voters who were the threat

The skirmish I saw yesterday was white on white. The angry nnti-bush folks were nearly all middle class white males. The black folks just quitely maintained their place in line to vote.

[goforit]

3. NEVER FORGET!!!!!!! Florida and all the other 49!!!!

This quote says it all:

"...Kelly Given, a supporter of President Bush, lined up at an early-voting precinct and said, "Last election opened a Pandora's box we'll never be able to close....."-WP

And y'all Repugs were the ones that created this mess!!!

SO BE IT!!!!

[r_u_stuck2]

4. No, I will not get over it.

I live in Florida.

[quaker bill]

5. The folks on line to vote yesterday had not forgotten

They waited 3 or 4 hours.

It very nearly became quite ugly when the Bushies showed up to pass out literature. There were calls like "Hey jackass, you want to challenge my right to vote?" The Bushies quickly retreated.

Pandora's box indeed.

My hope is that any repug challengers who show up Tuesday get to run away quickly, before their dismemberment.