Did Bush campaign have an October Surprise in 2000?

[helpisontheway]

If so, what was it and when did they release it? Also, when did Gore release the drunk driving surprise? I heard it was several days prior to the election. Does anyone know how many days prior? Just trying to figure out if Rove will try to spring something on us over the weekend. I wonder if Kerry still has something up his sleeves as a surprise too...

[htuttle]

1. Gore didn't release the Bush DUI story

That was in an independent newspaper in New England, IIRC.

[helpisontheway]

3. Oh?

The way people are always saying it made it seem like Gore did it? I heard someone say the other day that it was Gore's little trick to put the DUI out there at the last minute. Goes to show you shouldn't believe everything you hear in the media. Lesson learned.........

[theorist]

6. Gore ran a pretty clean campaign, if I remember correctly.

As I recall, a reporter interviewing a Midland judge (or former judge) found out that the DUI was on the books. She searched for it, found it, and it just so happened that the story came out a few days before the election.

It was all coincidence, as far as I remember. I don't have time to go back and look up the stuff. I know the original documents are somewhere at thesmokinggun.com.

edit: Sorry, not Midland. See below.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. I don't believe Gore released the Bush drunk driving info

On what basis do you make that assertion? Evidence? Link?

[helpisontheway]

4. I heard someone accuse

Gore of it on tv the other day. I don't remember what show. I thought it must have been his October surprise. I guess he did not have one afterall..

[NewYorkerfromMass]

5. It broke the Thursday or Friday of the final weekend

and it is unprovable if Chris Lehane helped do it or that Maine guy in Portland "remembered" all on his own.

[jtb33]

7. I don't recall any "October Suprises" in the 2000 election...

...from either candidate/party.

[AntiCoup2K4]

8. They didn't need an October Surprise

They had the Florida Fraud already taken care of. And they were even sort of upfront about it. Jeb guaranteed he would deliver the state to his idiot brother.

[zbdent]

9. USS Cole?

Oh, wait, that was four years early . . . test run for "influencing the outcome of the elections"!