Elections Are Consequential

Joe Miller is valiantly fighting to remain out of office.  He took his fight to Federal Court today.  He is suffering from Al Gore Derangement Syndrome.

Al Gore paved the way for people like Joe Miller. Gore lost fair and square in the 2000 Presidential election.  Close race, but he lost.  Instead of taking his licking, he whined.  Once it was clear there were no anomalies in voting, he should have folded up the tent and walked. Instead, he went all the way to the US Supreme Court.

Gore ruined the credibility and good faith that Americans have in the electoral process.

He stamped his feet and used every court procedure available to try and steal the election back from Bush.  Fortunately, he lost.  It was probably fortunate for Gore as well.  He made a billion bucks on the global warming hoax.  He wouldn’t have made that kind of money becoming President.

Gore didn’t follow the example of politicians that preceeded, or followed him.

One of the worst Presidents of our time was Richard Nixon.  When Kennedy beat him in a close race in 1960, he didn’t whine and take Kennedy to court.  He gracefully bowed out.  Nixon might have been able to prove the election was stolen in Chicago or Texas.  But, it would have put the country through an arduous exercise.

In Minnesota, the 2008 election might have been stolen by Al Franken and the Democrats.  Ballot boxes in the trunks of cars!(?)  There were plenty of offenses that caused that election to stink.  But, after a recount and some court proceedings, incumbent Senator Norm Coleman bowed out gracefully.

In my native Illinois, Alexi Giannoulias was very classy at the way he handled defeat to Mark Kirk in a close election.  I don’t agree at all with Alexi’s politics but you have to give him props for the beer summit.

Once Gore set the precedent, we have had more court contested elections than you could shake a stick at. Contesting close elections is now de rigueur.  In Florida, Democratic State Senate Candidate Deborah Gianoulis whined and stamped her feet.  On December 22, she gave up the fight and went away. Does a candidate have to raise enough money now to not only win the election, but win the court fight after the election?

This brings us to Alaska.  Joe Miller beat Murkowski in the Republican primary.  Being that Alaska is a red state, the election should have been a coronation walk for the Republican candidate.  Instead, Murkowski mounted an aggressive write in bid.  Miller screwed it up and closed on the race like the Chicago Cubs close on a pennant. Faded in the stretch.

To be clear, I am not a fan of the Murkowski view on the role of government and politics in society.  She is a free spending elite Republican.  There are those that think she should have pulled an Arlen Spector and returned to Alaska and lived off her generous government pension and benefits. But, she didn’t-and more importantly she got the majority of the Alaska electorate to buy into her campaign.

Going into the election, polls showed Miller beating Murkowski.  Heck, Sarah Palin was in the Miller camp, how could he lose?  Murkowski was going to be one more elite dinosaur savaged by the the Tea Party.  She wasn’t unique.  Mike Castle, Bob Bennet, Spector and 63 House members were in that camp.

But, somehow she won.

Were their ballot irregularities?  Was this a Chicago Machine type stolen election?  No.  Now that the courts have ruled and the votes have been tallied it is over.  There was no hanky panky.  She won.  Time for Joe Miller to go back to being a Fairbanks lawyer.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.  If you lose fairly, even though you can’t believe it yourself it’s time to pack your bags and close up shop.  Move on.  While I don’t agree with Murkowski that much on politics, she gets to represent Alaska.  We get the government we elect.

One suggestion though.  Maybe there should be a line for “None of the Above”, and a rule that if None of the Above wins-none of the existing candidates on the ballot can run again.  That would be a great innovation for the upcoming Chicago mayoral race.

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