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Hopefully, my choice for today will not jinx anything election-wise. :P But I thought it was worth looking - today of all days - at the nightmare that was Election 2000 to highlight how important, how complicated, and how precarious is what America does today.
Recount
I don’t know that I’ve ever been so angry and frustrated as I was in that time between Election Day and the end of December in 2000, and this film just brings it all back. In all of the TV news watching I learned more than I ever wanted to know about the ins and outs of vote counting, but Recount gives an even more in-depth look (not to mention a fairly brutal portrayal of Katherine Harris).
I’m sure I don’t need to remind everyone of the “story” here, but the film starts on Election Day and follows Ron Klain. Klain was Gore’s Chief of Staff when he was Vice President, and when tensions broke out between Clinton loyalists and Gore Loyalists, Klain found himself out of a job. He was brought back to work on the campaign and was made General Counsel of the Recount committee.
This is a very infuriating film to watch when you’re a Democrat who remembers the sting of the 2000 Election. And it’s incredibly nervous-making to realize how many people – many with their own agendas – have their hands on the votes people will cast today (and have been casting where early voting is available). We’ve already seen instances of voter registrations purged and such. There have been loads of unfair things to happen already with this voting process, and there will be yet more today. And as mad as it makes me, I have to just get over it. Because it’s the only system we’ve got.
Recount
I don’t know that I’ve ever been so angry and frustrated as I was in that time between Election Day and the end of December in 2000, and this film just brings it all back. In all of the TV news watching I learned more than I ever wanted to know about the ins and outs of vote counting, but Recount gives an even more in-depth look (not to mention a fairly brutal portrayal of Katherine Harris).
I’m sure I don’t need to remind everyone of the “story” here, but the film starts on Election Day and follows Ron Klain. Klain was Gore’s Chief of Staff when he was Vice President, and when tensions broke out between Clinton loyalists and Gore Loyalists, Klain found himself out of a job. He was brought back to work on the campaign and was made General Counsel of the Recount committee.
This is a very infuriating film to watch when you’re a Democrat who remembers the sting of the 2000 Election. And it’s incredibly nervous-making to realize how many people – many with their own agendas – have their hands on the votes people will cast today (and have been casting where early voting is available). We’ve already seen instances of voter registrations purged and such. There have been loads of unfair things to happen already with this voting process, and there will be yet more today. And as mad as it makes me, I have to just get over it. Because it’s the only system we’ve got.