9/15/2004
The Fla. Dept. of Electing George Bush
Most state papers take a dim view of the Fla. Dept. of Elections bizarre handling of the Nader case.
+ Orlando Sentinel: Absentee ballots shouldn't be sent out until the courts decide on Nader. -- Of course, Mrs. Hood says that she ordered Mr. Nader's name reinstated so that supervisors could meet their legally mandated printing deadlines. Her actions, though, smack of partisan politics. If Mr. Nader were a Republican spoiler, would she have done the same?
+ Palm Beach Post: Nader's GOP raiders -- A judge said Ralph Nader shouldn't be on the Florida ballot. The Florida Republican Party Division of Elections says Mr. Nader deserves another day in court.
The office's real name, of course, is simply the Florida Division of Elections. But after the past few weeks, why should Secretary of State Glenda Hood or Gov. Bush who appointed her and to whom she reports bother to keep up the pretense? As usual, Ms. Hood's call on a key issue goes for the GOP.
+ St. Pete Times: Ballot flip-flop -- . . . the messy way in which Hood has now injected herself into yet another partisan presidential fight in Florida only undermines her own authority in that regard.
+ Tallahassee Dem: Stench of politics/Nader dispute worsens state's reputation -- It's obvious that, with embarrassing frequency, we've become a laboratory where partisan political strategies are tested and refined for the national stage. The current Nader controversy is only the latest chapter.
+The exception is the Miami Herald's Nader on/off ballot which says Mr. Nader shouldn't be treated as a pariah but as a political figure who seeks to give some voters an alternative. It doesn't bother with inconvenient issues like Hood's flip-flop, partisanship at the Dept of Elections, the Nader campaign's game-playing with election laws or the way multicandidate races allow politicians to win office without a majority.
+ Orlando Sentinel: Absentee ballots shouldn't be sent out until the courts decide on Nader. -- Of course, Mrs. Hood says that she ordered Mr. Nader's name reinstated so that supervisors could meet their legally mandated printing deadlines. Her actions, though, smack of partisan politics. If Mr. Nader were a Republican spoiler, would she have done the same?
+ Palm Beach Post: Nader's GOP raiders -- A judge said Ralph Nader shouldn't be on the Florida ballot. The Florida Republican Party Division of Elections says Mr. Nader deserves another day in court.
The office's real name, of course, is simply the Florida Division of Elections. But after the past few weeks, why should Secretary of State Glenda Hood or Gov. Bush who appointed her and to whom she reports bother to keep up the pretense? As usual, Ms. Hood's call on a key issue goes for the GOP.
+ St. Pete Times: Ballot flip-flop -- . . . the messy way in which Hood has now injected herself into yet another partisan presidential fight in Florida only undermines her own authority in that regard.
+ Tallahassee Dem: Stench of politics/Nader dispute worsens state's reputation -- It's obvious that, with embarrassing frequency, we've become a laboratory where partisan political strategies are tested and refined for the national stage. The current Nader controversy is only the latest chapter.
+The exception is the Miami Herald's Nader on/off ballot which says Mr. Nader shouldn't be treated as a pariah but as a political figure who seeks to give some voters an alternative. It doesn't bother with inconvenient issues like Hood's flip-flop, partisanship at the Dept of Elections, the Nader campaign's game-playing with election laws or the way multicandidate races allow politicians to win office without a majority.
