We’re old enough to remember when the veterans at Fox News used to call news anchor Bret Baier the “chad lad,” as he was the one assigned to cover the recount in Florida as Al Gore looked to people starting at ballots through magnifying glasses looking for hanging chads to find enough votes for him to defeat George W. Bush. If you thought that was bad, we’ve heard that 2020 could be much worse, especially if COVID-19 is used as an excuse to go with universal mail-in voting. They’ve said it could be days or even weeks before the winner is declared.
Now Al Gore is a thing again, as the media turns its attention to the idea that President Trump will refuse to accept an election defeat. The idea has been floated so many times it’s become ridiculous Resistance fan-fiction. CNN has looked into what might happen if Trump didn’t concede. CBS News got the memo and ran a similar piece. With no self-awareness, Hillary Clinton has warned that Trump might not “go quietly,” and the New York Times’ Wajahat Ali “will gladly eat crow” if Trump loses and leaves office voluntarily.
When Al Gore won the popular vote by more than half a million, but lost the Supreme Court vote by 5 to 4, he gracefully conceded the 2000 election to George W. Bush. Would Trump do the same if he loses to Biden?
Gore says he'd have no other choice.https://t.co/KzktwBnl9r
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) August 25, 2020
“Gracefully conceded.”
Gore’s dire warning came during a chat with Reuters Editor in Chief Stephen J. Adler, according to The Daily Beast:
But what if Trump declares the results illegitimate, Adler asked, and demands to stay on as president? Or does Gore believe the former reality star would concede defeat in the same spirit that he did?
“I don’t know,” Bill Clinton’s former vice president—these days a fit-looking, silver-haired 72-year-old mega-millionaire—answered with a mirthless chuckle. “But it’s important to say that it’s really not up to him. I hear people saying, ‘Well, would he accept that decision?’ Well, it doesn’t matter because it’s not up to him. Because at noon on January 20th, if a new president is elected… the police force, the Secret Service, the military, all of the executive branch officers, will respond to the command and the direction of the new president.”
What? “Concede defeat in the same spirit that he did?” Talk about revisionist history.
You forgot to mention he also lost the election.
— Audrey Alex (@aalex2) August 25, 2020
*waves hand like Obi Wan*
Hillary Clinton's loss and refusal to concede in 2016 did not happen
— John Blackout (@WellSetBanana) August 25, 2020
Just look how gracefully #HillaryClinton and #staceyabrams have accepted defeat
— This is true (@Thisist96840494) August 25, 2020
Peddling more baseless conspiracy theories.
Help me understand. Your editor phoned down and said "it's time to gin up some more angst & fear about the election. how about something about Al Gore?"
— August Farmer (@stinsoninc) August 25, 2020
Gore has a proven track record of ginning up angst and fear.
Idiotic post.
— UhOhChongo (@nocanundustan) August 25, 2020
Of course, Joe Biden’s going to win in a landslide so all of this is moot, right? They don’t seem so confident.
Related:
New York Times writer ‘will gladly eat crow’ if Trump loses and leaves office voluntarily https://t.co/bkOWwUyC7w
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) June 12, 2019
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