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SamuelAdams

(398 posts)
Thu Jul 2, 2026, 10:51 AM 5 hrs ago

Remember when the Supreme Court stole an election?

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Remember when the Supreme Court stole an election?

Find Out Media
Executive Dysfunction

Welcome to Season 1, Episode 1 of Executive Dysfunction: a deep dive into the presidential election of 2000, in which a butterfly ballot, a discriminatory voter purge, a staged riot by dorks in khaki, and a Supreme Court ruling that its own authors said should never be used as precedent combined to hand the presidency to George W. Bush... by 537 votes in Florida. Oh, and did we mention his brother was Governor?

00:00 – Welcome to Executive Dysfunction
00:47 – Why the 2000 Election Matters
01:19 – Meet Al Gore vs. George W. Bush
05:31 – Why Florida Decided Everything
06:14 – Elian Gonzalez & The "Punishment Vote"
08:10 – Florida's Voter Purge Scandal
10:41 – Katherine Harris and Conflicts of Interest
12:02 – Election Night Chaos
13:38 – The Recount Begins
14:50 – The Butterfly Ballot Disaster
16:44 – Hanging Chads & The Failed Recount
18:01 – Jeb Bush's Team Joins the Fight
18:38 – The Brooks Brothers Riot
20:00 – The Supreme Court Stops the Recount
21:13 – The Justices Behind Bush v. Gore
22:48 – What Happened After the Election?
24:27 – Did Al Gore Actually Win?
25:38 – The Lasting Lessons of 2000
27:12 – Al Gore's Concession Speech
29:23 – Final Thoughts & Next Episode Preview
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Welcome to Executive Dysfunction
0:00


Why the 2000 Election Matters
0:47


Meet Al Gore vs. George W. Bush
1:19


Why Florida Decided Everything
5:31

Elian Gonzalez & The "Punishment Vote"
6:14

Florida's Voter Purge Scandal
8:10

Katherine Harris and Conflicts of Interest
10:41

Election Night Chaos
12:02

The Recount Begins
13:38

The Butterfly Ballot Disaster
14:50

Hanging Chads & The Failed Recount
16:44

Jeb Bush's Team Joins the Fight
18:01

The Brooks Brothers Riot
18:38

The Supreme Court Stops the Recount
20:00

The Justices Behind Bush v. Gore
21:13

What Happened After the Election?
22:48

Did Al Gore Actually Win?
24:27

The Lasting Lessons of 2000
25:38

Al Gore's Concession Speech
27:12

Final Thoughts & Next Episode Preview
29:23

17 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Remember when the Supreme Court stole an election? (Original Post) SamuelAdams 5 hrs ago OP
12/12/2000 - the day journalism died 31st Street Bridge 4 hrs ago #1
Those that objected were shouted down MustLoveBeagles 3 hrs ago #6
That was even Al Gore's response orthoclad 1 hr ago #15
They stopped counting to protect Bush's "win" crud 4 hrs ago #2
The intent of the voter was the law in Florida in 2000 DemocracyForever 3 hrs ago #3
I was headed to Florida for the recount when this decision came down LetMyPeopleVote 3 hrs ago #4
Thank you MustLoveBeagles 3 hrs ago #5
Unfortunately Pas-de-Calais 3 hrs ago #7
In Exquisite Detail, OP. ColoringFool 2 hrs ago #8
I still remember but, I've put it all behind me.... chouchou 2 hrs ago #9
I can remember seeing Jeb Bush's name listed as the realtor on a piece of rural South Florida farm property. NBachers 2 hrs ago #10
Yes, the Court should have been reformed at that time... kentuck 2 hrs ago #11
Sandra Day O'Connor's shameful legacy Easterncedar 2 hrs ago #12
Gore offered Bush a statewide count DemocracyForever 2 hrs ago #13
Yes indeed Deminpenn 1 hr ago #14
and the court also said that the verdict was basically a special one time thing so that it could be used against them in Jbraybarten 59 min ago #16
They rioted to stop the count. orthoclad 58 min ago #17

31st Street Bridge

(268 posts)
1. 12/12/2000 - the day journalism died
Thu Jul 2, 2026, 11:29 AM
4 hrs ago

After SCOTUS illegally stopped a state-mandated vote recount and installed GW Bush as president,
the national media's response was ...
"Let's just move on."

orthoclad

(5,280 posts)
15. That was even Al Gore's response
Thu Jul 2, 2026, 03:06 PM
1 hr ago

for the good of the country or similar response.

Backing down to bullies just makes them worse.

crud

(1,332 posts)
2. They stopped counting to protect Bush's "win"
Thu Jul 2, 2026, 11:53 AM
4 hrs ago

Up until then the courts always decided that the "will of the voter" took precedence over all other considerations.

Republicans want to protect elections from voters instead of for voters.

DemocracyForever

(358 posts)
3. The intent of the voter was the law in Florida in 2000
Thu Jul 2, 2026, 12:37 PM
3 hrs ago

It was not followed. In addition, 10,000 absentee ballots that the counting machines could not read that were located in the most heavily republican voting counties were hand duplicated and counted as Florida election law in 2000 allowed. These ballots favored Bush by more than 2 to 1. This is what made it possible for Bush to steal the election. The existence of these hand duplicated GOP absentee ballot was documented by a 5/7/01 Orlando Sentinel article,
Mangled ballots resurrected".

LetMyPeopleVote

(184,264 posts)
4. I was headed to Florida for the recount when this decision came down
Thu Jul 2, 2026, 12:40 PM
3 hrs ago

It the statewide recount had proceeded Al Gore would have won, Gore won the 2000 election and was cheated.

chouchou

(3,444 posts)
9. I still remember but, I've put it all behind me....
Thu Jul 2, 2026, 01:16 PM
2 hrs ago

..sorta' like a 50 car Freight-Train bearing down on me at a crossing....while my car stalled.

NBachers

(19,673 posts)
10. I can remember seeing Jeb Bush's name listed as the realtor on a piece of rural South Florida farm property.
Thu Jul 2, 2026, 01:19 PM
2 hrs ago

Bob Graham was governor at the time. A sense of deep foreboding came over me. And the political, environmental, and military atrocities that have followed stemmed from that day.

DemocracyForever

(358 posts)
13. Gore offered Bush a statewide count
Thu Jul 2, 2026, 02:06 PM
2 hrs ago

As someone who spent 15 years working on election campaigns in Florida, under the laws that were on the books in 2000, there are some points made in this podcast that I need to correct Missing from this podcast is the fact that during a prime time address during the Florida election dispute, Al Gore offered to drop all legal proceedings if Bush would agree to the statewide count of the uncounted Florida votes. Bush refused.

I also find it disappointing that the podcaster attacked Al Gore for following what Florida election law actually was in 2000. The Gore campaign targeted the counties where most of the uncounted votes were actually located. They turned out to be the largest and most heavily democratic counties in Florida. In 2000, Florida election law did not allow for a statewide vote count because the Florida legislature believed that the votes should be counted in the counties where the votes were actually cast. The Florida legislature then gave the counties the authority to handle election disputes. These were 2 of the reforms passed in the aftermath of the 1876 Presidential election that Florida was also at the center of. In 1876. In 1876, the GOP controlled Florida statewide canvassing board threw out the votes of 1,800 democrats which was more than enough votes to change the outcome of that election in favor of the republican Presidential candidate Rutherford Hayes. To prevent this throwing out of votes from happening again, the Florida legislature passed a reform that required the counting of all votes where the intent of the voter was clear. This is a clear standard that's the voting counting standard in most states including Texas. This reform clearly failed in 2000 thanks to Jeb Bush, Katherine Harris and the GOP controlled SCOTUS.
The GOP controlled SCOTUS's ruling was unconstitutional because the constitution gives the states the authority to conduct elections and it gives the U.S. House of Representatives the authority to settle disputed elections not 5 unelected, highly partisan SCOTUS judges. It also violated the 14th amendment because GOP ballots that the counting machines could not read got counted while Dem ballots that the counting machines couldn't read were not counted. The podcast also doesn't note the fact that not 1 dem U.S. Senator would co-sponsor the Congressional Black Caucus's challenge to the fraudulent Florida 2000 vote count.
Furthermore, Jeb's interference started will before election day by making numerous public threats that he would carry Florida for his brother in addition to the felon purge. Jeb also singlehandedly changed Florida absentee ballot law without a vote of the Florida legislature in order to increase GOP turnout. During the election dispute, Jeb threated to take away state business from Florida law firms who took Al Gore's case.
In conclusion, I really take issue with the podcaster for blaming Al Gore for the Bush brothers all-out assault on American democracy in Florida. Our country will never be the same because of it.

Deminpenn

(17,642 posts)
14. Yes indeed
Thu Jul 2, 2026, 02:42 PM
1 hr ago

Now 3 of the R lawyers involved in that case have lifetime appointments on SCOTUS.

Jbraybarten

(304 posts)
16. and the court also said that the verdict was basically a special one time thing so that it could be used against them in
Thu Jul 2, 2026, 03:08 PM
59 min ago

the future... though they would happily do it again for a R..

orthoclad

(5,280 posts)
17. They rioted to stop the count.
Thu Jul 2, 2026, 03:08 PM
58 min ago

remember the "Brooks Brothers Riot"?

and the nation (or at least the court and Gore) backed down.

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