Election 2000: A New Vocabulary with a New Prez
By Travis K. McSherley

Chads.  Dimpled chads.  Pregnant chads.  Recount.  Revote. Quite funny words really; yet, November 2000 brought these new words into the full flow of the American conversation.  As with many of you, I stayed up past my bedtime on November 7, watching the excitement and suspense of the presidential election.  I went to bed at 1, hearing one last "what if" before turning out the lights.  Then, I woke up at 2:30 to discover that George Bush had, in fact, been elected president.  And, like most of you I'm sure, I was quite surprised and dismayed to find out five hours later that George Bush had not, in fact, been elected president.  Then the new words started rolling in (along with lawsuits and accusations and…). 

As of December 1, we still do not yet have a new president.  Unless you've been in a cave the last month, it all hinges around the state of Florida.  And despite certification of a Bush victory, Vice President Gore's legal team is still fighting.  To call this thing a "fair fight," though, would hardly be just I think.  While the Bush campaign is just trying to get Gore to give up (to help the country or in fear they might lose, you be the judge), the Gore side is busy inventing votes every which way they can.  The whole "chad" thing is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen, even though a lot of ridiculous things happen in politics. Both sides have played hardball, and ballots seem to be disappearing and reappearing in amazing fashion.

Obviously, this seems to be a no-win situation.  Al Gore is still calling for a "full" recount in Florida to let the "people" speak, but the ballots are so messed up by now that I don't think a "fair and accurate" count would be possible at this point, if it ever was.  We can't blame it on "butterfly ballots" or not pushing chads all the way out or the Electoral College; the nation just didn't appear ready to handle such a tight election.  But with all mistakes come lessons.  Hopefully by 2004, we will have a more organized and professional ballot system that will not cause the US to be mocked by other nations (as well as ourselves).

Fortunately, through all this nonsense, God is still in control.  Whichever legal team wins the presidency, I pray that the new president will give their heart 100% to Him, that He may use him to get our country back on the right foot.  God has blessed the USA with great mercy for the past 225 years, and I pray that He will continue to do so.  So as we hail to the new chief, may we always remember that just as the years before and the years to come, THIS is the year of our Lord.