He reminded Gore that his brother Jeb is the governor of Florida and Jeb's vote counts were showing a Bush victory. Had he been as trenchant in the debates, Gore might not be in the fix he is in. New Hampshire decided in Bush's favor by 1 percent of the vote. Missouri went for a dead man as senator, but not for Gore. John Quincy Adams, our sixth president, has suddenly become a topic of conversation.
People inquire about the count in Florida the way they ask the score during the World Series.
Cabdrivers who can barely speak English update airline passengers who have been out of touch, even venturing to explain the complexities of Florida's voting laws. Radio talk shows vibrate with rage from callers who hadn't known about the electoral college until Tuesday night and now growl that it must go. Gore almost became a sympathetic figure in the immediate aftermath of the non-election. The next day, he was back with his Prince Albert rhetoric, reading from a script in his usual flat, off-putting tone. He is better served in Tallahassee, the new capital of world politics, than is Bush.