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Special

Election Day 2004

by Marinka Peschmann, Special to Canada Free Press

November 9, 2004

It was ugly, now it's over. The United States re-elected President Bush for four more years and sent John Kerry back to the Senate. The billion dollar-plus presidential campaign was overloaded with nonstop news leading up to the ‘historic’ election. Then during Election Day there was no news. When ‘news’ finally dribbled out it was wrong.

During the tumultuous two-year race for the White House campaign headquarters were vandalized; Michael Moore’s Bush bashing Fahrenheit 9/11 raked in box-office gold. A-list celebrities chimed in at pro-Kerry rallies. Grammy winning musicians jammed to rock-the-vote in Kerry’s direction. International election ‘observers’ arrived and supervised. Armies of lawyers from both sides were dispatched and thankfully weren't needed. Dueling Swift Boat Vets for Truth ads and Moveon.org commercials flooded the tubes. Talks of a bogus secret draft initiative kept circulating. Then the mainstream press became the news tagging the giants with liberal bias after their erroneous reporting was exposed. Meanwhile the UK’s Guardian's attempt to derail a Bush win backfired after they urged their readers to ‘to help decide who takes up residence in the White House’ by writing to Ohio voters. Months of polling and overblown rhetoric was reported and spun and on Friday before the vote, a chilling video appearance from chief terrorist Osama bin Laden intensified the threat of terrorism consuming the 24-hour news cycle to near hysteria.

But on Election Day inside the heavily protected Ronald Reagan Building television correspondents on cramped risers separated by masking tape labored to report to their viewers virtually nothing.

Midday a hushed rumor floated of a possible contingency plan. The prearranged President Bush appearance at the Reagan Building to accept or concede could be switched to Virginia. Something was wrong.

By 2:00 p.m., there was still no hard news. Then about town at swank DC watering holes, politicos’ and consultants’ cell phones jangled with ‘news.’ Jubilant Democrats tasted victory as stunned Republicans panicked. Early exit polls indicated a strong and wide Kerry lead. Back at the Reagan Building journalists scribbled furiously aiming their prose towards a Kerry victory only to press delete a few hours later, prompting Former Clinton adviser Dick Morris to later call on a ‘national investigation.’ How could the exit polls be ‘so totally, disastrously wrong?’

History was tossed in a vacuum. Campaign advisors remained inaccessibly cloistered, and the formerly all-knowing press knew nothing for certain. Trapped in a scene from Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot like Estragon and Vladimir, everyone had to wait and Godot like history kept the world waiting.

All night long live country music boomed inside the Reagan Building silenced by periodic updates from an increasingly optimistic RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie. With all eyes on the crucial swing States at 8:30 p.m. Gillespie announced four more States were called in Bush’s favor. After 9:00 p.m. the Chairman told Canada Free Press, he “felt confident that Florida would be called by nights end.”

At 10:15 p.m., another Gillespie tally mentions an appearance from a ‘special guest.’ Now Bush held 189 electoral votes, Kerry’s at 112.

By 1:50 a.m., Republicans have gained seats in the Senate. Appearances from Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and advisor Karen Hughes rallied the faithful, “I have a feeling,” Hughes said, “We're going to have some very, very good news before the night's over.”

Word from John Edwards at 2:30 a.m., vowing “to make every vote count” interrupts the victory momentum. The crowd boos. There would be no concession from Camp Kerry, but then another rumor takes off; Bush is coming with or without a concession.

By 3:00 a.m., handfuls of Bush supporters plunk down on the floor. By 3:30 a.m. they’re up on their feet cheering after it's announced the ‘special guest’ is still coming.

At 3:35 a.m., a massive U.S. map dominated in red with a little blue lights up the screen over the stage illuminating the Electoral College results. Bush has 274, Kerry’s at 225. The song, Let’s Get Loud blares through the speakers rousing the worn out crowd.

Meanwhile, Blackberries vibrate with email alerts reporting that New Mexico was called for Bush. Shortly afterward Nevada is added to his list, but cautious networks plagued by the demons of election 2000 stick to reporting too close to call except for departing anchor, NBC’s Tom Brokaw. .

At 3:58 a.m., the U.S. map reemerges. It’s clear that Bush has won, yet the news networks persist in holding off calling the election. By 4:00 a.m., Ohio is the latest update, an over 14,000-vote lead in Bush's favor.

It's 4:30 a.m., and dedicated but droopy-eyed hopefuls insist they'd wait for the President no matter how long it took. One supporter blamed Kerry for keeping him up calling Kerry a “sore loser.”

At 5:07 a.m. pooped Bush supporters learn he's not coming. Before 6:00 a.m. Chief of Staff Andrew Card tells the crowd, “President Bush decided to give Senator Kerry the respect of more time to reflect on the results of this election.”

Nine hours later, Election 2004 ends with a speedy and chivalrous conclusion. With Ohio firmly in Bush's column it's President Bush's White House for four more years.