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Thread: KERRY CONCEDES: President Bush ReElected

  1. #1
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    KERRY CONCEDES: President Bush ReElected

    Just in:

    Sen. John Kerry has conceded the 2004 presidential race, the Associated Press is reporting, giving President Bush a second term and ending a battle over the outcome of the election in Ohio.

    Hours after President Bush's top aide assured supporters that re-election was a certainty, aides to Kerry were meeting mid-morning Wednesday to discuss their next move and whether to challenge the vote in Ohio, where Bush holds a three-point lead while thousands of "provisional" ballots wait to be counted.

    Andrew Card, Bush's White House chief of staff, told partisans at about 5:45 a.m. ET Wednesday, "We are convinced that President Bush has won re-election ..."

    The president is expected to speak to the nation at an unspecified time today, according to White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett. Republican Party Chairman Marc Racicot, according to The Associated Press, said the president planned to declare victory but put it off temporarily as a courtesy to Kerry, "to allow the opportunity to look at the situation in the cold hard light of day."

    Kerry's aides were meeting today and planned at least one other session before taking their recommendation to the senator, said several involved in the deliberations. Advisers said he planned a statement by midday.

    Hours earlier, at about 2:30 a.m. ET, Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards told supporters that he and Kerry will "fight for every vote" as the campaign looked at the potentially clouded outcome in Ohio.

    The Associated Press estimated Bush had 254 electoral votes and Kerry had 252. With only two other states — Iowa and New Mexico — undecided as of mid-morning Wednesday, the recipient of Ohio's 20 electoral votes will win the election.

    Bush led Kerry by more than 136,000 votes in the Ohio ballot count, but the issue of provisional ballots — votes cast by those whose eligibility was questioned — left the winner of the state uncertain.

    Kerry supporters claim there are as many as 250,000 uncounted provisional ballots still outstanding. Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell told ABC News on Wednesday morning no one knows how many provisional ballots are outstanding, but he said the total was "trending" toward 175,000.

    Bush supporters seized on Blackwell's numbers and proclaimed the president the winner.The dispute opened the possibility that Ohio would become the Florida of 2004, with recounts and legal challenges possible.

    Card said Bush will get "at least 286 electoral college votes."

    Card said Blackwell's office "has informed us that this margin is statistically insurmountable, even after the provisional ballots are counted."

    Lawyers for Bush boarded a plane in Washington before dawn, bound for Ohio. They will join hundreds of Republican lawyers already there.Democrats have thousands of lawyers in Ohio already, and held off sending any of their trained "SWAT teams" of election lawyers, a precaution this year because of the close presidential race and the bitter memory of the 36-day recount battle in Florida in 2000.

    Ohio moved into the spotlight early Wednesday after Bush won Florida — the state at the center of the disputed 2000 election. Kerry then won Minnesota, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii, followed by a Bush win in Nevada. Kerry later added Michigan and then became the projected winner of Wisconsin about 4:40 a.m., leaving Ohio as the key state.

    At the White House on Tuesday night, where he was watching election returns with his family, Bush said he was "very upbeat."

    "I believe I will win," the president said. "It's going to be an exciting evening."

    "It's been a long night, but we've waited four years for this victory. We can wait one more night," Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards told supporters in Boston early Wednesday. Edwards said he and Kerry had promised supporters "that every vote would count and every vote would be counted."

    There had been speculation that Bush would attend pre-dawn GOP rally at the nearby Ronald Reagan Building to declare victory, but White House officials said shortly after 5 a.m. Wednesday that the president had no imminent plans to leave the White House. Card said Bush was giving Kerry time to "reflect" on the election results. Kerry has not been heard from since Tuesday.

    . Races in both New Mexico and Iowa remained extremely close early Wednesday. Problems with counting absentee ballots and voting equipment delayed Iowa results and Wisconsin officials cited high turnout for the lengthy tabulating of votes.

    The president now has won Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.

    Kerry has won California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.

    Independent Ralph Nader received a smaller percentage of the vote than he did in 2000, when he was a factor in several key states. Nader polled at less than 1% in many states.

    "Trying to challenge the two-party dictatorship is like trying to climb a cliff with a slippery rope," Nader told CNN.

    Congress, governors, ballot measures

    Republicans have kept control of the Senate and the House, according to projections. Every seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and 34 seats in the Senate were up for election. In perhaps the night's biggest race, Republican challenger John Thune defeated Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle in South Dakota, according to AP projections. Daschle becomes the first party leader to lose a Senate race in more than 50 years.

  2. #2
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    I just read about this also. I hope this will turn out to be the best choice for the country.

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    I was out running some errands and arived home to see the concession speech. I'm glad the elaections are over for awhile. Hopefully the political arguments willl be done for a couple years atleast.

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    I think it is the best choice for the country at this particular time of the world.

  5. #5
    Tammy Rose's Avatar
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    I beleive the country made the right decision on behalf of President Bush due to the terrorism and the war going on right now.

    Senator John Kerry in my opinion wouldn't really want to be filling President Bush's shoes at this time of termoil. So I think maybe he will have a better chance next time around. If he were elected he would then be accountable for anything going on in the future in regards to Iraq. Even if it were President Bush's fault. That wouldn't be fair to Kerry. So Bush can go ahead and keep doing what he has been doing and he will be the only one accountable for those actions.

    TJ

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    That is a very good point made Tammy. I never looked at it like that.I'm sure if Kerry decides to run again he will have a very very good chance of winning.

  7. #7
    I believe this whole election was the final confrontation of the split nation. Not only was it every citizens opinion on the next president, it was also the opinions of the War (including the draft, since it has been a huge issue since the start of the War), terrorism, the economy, etc..... You can see how two-sided the country is just by looking at how close the presidential race was.

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    Everyone makes valid points, and I think that was unique to this election. Everyone I spoke with over the last few months had valid arguments for various points.

    The main thing however, is that we have a clear decision, and that the elections didn't drag on for weeks. It is time to pull together as a nation, and move on.

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    Matt, I agree with you about the nation being split. In my personal opinion, I believe this division will only grow in the future. And I just want to say that I'm glad President Bush won the election. He has proven he is a true leader by making decisions based on what he believes is best for this nation instead of making decisions based on what people will think about him and what will make him more "popular."

    I remember when I was in high school, I had a teacher who seemed to expect more out of me than anyone else. I remember I DID NOT like that teacher. I thought she was mean and unfair. But now when I think about it, she knew that I had potential, but I was just too lazy and busy getting into trouble. She made me work, she made me live up to my potential. She wouldn't settle for anything less. She was actually helping me stay out of trouble and I didn't even realize it. I truly believe that this is what President Bush is trying to do with our nation (trying to make it better; trying to make people live up to their potential and also take responsibility for their actions), though this has cost him his popularity with a lot of people.

    Sorry for rambling, sometimes I do that.

    Angela

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    PERSONAL OPINION Only:

    In my personal view, I find it amazing to see citizens of the United States of America spend over a year arguing with each other to the point of verbal abuse to support an obvious division along many lines - - - and then come together on election day and choose a president without having fired a shot or someone being assasinated for their views. I have seen this happened in other countries on election day, but not the USA.

    Was the USA split four years ago? According to USA news, yes. Gore won the same states that Bush won. And Kerry won the same states that Gore won, as Bush did likewise.

    Will the USA come together now? I believe they have a better chance now.

    Does the USA have to come together? No. Your history since 1776 shows that the USA does not need to come together as some believe. What your history does show is that the American People are free to argue and verbally abuse each other without government threat to murder the outspoken, yet still come together in over 200 years as a democracy to move on as one country, no matter how evenly split in opinons.

    Long live democracy.

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    Cynthia Keating

    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Youngblood
    I believe this whole election was the final confrontation of the split nation. Not only was it every citizens opinion on the next president, it was also the opinions of the War (including the draft, since it has been a huge issue since the start of the War), terrorism, the economy, etc..... You can see how two-sided the country is just by looking at how close the presidential race was.
    I agree Matt.

    We are more polarized than ever. There is so much passion on both sides and it's virtually split down the middle.

    Cindy

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    Cynthia Keating

    Quote Originally Posted by Cynthia Ford
    In my personal view, I find it amazing to see citizens of the United States of America spend over a year arguing with each other to the point of verbal abuse to support an obvious division along many lines - - - and then come together on election day and choose a president without having fired a shot or someone being assasinated for their views. I have seen this happened in other countries on election day, but not the USA.

    Was the USA split four years ago? According to USA news, yes. Gore won the same states that Bush won. And Kerry won the same states that Gore won, as Bush did likewise.

    Will the USA come together now? I believe they have a better chance now.

    Does the USA have to come together? No. Your history since 1776 shows that the USA does not need to come together as some believe. What your history does show is that the American People are free to argue and verbally abuse each other without government threat to murder the outspoken, yet still come together in over 200 years as a democracy to move on as one country, no matter how evenly split in opinons.

    Long live democracy.
    From one Cynthia to Another,

    You're right. We've been arguing for years. That's the way it's supposed to be. I believe that we go through ups and downs, and create a balance. Certain eras draw more passionate elections than others, depending on the state of affairs. Although elections are traditionally spirited, I think some campaigns elicit more emotion and awareness. We definitely had a great deal to focus on this time around.

    Cindy

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    I have spent over 20 years in the military and for our troops sake, I am glad President Bush is the Commander and Chief during this Crisis in the Gulf and against Terrorism. I served under his father in the first gulf war and I served under his son. I feel that this country is better off and our troops are too. A person who is trying to run our country and was a protester during a war where many fine men and women died fightinig for piece, he does'nt need to run this country and cause termoil. Your must think of our troops and there well being in a foreign land fighting. Also look at satistics and our country is not all as bad off as most of the media is making it out to be.


    Steve,

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    It is quite amazing that all of this arguing is done here in America with only the scattered episode of vandalism or violence. What I can’t figure out is why people get so all fired upset about each other’s points of view.

    I do believe that America made the right choice in this election and hope that President Bush proves me right in the next four years. But I have actually talked to people who despise me for my conservative and Christian views. They even call me stupid and bigoted.

    What is most amazing about this is that most of the time when this happens, these people don’t know me from Adam. How can you call someone stupid or a racist just because they don’t agree with your point of view? It just doesn’t make any sense.

    Healthy disagreements are good for a democracy. What has been happening throughout this election is not. I tire of the venom…

    But, like it or not, America is the best place on this planet to live and unlike a bunch of Hollywood morons, I wouldn’t give it up even if George Soros himself became President.

    God Bless the USA folks, and here is hoping for an positive four more years.
    Raoul P. Sheridan
    Virginia

  15. #15

    Thumbs up

    Interesting remarks from fellow members. I have a job for four more years (damn it), and my wife won't let me retire now!

  16. #16
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    Yeah Frederick, I bet your job just sucks huh?!
    Having a job that would be a dream to me. Oh well someday.

  17. #17

    Smile

    Quote Originally Posted by Amalia Martinelli
    Yeah Frederick, I bet your job just sucks huh?!
    Having a job that would be a dream to me. Oh well someday.
    Nah, I have to admit the job is fascinating. But retirement sounds good anytime!
    Actually, I wish the job wasn't quite so interesting, and we could go back to before 9/11, but we play with the hand we're dealt.

    Any job you're happy with is a dream job, believe me. Don't look for the fancy titles or big bucks. They'll come along later if you're happy with the job you're doing, and do it well.

  18. #18
    DJ Moran --'s Avatar
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    Any job you're happy with is a dream job, believe me. Don't look for the fancy titles or big bucks. They'll come along later if you're happy with the job you're doing, and do it well.
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    Fritz, I have to agree, I am already happier than I have been in a long time doing a job. This is a "career" the other, is just my job. I will be working my "career" long after I'm done working at my "job". Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!

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