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Many conservatives have pointed out that granting unchecked power to this President means that the next President will have unchecked power as well. And the next President may be someone whose values and belief you do not trust. And this is why Republicans as well as Democrats should be concerned with what this President has done.
With these words Mr. Gore demonstrates his continuing failure to understand the modern Republican party.
First, he assumes that the Presidency might some day fall into Democratic (or any non-Republican) hands. We simply don't know that that is true.
There is certainly some evidence to suggest that black-box voting may have made all "voting" a mere fig leaf over a process of selection by a shadowy oligarchy.
Perhaps not - I hope not - but we simply don't know, and are forbidden to know. Which is highly suggestive in itself.
Second, Mr. Gore apparently doesn't realize that the modern GOP has perfected the one-way weapon. A President can be impeached for lying, but ONLY if he's a Democrat. Elections can be stolen, but ONLY in favor of George W. Bush (as made clear, of course, in Bush v. Gore). Absolute power may be given to a President, but if by some chance the Presidency ever goes to a Democrat, you can be very sure indeed that the Republican party will be at the forefront of those demanding that those powers be eliminated. Ironically, the Democrats would almost certainly cooperate in that project.
But when the time comes that a Republican wins again, you can be just as sure that the GOP will do everything in its power to once again crown an Imperial Presidency, untrammeled by any hint of a check or balance.
When will the Democrats learn? Not until they're being placed in concentration camps, I fear. And in the case of some - such as Gore running mate Joe Lieberman - not even then.
