A WE GO to press, we still cannot sav for certain who has been elected President of the world's most powerful country.
Legal wrangles over the shambolic and corrupt election process in Florida have continued unabated throughout November.
Meanwhile the shaky credibility of election results in other states was underlined by the late TeCOunT in November Oregon, which at the end of installed election. Democrat in place of the Republican senator who had been declared elected.
This now leaves the 100member senate split down the middle between the two rival capitalist parties.
Evidence is still emerging to show just how many thousand Florida votes have not been counted in the haste to declare Bush the winner.
But with party patronage and bias such a brazen feature of US public appointments, it is almost impossible to find a trustworthy scrutineer produce an objective result.
gins F lorida's shame'lessly partisan Republican Secretary of State Kastherine Harris, herself a co-chair of George Dubya's campaign in the state, possibly over-played her hand in trying to hurry through a decision that her man had won.
But the state's Attorney General and key Florida judges aire Democrats, equally determined to see Ai Gore pick up the few hundred extra votes he needs to ALIC Cheney: not so much running mate as running Bush's administration tip the balance of the whole It is clear that hundreds of ever." thousands of votes (esne. cially those of any smaller rival parties) are routinely ignored and not counted in elections across the USA -yet another result of the corrupt two-party system Hundreds of thousands of US, and postal votes drift in days or elected weeks after the elections, and appear to be largely discounted. Only when the con- elections in test between the two major parties runs close - as it has foothold there." this year, with Gore narrowly ahead on the popular • TOTe across the US, but likely to lose the Electoral College on idential and the most minuscule of mar- does the spotlight focus on the embarrassing local details.
The system works consistently to exclude parties representing the working class The far right, and the oppressed, not least lobby, by dragooning the minority of Americans who do turn out to vote into choosing their "lesser evil" candidate from the "big two". Comedian Bill Maher was not far off the popular view when he summed up the situation: "Neither Bush nor Gore has been elected presiUS Elections Wing through deregulation and privatisation than was contemplated by Reagan or Bush Senior.
B pull "transitional" tion even while the courts deliberate the election result. Instead, between visits to check on his dickey heart, Dick Cheney, defence secretary under dent. I know that's a great father, is the "running mate" feeling, but it can't last for- setting up the new team that they expect will White House. Bush is hunhe satirical news- dreds of miles away, on his 'paper The Onion Texas ranch. talle of the Old cronies of the Bush Serbian govern- Presidency ment sending wheeled out into position for 30,000 peacekeepers to the a second bite of the cherry, reports newly- and there will Serb President favours to repay to some of Kostunica saying "We must the big donors that helped do all we can to support free create George Dubya's elecAmerica and tion machine. allow democracy to gain a One billionaire with high hopes is Richard Rainwater, But for the two main par- founder ties, which have spent s stag- Columbia/HCA healthcare gering $3 billion on the prescorporation, a former busicongressional ness partner of George W elections, and another $1 bil- and contributor to his camlion ensuring they keep their paign for Texas governor. monopoly control over the Rainwater has been keen to state-level elections, the situ- press Bush to pursue his proation is no laughing matter. posal to privatise state menThe stakes are too high. tal hospitals the gun Oil and tobacco firms hope the pharmaceutical that the Clinton administraand private medical industry tion's limited measures and the dil comnanies are restrain their freedom to polamong the sinister forces lute and damage health will that have invested unprece- be rolled back under Bush, dented sums in securing the while drug companies have election of George Dubya ("a made no secret of their opporeal-life Forrest Gump"). sition to Gore's proposals to They plainly intend to use limit prescription costs, and him as the front-man for a will see the new regime as a hard-line government driv- hard-line defender of private medicine. teams of or care progressive themMost who again Kany dam Iblicy stage on the urkish Tigris without any their curnulative There is no environssment for ilisu is international The WCD recommends that rivers must be shared for peace, development and security. The planned Ilisu dam threatens to disrupt the flow of the gris to frag and Syria. efuses to consult ries on the impacts of the dams. The lisu project violates all the strategie priorites of the WCD: Balfour Beatty has indi cated it will pull out without. government support, Let's make sure they don't ger id Ilisu Dam Campaign, kaklondon @en.apc.org Phone 0207250 1315
Official Florida Presidential Ballot Follow the arrow and Punch the appropriate dot.
eorge Shington niversity AIMINGION HOSP
Outlook Stop Ilisu Dam!