December 13, 2000

Gore Decides To Drop Out of Race
By David Espo / The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - Al Gore decided Wednesday to concede the country's overtime election, aides said, clearing the way for George W. Bush to become 43rd president and leader of a nation sharply divided along political lines. The vice president acted after a split Supreme Court ruled against recounts in contested Florida. Gore had sought the recount in hopes he could overturn Bush's 537-vote victory margin in the state whose 25 electoral votes will settle the election. Gore topped his Republican rival by more than 300,000 votes out of 103 million ballots cast nationwide. But Florida's electoral votes would give Bush a total of 271 electoral votes to Gore's 267.

Against The Wall, Gore Surrenders
By Sandra Sobieraj / The Associated Press
WASHINGTON {AP} - Al Gore surrendered to the gathering consensus that it was over and, alone with his wife and children, decided to drop his epic, 36-day court battle for the White House. The vice president, who won the national popular vote by more than 300,000 ballots, would concede once again and finally to Republican rival George W. Bush in a private telephone call probably before addressing the nation Wednesday evening, aides said.

President-Elect Bush: 'I Will Give It My All'
Reuters
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - President-elect George W. Bush on Wednesday pledged to work with his election rival Democrat Al Gore to ``heal our country after this hard fought contest.'' The Republican, speaking 36 days after the Nov. 7 election and less than an hour after Gore conceded defeat to him, thanked Gore for his ``gracious'' concession telephone call. ``We agreed to meet early next week in Washington and we agreed to do our best to heal our country after this hard fought contest,'' said Bush, speaking to the nation from the chamber of the Texas House of Representatives.

Gore Accepts Bush As 43rd President
By Ron Fournier / AP Political Writer
Al Gore on Wednesday night gave up his bid for the White House, accepting George W. Bush as the 43rd president of the United States. ``I accept the finality of this outcome,'' the vice president said. Before a nationally televised speech, Gore made a long-awaited congratulations call to his Republican rival as he exited from the tortuously close race. Gore called Bush shortly before a televised national speech and offered his congratulations, Bush spokeswoman Karen Hughes said. ``The governor thanked him and the governor said I look forward to seeing you next Tuesday,'' Hughes said.

Gore to Address Nation Tonight
By ABCNEWS.com
Hours after losing his battle in the U.S. Supreme Court, Al Gore today instructed his recount advisors to stop legal action. He will address the nation tonight. Hours after losing his battle in the U.S. Supreme Court, ABCNEWS has learned that Al Gore will withdraw from the presidential race. Gore will address the nation tonight. The written statement from Gore's campaign chairman William Daley was issued around 10 a.m., hours after the U.S. Supreme Court all but assured George W. Bush the presidency by reversing a Florida court decision that had ordered a recount of tens of thousands of disputed ballots.

U.S. Stock Index Futures Mixed, Await Gore Tonight
Reuters
CHICAGO, Dec 13 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were mixed Wednesday morning after Democrat Al Gore announced he would address the nation Wednesday night and instructed his recount committee in Florida to suspend its activities. March Standard & Poor's 500 index and Nasdaq 100 index futures fluttered back and forth between positive and negative territory on the news. Stock index futures had already ``discounted a resolution here even though they were only getting bits and pieces and there were still twists and turns,'' said Paul Cherney, market analyst at Standard & Poor's, explaining the market's weakness. ``If Gore were to come out with a concession speech today, the market would probably get a three-to 10-minute rise out of that, and then it's just going to roll over again.''

Gore Surrenders to Consensus
By Sandra Sobieraj / The Associated Press
WASHINGTON –– Al Gore surrendered to the gathering consensus that it was over and, alone with his wife and children, decided to drop his epic, 36-day court battle for the White House. The vice president, who won the national popular vote by more than 300,000 ballots, would concede once again – and finally – to Republican rival George W. Bush in a private telephone call probably before addressing the nation Wednesday evening, aides said. Gore becomes only the fourth U.S. presidential candidate in history to win the popular vote but succumb to a loss in the Electoral College, which the Constitution has empowered to select the president.

Al Gore Signals End Is Near
By Jonathan D. Salant / The Associated Press
WASHINGTON –– After 35 days and a final late-night flurry of legal papers, the end came in a single sentence from Al Gore's campaign Wednesday morning. The push for a recount was over. The battle over who won more of Florida's 6 million ballots came down to a single vote in the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices' 5-4 decision seemed to hand victory to George W. Bush, but America went to sleep Tuesday night still unsure whether Gore was ready to accept defeat. Lawyers speculated early Wednesday about whether the court had left the door barely cracked open for another challenge. Shortly after 10 a.m., campaign chairman William Daley closed that door. "The vice president has directed the recount committee to suspend activities," he said in a written statement. Time had run out. A concession speech was scheduled for Wednesday night.

29 States Submit Electors
By Katherine Pfleger / The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - More than half of the states submitted their presidential electors to the National Archives by Tuesday, giving them protection from challenges in Congress. By the end of day, 29 states and the District of Columbia had turned in their final lists to the archives, the federal record-keeper of the Electoral College. Al Gore and George W. Bush have been vying for a majority in the college since the Nov. 7 election. Electors will gather in state capitals next Monday to choose the president and vice president. Tuesday was an intermediate cutoff established in federal law.

Divided Court Finds Recounts Unconstitutional
By Frank J. Murray / The Washington Times
The U.S. Supreme Court late last night reversed the Florida Supreme Court's order for manual recounts in Florida, preventing further counting and all but assuring the election of George W. Bush as the 43rd president of the United States. Prominent Democrats, including the general chairman of the party, within the hour began calling on Vice President Al Gore to concede the election to Mr. Bush. The decision, by the same 5-4 vote that had suspended the manual recounts on Saturday, was handed down five weeks after the Nov. 7 election.

Supreme Court Of The United States
George W. Bush v. Albert Gore, Jr.
On Writ Of Certiorari To The Florida Supreme Court [December 12, 2000].

Gore Brushes Off Calls to Concede, Studies Ruling
By Thomas Ferraro / Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat presidential candidate Al Gore, brushing off calls from some party leaders to concede, studied on Wednesday a split U.S. Supreme Court ruling against him and he searched for a way to fight on. ``It is not over yet,'' insisted a senior adviser to the vice president. But some backers said his prospects looked bleak, and others said they may be virtually nonexistent. ``Clearly the election has come to an end,'' Sen. Robert Torricelli, a New Jersey Democrat, told MSNBC. ``He should act now and concede,'' added Democrat National Committee Chairman Ed Rendell. The comments drew angry reactions from Gore aides. ``They don't know what they are talking about,'' one aide huffed. ``They obviously haven't read the ruling. They were speaking for themselves. Not us.''

Gore May Continue His Fight
By ABCNEWS.com
The Supreme Court decision appears to have handed the presidency to George W. Bush. But Al Gore's team is poring over the ruling, looking for any small glimmer of hope even as many of the vice president's supporters are bracing for the end. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of George W. Bush, but sources close to the vice president say don't bet on Al Gore conceding - at least not yet. While aides close to Gore say they expect he could give up the fight for the White House, they also note he hasn't shared his thinking with many people and that nothing will be decided until later this morning at the earliest.

State House Sends Slate Of Electors To Senate
By Nancy Cook Lauer / Tallahassee Democrat
With a trace of tension but scarcely a hint of animosity, the Florida House voted primarily along party lines Tuesday to forward to the state Senate a resolution naming electors for George W. Bush. But after the ruling later Tuesday night by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Republican leadership hopes the resolution is unnecessary. "I only hope that the vice president sees this as a finality and will stand down and concede and let us all move forward," said House Majority Leader Mike Fasano.

Only California Yet To Certify Votes
United Press International
Republican George W. Bush Tuesday captured the last of the electoral votes he needs to become the 43rd president of the United States -- if he can hang on to Florida. A United Press International survey of states that had certified their vote totals showed Bush with 271 electoral votes, one more than the number needed to secure the presidency. The total includes the 25 Florida electoral votes that are being disputed in the Florida and U.S. supreme courts. Democrat Al Gore had 213 electoral votes with California yet to certify and give its 54 votes to the vice president. California has scheduled certification for Dec. 16.

Democrats Won't Disclaim Jackson's Remarks
By Donald Lambro / The Washington Times
Democrat congressional leaders yesterday refused to directly repudiate the Rev. Jesse Jackson's call to "take to the streets" to delegitimize and discredit George W. Bush if the U.S. Supreme Court rules in his favor. No leader spoke or issued a press release on the inflammatory statements by the black civil rights leader, who threatened a "civil rights explosion" if the court rules against Vice President Al Gore.

D.C. Police Prepare For Protests At Inauguration
By John Drake / The Washington Times
Anti-establishment activists and liberals are planning to flood the District with massive protests on Inauguration Day, prompting city police to brace for the deluge with an unprecedented level of security. Supporters of Democrat presidential nominee Al Gore, led by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, are planning a "civil rights explosion" if Republican George W. Bush is officially named the winner.

State Court Dealt Gore Early Defeat
By James L. Rosica / Tallahassee Democrat
Hours before the U.S. Supreme Court all but killed Al Gore's bid to win the White House through recounts, the Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday squelched Gore's last chance to win it through lawsuits. The Florida court upheld two lower court decisions to not throw out thousands of absentee ballots - a move that would have swung the election to the vice president.

Daschle Denies Blocking Bill On Military Voting
By Rowan Scarborough / The Washington Times
The office of Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle yesterday denied he is blocking a bill on military polling places but could not guarantee that Democrats will let the measure come to a vote before the congressional session ends in two weeks. Republican aides continued to insist that Mr. Daschle has held up action on the bill since mid-October.

Media Bias Is Showing
The Washington Times
The closer George W. Bush comes to winning the presidency, the more apocalyptic and disingenuous the liberal media become.