How far is the Gore campaign willing to go to challenge the election results in Florida and perhaps elsewhere? Salon.Com claims to have obtained a memo from the campaign outlining the formation of a committee to fight the Florida results including raising about $3 million for legal fees.
The Washington Post was speculating the other day that one strategy Gore might adopt is to delay the certification of the Florida election results in any way possible until the Electoral College meets in December. Why? Since Gore has more electoral votes at the moment than Bush, Florida doesn’t necessarily matter — Gore wins if Florida’s electoral votes are still in question.
Of course then the issue becomes whether the Republican Congress would certify the results, and the extremely long shot possibility even that Strom Thurmond, of all people, might become president, even if only for a month or two (he would be second in the succession line if no candidate has been elected by the Electoral College and certified by Congress.)
So far Gore has done a good job of portraying his efforts as simply wanting to ensure the “will of the people” (I really hate that phrase) is followed. If he persists after next Friday’s required certification of Florida’s election results, however, he risks damaging not only his personal reputation but also adding another chapter in the legalistic maneuverings of the Clinton-Gore campaign that might leave a lasting negative impression of the last 8 years.