Remember Florida, and weep

摘要

Hanging or dimpled? Swinging or pregnant? You may have thought that the United States would be willing to move heaven and earth to make sure that these dreaded words will never be heard again—in elections, at least. The Florida recount not only subjected the country to weeks of tedious acrimony. It soiled the Supreme Court's reputation, put a question-mark next to the name of the new president, and turned the world's most enthusiastic champion of democracy into a laughing-stock. For a while it looked as if change was inevitable. Dozens of bills were introduced in Congress and hundreds in state assemblies; the Senate held hearings; Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford decided to set up a blue-ribbon committee; the Commission on Civil Rights pondered; earnest study-groups spouted at universities across the country.