Alec Baldwin Compares 2000 Elections to Sept 11

Tallahassee Democrat ^

[Dallas]

Florida's 2000 presidential election fiasco damaged democracy as badly as the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks hurt the nation, actor Alec Baldwin said Thursday.

Baldwin told a Florida A&M University audience that President Bush and his brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, are hoping that a wartime "moratorium on criticizing the government" will help Republicans in the fall elections.

Baldwin, a New Yorker, said memories of Sept. 11 have overshadowed public doubts about the 36-day recount of Florida presidential ballots. He said the war makes it hard for Bush critics to remind voters of "this other disaster that we faced in this country - a disaster that ... has done as much damage to our country as any terrorist attack could do, in some ways.

"I know that's a harsh thing to say, perhaps, but I believe that what happened in 2000 did as much damage to the pillars of democracy as terrorists did to the pillars of commerce in New York City," Baldwin said, drawing applause from the breakfast audience of about 200.

Bush spokeswoman Elizabeth Hirst said the governor signed legislation last year providing $24 million in election-reform funding over two years, including $6 million for voter education and $2 million for a statewide registration database. Much of the rest will go for replacing punch-card voting equipment and training poll workers to avoid what happened in the presidential election.

"Florida has moved on and America has moved on," she said. "We've got a president with incredibly high ratings now."

The governor also is running substantially ahead of Democratic challengers in Florida polls.

Baldwin is a board member of People for the American Way, a liberal lobbying group that sponsored the two-day observation of the second anniversary of a mass march on Tallahassee. The march protested the governor's 1999 executive orders that supplanted affirmative action in university admissions and state contracting.

As in a rally at St. Mary's Primitive Baptist Church on Wednesday night, speakers at the FAMU prayer breakfast focused more on the disputed 2000 presidential election than the One Florida protests they were commemorating. Baldwin and other speakers warned that voters will face new challenges this year because legislative and congressional redistricting is changing political boundaries.

He said the White House and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, along with the governor and other Republican leaders, are banking on the news media and voters staying distracted by the war on terrorism.

"When Donald Rumsfeld and the Pentagon spokespeople say to you, 'Well, this is going to be a long war, we're going to be in Afghanistan for the long haul,' what that euphemism means is that the moratorium on criticizing the government must be extended longer and longer and longer - ideally, beyond the 2002 election," Baldwin said.

Participants in the rally and prayer breakfast included Sen. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami, and former Rep. Tony Hill of Jacksonville. The two staged a sit-in at the lieutenant governor's office Jan. 18-19, 2000, demanding to see Bush about One Florida. The sit-in led to a March 7 march of about 12,000 protesters on the Capitol and a voter-registration drive that boosted black turnout by about 65 percent in the presidential election.

Meek said the governor could be in trouble if people "remember in November" what happened two years ago.

"It's like a hurricane, starting like a tropical storm and going to Category 1, Category 2," Meek said. "That's what I feel is coming in November. In this upcoming election, for the first time in state history, we're going to make sure everyone's vote is counted."

---

Contact reporter Bill Cotterell at (850) 599-2243 or bcotterell@taldem.com.

[Teacher317]

Teacher317 compares Alec Baldwin to... Oh, I'm too polite to say.

[TADSLOS]

Go back to Hollyweird Alec. Ed Asner is waiting to give you another lesson in hysterics.

[da_toolman]

"I am a complete and total moron. Watch while I speak from my ass."

[borkrules]

Other than immediate revulsion, one other thing struck me: these lefty fools are commiting political suicide before our very eyes. The notion that they will be able to build on their turnout in the 2000 election, when they maxed out their wholly owned constituencies by railing about the recount when the country is at war is simply ludicrous.

I think they should be encouraged to continue this. And keep bringing Alec to the party. He's a hoot.

[BerniesFriend]

Wow..how sad..to be so full of anger and hate..to be so consumed with one issue that all others pale in comparison..One imagines he sits up at nite cursing the Supreme Court and the Bush brothers over the Election..must drive him crazy because he sure is acting like it is.

[RetiredArmy]

Scum. I threw my wife's copy of the Ghost of Mississippi in the trash. She liked the story, but I told her that I would have nothing with this basta** on it in my house and I also threw out all the Barbara crap, Danny Glover films and such. Not in my house. John Wayne films all around.

[princess leah]

Good thing those 300+ dead people weren't found in FLoridah otherwise they would have their votes counted, you can be sure of that!

[Space Wrangler]

LOL!!! Benwa Baldwin is such a tool!!! Why does he delude himself into thinking that anyone really cares what he thinks? I guess he gets his soapbox at times like these, and just chants the liberal mantra. Someone needs to tell him that he is irrelevant.

[Dallas]

yes....you need to set a good example for the chilluns childrin kids

[detsaoT]

As in a rally at St. Mary's Primitive Baptist Church on Wednesday night, speakers at the FAMU prayer

I wonder if the "Reverend" Barry Lynn of the "Americans United for the Separation of Church and State" approves of meetings like this. Anyone want to bet that he doesn't condemn this like he condemns other church-sponsored political events?

Liberals = Hypocrites.

;) ttt

[finnman69]

Portrait of a Traitor

[Anoy11_]

It's hard to understand someone that has such contempt and ugliness toward the constitution.

[FreeTally]

What's funny is that their "protests" and "sit-ins" changed nothing that Jeb signed and passed. There were not 12,000 "protesters" the first time, either, and I think they got a turnout of maybe a thousand or so this year. They can't cope with their irrelevance.

[steve-b]

Hasn't he left yet?

[ThreeYearLurker]

Well, I compare Alec Baldwin to something I found in my son's diapers!

[eureka!]

Memo to Lardass: You are right, as to Gore's attempted theft. Otherwise, have a drink and stuff another overpriced steak in your piehole...

[detsaoT]

P.S. - I strongly encourage all of you to e-mail americansunited@au.org and inquire as to when we can expect a press release condemning this event. After all, they feel free to pounce on Pat Robertson whenever he says something (Anything!), why shouldn't this be nailed down just the same?

At the least, we could get their attention a bit...

(Side not- AU is not involved in this Alec Baldwin mumbo-jumbo, or at least hasn't been mentioned. Let's see if we can get AU to condemn the PFAW for using churches for political activity... liberals fighting liberals, if you will...)

:) ttt

[Oldeconomybuyer]

This is the single most stupid thing I have ever heard. Alec Baldwin is a complete moron.

[steve-b]

$6 million for voter education

***SPUTTER*** How much can it cost to print a poster for each polling place? It doesn't call for any fancy graphics -- just a message in clear block letters: IF YOU DO NOT FOLLOW THE SIMPLE DIRECTIONS GIVEN IN THE BOOTH, YOUR VOTE WILL NOT COUNT

[Brett66]

I guess he can't go to long with shooting his mouth off, otherwise the tremendous fecal matter inside him would generate enough gas to make him explode.

[JoeSixPack1]

And their msg for 2002 is???

VOTE-
no ideas, no plans, no programs, no incentive, no reason

Dems want to vote, just to vote. But what are they voting for? Come on, I want to hear about the big spending plans they got. The big overhaul of education, the big overhaul of, of , of,,, ahhh, just vote cause we can!

Jeb is gonna stomp 'em!! :-)

[Osinski]

Alex who?

[anniegetyourgun]

ALEC, LEAVE THE COUNTRY YOU HATE SO MUCH.

[Wyatt's Torch]

Anyone see his guest appearance on Friends last night? Besides being totally uninspiring, it was interesting to note that, unlike other guest stars (Brad Pitt, Tom Sellick, Robin William, Helen Hunt, Billy Crystal, etc.) whose appearances are met with screaming and applause, his appearance on screen was met with resounding silence. Thought that is an interesting commentary on his popular appeal.

[sinkspur]

The only group in America where the "Florida election" still resounds is with blacks.

So, when speaking to blacks, what does Baldwin do? Whip 'em into a frenzy, and they're easily whipped.

While the rest of America defends itself against terrorists, blacks worry about the Florida elections from two years ago, and reparations.

These people are so easily pimped; they ought to be embarrassed.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

It's always good to have a bloated moron weigh-in on important topics.

[My2Cents]

Alec Baldwin is a tiresome fart.

[rintense]

This photo of Alec Baldwin was captured during his visit to Florida...

[The Right Stuff]

Hey, Free;

Yep, I remember those "protests". They were a real joke. One thing about Carrie Meek's comment though is telling - they got a suspiciously high turnout of black voters in 2000, something like 97%. Some even disputed that there were more black votes than black voters.

Watch for major election fraud in 2002. We'd better be on guard.

[Redcloak]

Hey Alex! Weren't you going to flee to Europe? My offer to pop over the hill to drive you to LAX still stands. Let me know if you need a lift.

[Fzob]

It really is hard to believe one guy can say so many stupid things in such a short article.

He continually raises the bar for liberal stupidity. Sorta fun to watch.

[ncson]

note to mr. baldwin -- ARE YOU STILL HERE?!?!?!

[wjcsux]

Alec Baldwin, Hollywierd's #1 piece of s*it.

[Corporate Law]

Alec seems to want to keep proving that he is the new star of Jacka$$. I think we were convinced a long time ago.

[hattend]

The fact that Baldwin is still so worked up about it tickles me to no end. Keep talking, Alec! Your career still has a ways to go before it hits rock bottom.

[TC Rider]

Alex should lay off the HoHos and Ring Dings. Of course, maybe his current squeeze is stuffing him with lots of eggs, butter, bacon, etc.

Can't say I blame her/him.

[Phantom Lord]

They passed a law in Florida that signs would be posted at polling places saying it was the responsibility of the voter to know the issues, know the candidates, and to take the care to cast a properly filled out ballot.

Well, guess who jumped to have these posters banned... The ACLU! Guess why... the posters are discriminatory to minorities!

I swear to god its true.

[Big Guy and Rusty 99]

it almost makes me wishe we DID have death squads like the liberals claim
On the other hand . . .
look how much work ol' baldy is getting. He's being handled by hollywood like he was a jar of gefelte fish left open for a year and unrefrigerated.

[bray]

Does this mean they are going to let the military vote this time???? I wonder how the split will go for Reno in that block???

Pray for GW and the Truth

[Psycho_Bunny]

I was half-watching "Friends" last night and this jackass showed up.

I turned it off.

[TC Rider]

What is wrong with the People for the American Way?

PAW is a ultra lib group that runs op research for the Dems. Their current project is to paint Pickering, a Missippi judge as a racist. Pickering currently up for appointment in the Senate, has a reputation as a Klan fighter in Miss. Most of the Missippi black establishment has come out in support of Pickering, including Charles Evers, brother of slain civil rights leader, Medgar Evers.

They play dirty by taking things out of context and just flat lieing about Pubs they don't like. (which is all of them)

[blackdog]

For a guy who cannot peacefully reside in a house with a spouse, why does he think he has any relevance on national matters? When he champions harmony from within his plasterboard box, he can lecture me on right and wrong.

[hellinahandcart]

"When Donald Rumsfeld and the Pentagon spokespeople say to you, 'Well, this is going to be a long war, we're going to be in Afghanistan for the long haul,' what that euphemism means is that the moratorium on criticizing the government must be extended longer and longer and longer - ideally, beyond the 2002 election," Baldwin said.

(eye roll)

Why do we bother to pass laws we have no intention of enforcing? < /sarcasm >

[hflynn]

It's like a hurricane, starting like a tropical storm and going to Category 1, Category 2," Meek said. "That's what I feel is coming in November. In this upcoming election, for the first time in state history, we're going to make sure everyone's vote is counted.

Except of course if your vote is from overseas and your in the military. We can't allow that kind of American to vote, can we Mr. Meek.

[Malacoda]

Funny, I compare all of Baldwin's "performances" with acts of terrorism.

[Dog Gone]

I wonder if Hollywood realizes that part of the failure of Pearl Harbor was the refusal of many conservatives to watch a movie with this slimeball in it.

I might, just might, watch a movie with him in it if he's killed off early by a creature who devours him.

[PRND21]

omg, he's gonna run for office.

[Phantom Lord]

Found an article on it...

Snip...

The questions in the Justice Department's letter echo those the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida raised in a federal lawsuit it filed last week in Miami. The group compared the responsibilities' reminder to "study and know candidates and issues" to literacy tests that were used in past generations to prevent African-Americans from voting.

End snip...

Full Article

Another... Suit charges Florida election reform violates voting rights