Oliphant relents, accepts Broward help in running Nov. election

Sun-Sentinel.com ^ | Posted September 20 2002 | By Scott Wyman and Buddy Nevins

[ChipShot]

Faced with the prospect of being booted from office, Broward County's election supervisor finally apologized Thursday for last week's voting debacle and agreed to accept county help running the November election. It was substantially the same deal that Supervisor of Elections Miriam Oliphant had rejected less than 24 hours earlier.

[ChipShot]

Looks like the Dems are admitting that the Florida election problem was their fault. Although, I doubt seriously that it will be reported that way.

[ChipShot]

Sorry about the formatting, this is my first post. I did the auto-excerpt and thought that it would just put the first paragraph on the actual post.

[D. Miles]

In some states having a uniformed oficer (sheriff dept ect) with in 100 ft of a polling place is violation of election law. I would hope on election day they leave their uniforms at home. The uniform maybe seen by some voters as an intimidation factor, something else for the dems to whine about!!!!

I'm going to ask the same question I always ask.....where were the elction commissioners during all this mess?

[Greeklawyer]

So let me understand this, the only reason she kept her job was because of the politics of her skin color?

[copycat]

Oliphant turned from defiant to contrite overnight, as some of Broward’s most powerful politicians bluntly explained to her how much her job was in jeopardy.

TRANSLATION: Your days of using your position to influence elections is over.

[wingnuts'nbolts]

You nailed it!

[cynicom]

Chip...

Dont worry about the post. The self styled posting police are not up yet. If they did not complain, no one would know they were alive. Good job....

[johnny7]

I don't mind an officer being within 100 ft or inside the building, for that matter.

What I do dislike are exit polls.

Never forgot driving home in Nov. 1992 to vote. The airwaves were full of Clinton glee. It was 4:00 PM.

RAAAAAAALPHHHH!!

[PLK]

.....Public Defender Al Schreiber, who groomed her for office and put his political machine behind her election.

Schreiber, in graphic and unprintable language, told Oliphant that not only had she botched the Sept. 10 election, but that Bush was looking at removing her and that the turmoil in her office could threaten Tampa lawyer Bill McBride’s chances of defeating Bush in the November election. He said the election problems in Broward could suppress Democratic turnout in Broward, a key to the success of McBride’s campaign.

....“She always wanted to cooperate, but somehow that was lost in semantics,” he said. Eggelletion added, “Miriam, despite her good looks, gets extremely nervous, especially in front of the press.”

What a mess, sounds like a circus down there. And the Dems are peeing their collective pants over this one.

Bush’s dilemma

Oliphant teetered toward possible removal over the past week. But the prospect of having to remove Oliphant would have put Bush in a politically untenable position.

If he did nothing, he would face national criticism for Florida’s election problems and would be accused of failing to take action because the problems were in a largely Democratic county.

But her removal would have created a backlash among black voters, because Oliphant is Broward’s only countywide elected black politician. It also would have opened Bush to questions over why he didn’t take similar action because of the irregularities with the 2000 presidential election.

Ah, same old story. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Her color has become the complicating issue here and overrides her incompetence.

[Greeklawyer]

Pehaps there should be a law that says all Supervisor of Elections must PERSONALLY go through so many hours of classes. Make it a requirement for all Supervisors after each election to office. No more arrogance of "I know what I am doing".

[alloysteel]

You have it so exactly right. The area, Ft. Lauderdale, is and has been an enclave of retirees from NYC and New Jersey for at least the past half century and more, and Miriam Oliphant is their "token". This proves their "diversity" and "tolerance", but she was selected largely because she is compliant and not especially gifted otherwise. An amiable fool to do as directed, she is in a position that is far beyond her competency, and she has no more of an idea than a bullfrog would, of how to make the system work. What's more, she openly admits it. But rather than offering a resignation, and having it accepted, the county commissioners assigned a deputy to do the real work, and she retains her titular position and pay grade.

The wonders of entrenched bureaucracy. She does not even have to retire, to enjoy the benefits.