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CNN Live Saturday

Have the Views on 2000 Presidential Election Changed in a Year?

Aired December 15, 2001 - 15:43   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, DECEMBER 13, 2000)

AL GORE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good evening. Just moments ago, I spoke with George W. Bush and congratulated him on becoming the 43rd president of the United States. And I promised him that I would not call him back this time.

I offered to meet with him as soon as possible so that we can start to heal the divisions of the campaign and the contest through which we have just passed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, DECEMBER 13, 2000)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: This evening, I have received a gracious call from the vice president. 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, this time last year America was turned upside down as the controversial presidential election played out. Exactly one year later, our world has been turned upside down again, but by events no one could predict. But does that mean the election of 2000 is now only a memory? Well, CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): If Democrats were to wage the bloody shirt, revived anger over last year's election, here's what it would sound like.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, FEBRUARY 3, 2001)

TERRENCE MCAULIFFE, DNC CHAIRMAN: If Katherine Harris, Jeb Bush, Jim Baker and the Supreme Court had not tampered with the results, Al Gore would be president! George Bush would be back in Austin! And John Ashcroft would be home, reading "Southern Partisan" magazine!

(END VIDEO CLIP) SCHNEIDER: That was then, back in February, just after President Bush took office. This is now, after September 11. After President Bush's job ratings have entered the stratosphere. After an exhaustive media review of the disputed Florida ballots found that Bush would still have won even if the Supreme Court had not stopped the recount. Has the Democrats' resentment over the election vanished? Not exactly. It's just sort of been set aside.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, NOVEMBER 11, 2001)

MCAULIFFE: I make the point (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Al Gore, the people who went to the polls wanted to vote for him, but I'm trying to get off of that and go forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: For the time being.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, SEPTEMBER 29, 2001)

GORE: As Democrats, let's keep this bipartisanship alive for as long as our country faces this threat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: A year later, has the country changed its view of the election? Not as much as you'd think. Just after the Supreme Court's decision last December, about half of Americans believed George W. Bush won the election fair and square. A third said he won on a technicality. And 18 percent said he stole the election.

And now? As of last month, half of Americans believe Bush won fair and square. About one-third think he won on a technicality. And 15 percent still say he stole it. Not much change.

Among Republicans, confidence in the nation's election system has rebounded since last year. Among Democrats, however, confidence remains very low. Democrats know that Gore got over half-a-million more votes across the country than Bush. They believe more Florida voters intended to vote for Gore than for Bush.

So what say Republicans? Get over it! So this, say some Democrats, reelect Gore in 2004.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Well, that's CNN's Bill Schneider. I should also mention that efforts aimed at election reform are gaining steam on Capitol Hill. Wednesday, the House passed a bill designed to prevent a repeat of last year's ballot confusion. And Thursday, the Senate introduced a similar measure.

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