1. Discuss 3 problems in the 2000 Presidential election in Florida.
According to Recount (Jay Roach, 2008), because of the difference in voices received which was less than 0,5%, a necessity to proceed to mandatory machine recount occurred. Although it was a problem in itself, it became visible that this is just a tip of the iceberg. As the representatives of both democrats and republicans where highly interested in their candidate to win, they were desperately seeking for ways to achieve the results which would meet their demands. The legal fight between the sides revealed the following major problems which took place during the election in Florida. Firstly, there occurred a machine mistake due to which the machine failed to accurately record the intention of the voter. Secondly, great quantity of ballots was not counted in the presidential race because of mistakes in formatting (such as failing to put a date or a stamp on the ballet). Thirdly, great quantity of people did not have a chance to take part in the elections because, due to machine mistake, they were perceived as offenders. Apart from this, there was a difference in standards in different states which also could put the results of the election under doubt. Although some of the ballets were checked by hand recount, it was impossible to verify all the ballets due to the shortness in time. They say that policy is dirty business, indeed, the movie showed how dirty it is.
2. What the different ways that Jim Baker (Bush) and Warren Christopher (Gore) looked at the recount?
James Baker, former U.S. Secretary of State, who was in the Bush team, was absolutely sure that his candidate had won the election. For this reason, he saw no cause for additional negotiations. He was aggressive in his will to prove the victory of Bush. He insisted that there was no need in hand recount as it leads to mischief. For this reason, he thought, it is better to use machine account. On the contrary, Warren Christopher, former U.S. Secretary of State, who was in Gore team, insisted on diplomacy, compromise, and negotiations. He believed that the fight for voices is unnecessary and that Gore was young enough to make an honorable gesture and recognize the victory of Bush, thus saving his good name and leaving the chance to become a candidate another time. He said “there is no shame in placing country above party” (Recount). Warren Christopher left Florida before the major fight occurred, however, he approved that going to state court was a good idea, while Baker preferred federal court.
3. Who was Katherine Harris and what role did she play in the election?
According to the movie, Katherine Harris was the Secretary of State in Florida. She played a visible role in the elections, for she appeared to be that authority which could decide whether to give the additional time for the recount or not. Moreover, she could influence on the whole process of election for she was …