re: CNN about to release it’s first exit poll

quote:

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I remember telling my mo that I did not believe that Gore had won because the vote tally was still too close and the Panhandle had not been fully counted

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Jeb (Bless his heart) underperformed badly for his brother in Florida.
He thought he had delivered FL by 1%-1.5%. So W's team was caught badly off guard as unexpectedly high SoFL turnout piled in for Gore.

To his credit though, Jeb at least knew he should still get similar levels of turnout in the panhandle.

Networks had NEVER reported results on a state before all precincts closed. That all changed in 2000. Not only did they report FL results, they intimated FL was done. I believe a couple may have even called it before west FL polls closed. There is no question whatsoever West Florida votes were suppressed by that maneuver. Probably in vicinity of a couple of thousand.

Jeb (Bless his heart) whined about it that night.

But as Florida flipped, it took Jim Baker and W's Big Boys to convince Ailes to call the election early the next morning for Bush. That move by Fox was critical. It was no more fair than what the other majors had pulled earlier in the evening for Gore. But it certainly was no worse.