Swem Library bought a copy of the movie Recount. It's part of my job to review movies before they get put on the shelf, so I picked up Recount this morning before putting it on the shelf and started watching it during my desk shift.
I was unaware of how little I actually know/knew about the 2000 election. Having lived through it (I was 15 at the time), I would have said that I remember the way events unfolded. Having watched the first half of the movie - assuming that the movie is factual accurate, which is my understanding - I clearly was too young to really grasp some of the smaller details of the event.
Some things I have learned:
I did not realize or perhaps I just don't remember that Gore had called Dubya on the night of the 2000 election to concede AND THEN HAD TO CALL HIM BACK TO UN-CONCEDE. That is $*(#@& incredible. I can't imagine a more awkward phone call to make. All politics aside, I feel so sorry for both of them during that exchange. If I were Al Gore, I don't even know how I would get out those words. As George W. Bush, I would be pissed - "you can't un-concede!"
I did not realize that Florida's Secretary of State, Katherine Harris, had such a large roll in the recount. She's ... well ... If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all, right?
I would highly recommend that everyone check out Recount. From what I've read, the creators put a lot of work into the story and strived for as much historical accuracy as possible. According to IMDB, writer Danny Strong made it his goal to interview the real-life counterpart of at least one character appearing in each scene. In most cases, he actually ended up interviewing every character. He achieved his goal in all but one case: because Katherine Harris declined any interviews, the scene where she stands alone looking out over the crowd of protesters outside her office was entirely imagined.
Here's hoping that every vote counts in 2008. Regardless of who wins, I will be most comforted by the knowledge that the winner was elected in a free and fair election.
