Mr. Smith begins with a rather spurious claim: that Sen. John Kerry lost the presidential election “by a large margin.” By whose standards? In comparison to 2000, where 527 Floridians decided the election, pretty much anything is a larger margin. But if one can take 2.8 percent of the popular vote and call it a “large margin,” then perhaps Al Gore really did invent the Internet.
Every election in the last 24 years (except, of course, for the near-deadlock of 2000) has had larger margins of both electoral and popular votes for the winning candidate in each election than the 2004 election. If Mr. Smith wants to make broad, sweeping statements about “large margins,” perhaps he should talk to Walter Mondale. Losing by 18.3 percent of the popular vote and an astounding 512 electoral votes, as he did to President Reagan in 1984 – now that’s a large margin.
Mail Call – Kerry did not lose by a wide margin of votes
November 22, 2004
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