How to Steal an Election The Inside Story of How George Bush's Brother and FOX Network Miscalled the 2000 Election and Changed the Course of History

by Moore, David W

• ISBN13: 9781560259299
• ISBN10: 1560259299
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-09-28
• Publisher: Bold Type Books

Summary

This is the inside story of how Jeb Bush persuaded the Fox network to call the presidential election for his brother George W. Bush on Election Night 2000. It was one phone call to Fox the details of which are revealed in this book for the first time that propelled George W. Bush into leading position for 43rd president of the United States. Even though the erroneous statement had to be retracted within two hours, the damage done by this false call to Al Gore's chances of winning the election were incalculable. David Moore, at the time senior editor for the Gallup Poll, makes the plausible and alarming case that, had Fox not made this miscall, the resulting political environment would have been less biased in favor of Bush, and that Al Gore could have won. On Election Night in 2000, Moore was with the exit poll "decision team" of CBS and CNN, taking notes on how election races were called, and miscalled, around the country including the two miscalls and two rescissions in Florida. Prior to joining Gallup in 1993, Moore was founder and director of the Survey Center at the University of New Hampshire.

Author Biography

David W. Moore, a prominent national pollster, is former Senior Editor of the Gallup Poll.

On Election Night in 2000, Moore was with the exit poll “decision team” of CBS and CNN, taking extensive notes on how Warren Mitofsky and Joe Lenski called, and miscalled, election races around the country – including the two miscalls and two rescissions in Florida.

He writes a weekly column (PollTalk) for the Gallup website that deals with controversial polling issues. He also writes several polling articles a month for the Gallup website.

Prior to joining Gallup in 1993, as a vice president and the managing editor of the Gallup Poll, Moore was founder and director of the Survey Center at the University of New Hampshire.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Preface	xi
1 Irreparable Harm—An Overview	3	(12)
2 Election Night Projections—A Brief History	15	(16)
3 "Hell to Pay"	31	(18)
4 The "Cool" Cousins	49	(14)
5 The Bandwagon	63	(26)
6 Scapegoat	89	(18)
7 Theft of the Election	107	(24)
8 Election 2004—Another Uproar	131	(22)
9 Never Say Never Again	153	(22)
Notes	175	(14)
Index	189