Question about FLA 2000 prompted by "Unprecedented"

[minkyboodle]

I was just watching the excellent docu "Unprecedented: Election 2000" on Sundance and I had a quick question for the selection 2000 experts here on this board. The film mentions how Gore asked for a manual recount only in the 4 heavily democratic counties. I was under the impression that a full manual recount was asked for eventually. Was this the case? If so was it a case of to little to late? The docu portrays the Gore request as a major mistake on his part. Would love to hear some views on DUers on this question. Man Baker looks like the ass he is in this docu. Wish it included the full numbers of Palast's later findings though.
Scott
PS Jesus I dislike Katherine Harris

[Gman]

1. Initially, Gore asked for a recount in all counties

However, he also had the right under FL law to ask for a recount in specific counties which he ended up doing. The key here is that he had every right in the state of Florida to ask for the recount in those four counties. The fact that they are heavily Democrat is irrelevant to the issue of the recount under FL law.

[ijk]

2. Gore recounts

Most people do think it was a real mistake on Gore's part in terms of PR strategy, however. Had he pressed for a recount in all counties from the get-go, one of Bush's major political (if not legal) arguments would not have been possible. One of the things that comes out of the Florida debacle is that the Republicans were much more prepared for it, in many ways, than we were.

[HawkerHurricane]

4. Bush was better prepared BECAUSE

they suspected they would win the popular vote, and lose the electoral vote. So they set up strategies of what they would do and what they thought Gore's team would do in those circumstances.
When the opposite occured, they just used the tactics they suspected that Gore would have used if the situation was reversed.

IN OTHER WORDS
They planned to steal the election no matter what the results were.

[Eric J in MN]

3. I don't think so

I don't think Gore asked for recounts throughout Florida, but the law is structured for the challenger to ask for a recount where he thinks he was wronged.

Requests of a court are supposed to be narrowly tailored.

If Bush thought he was wronged in any county, he could have asked for a recount there.

If Gore had asked a court to order a recount in districts where no one believed there was a problem, that would have seemed like a request to waste people's time.

Also, the Republican districts tended to use accurate optical-scan machines, while the Democratic districts tended to use inaccurate punch-cards. There was no point in recounting in districts accurate in the first place, and how could Gore argue that he wronged there?

The purpose of civil justice is to provide relief of a wrong.