March 07, 2004
Letter to the Editor of The New Yorker
Probably sent too late to warrant publishing.
For those of us who hoped that Hendrik Hertzberg would refrain from further paeans to Al Gore in his defeat in 2000, we were sorely disappointed by Hertzberg's attack on Nader in the March 8th issue.Gore's defeat is Gore's responsibility alone, as witnessed by the miserable manner in which he handled his campaign, including, among other things: placing a conservative on his ticket (thus further alienating the left); distancing himself from an extremely popular incumbent; and mealy-mouthed "nice guy" debates that allowed George W. Bush to appear articulate.
Also, it would be oh-so-nice if Hertzberg (and other pundits) got over Gore's victory in the "popular vote." Going in, all candidates knew that the electoral college is what mattered, and played the game accordingly. If the popular vote determined the victor, the campaigns would have been run very differently -- and no telling who would have won.
Here's to not living in the past,
Peter Merholz
Berkeley, CA
