A Day of Waiting: Bush and Gore React to Supreme Court Arguments

As the nation waited with bated breath, Governor George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore took vastly different approaches to the day's events, watching the Supreme Court arguments unfold. While Bush went to the gym, Cain-like, to exercise his physique, Gore spent the day at home, poring over the details of the case with his family and top aides.

Key Takeaways:

• Vice President Gore watched the Supreme Court arguments with his family, including three of their four children, while Governor Bush emerged from his office to exercise on a treadmill.
• Gore's running mate, Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, acknowledged that if the Supreme Court ruled against the Democratic ticket, the effort to contest the election would be "essentially over."
• Gore's top legal strategist, Ron Klain, returned to Tallahassee, Fla., after the lunch, indicating a sign of optimism that workers will once again be counting votes.
• Governor Bush's aides disputed a report in The New York Times that drafts of a victory speech were already circulating among Bush's aides, and said that the governor himself had not yet reviewed a speech.
• Bush described his chances as "cautiously optimistic," while his press aides provided the same phrase to describe his emotions and their own.

Statistics:

• The Supreme Court case was argued for several hours, with the outcome hanging in the balance.
• The Florida Supreme Court had ruled in favor of the Democratic ticket, ordering a start to the manual recount, which was halted on Saturday by the United States Supreme Court.
• Of the four Gore children, three attended the Supreme Court arguments, while Sarah, the fourth child, was at Harvard.

Sources:

• "Bush Works Out While Gore Watches Court Arguments," The New York Times, Dec. 11, 2000
• "Gore Campaign Sends Klain Back To Tallahassee," Orlando Sentinel, Dec. 11, 2000
• "Lieberman: Supreme Court Decision May Be End Of It," Hartford Courant, Dec. 11, 2000