Page One

SAN FRANCISCO – About thirty protesters carrying signs denouncing the George W. Bush “coup d’etat” rallied outside the offices of Senator Barbara Boxer Friday afternoon.  

The group petitioned Boxer to reject the Florida electors today and open public debate about what they alleged to be election fraud.  

“We believe that George Bush did not win Florida,” said event organizer Monica Friedlander, an Oakland resident who works in Berkeley. “We believe that the Florida  

electors are illegitimate and they should be rejected by the full House and the Senate.” 

On Saturday, the House and Senate meet in a joint session to ratify the state electors. The congressional black caucus, including Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, will object to the Florida electors. If one member from both the House and the Senate object to the Florida electors, it opens the question for discussion before the entire joint legislature. The demonstrators wanted Boxer to provide the one senate voice necessary to beg the question.  

Chief of Staff Sam Chapman offered little hope to the petitioners. “(Boxer’s) position is that unless Gore asks her to intervene, she won’t,” said Chapman. “Senator Boxer has taken the position that as one of Gore’s strongest supporters, it is his call whether the contest goes forward.”  

Petitioners were disillusioned by Boxer’s decision. “I’m disappointed that her action will depend on what Vice President Gore wants. I think it’s about democracy and the people of California,” Friedlander said. As political feelings became inflamed, members of the crowd argued, “They represent us, they don’t rule us” and “Gore isn’t her constituent, we’re her constituents,” to protest Boxer’s basing her decision on Gore’s desires rather than on the desires of voters.  

“The country is being robbed of the president we elected,” Friedlander said . 

People said objecting to the Florida electors was not about support for any individual candidates, but about a respect for the democratic process. “We’re going to have the first illegitimate president,” Friedlander said. “I think it would be a very serious threat to our democracy. It’s a matter of principle and democracy at this point, not of political persuasion.” Friedlander is originally from Rumania. “For me it’s especially painful to see something like this happen in a place like America,” she said. 

The attendees agreed that even if Boxer did object to the Florida electors, the election results would probably stand. But, they insisted, Boxer’s formal objection was an important and necessary step to opening public dialogue and protecting the democratic process. “Even though there’s no chance that the protest will be successful it’s important for history to know that people thought the election was illegitimate,” said protester Eric Lindgren. 

Boxer’s petitioners came to demonstrate from all over the Bay Area, including Emeryville, Berkeley, Pleasant Hill and Marin County. When asked how many had never attended a protest before, over half raised their hands. Most of the group had not worked on political campaigns prior to the elections, but were galvanized by the events after the elections.  

Organizer Friedlander said the short notice explained the small turnout for the rally. “It’s an emergency action,” she said. Friedlander began organizing for the Friday rally Wednesday night on the Internet – especially through Berkeley-based moveon.org. She turned in about 200 signed letters to Chapman by Friday noon. 

Despite the short notice, enough people tuned out to move the meeting with the chief of staff from his office to outside the building, where the crowd flanked him on all sides. “For every one of use here there are probably many many thousands of people who support us,” Friedlander said.