The Political Chase

Recount on HBO

A very late reminder. Recount is premiering tonight on HBO at 9:00 PM ET. It is an HBO original about the 2000 presidential election of King George II and the drama surrounding the Florida counting of votes.

Most cable companies have channels for East and West coast broadcasts of HBO, so if you missed the first one, you can probably catch the second one. And if you’ve got Tivo, it won’t really matter at all, will it?

It’s supposed to be quite good, although I’ve heard that Al Gore wasn’t pleased with certain aspects of the production. Here’s part of the synopsis from HBO. The main page of Recount is here.

From the trailers I’ve seen, Laura Dern does an outstanding job in her role as Katherine Harris.

Starring Kevin Spacey, Bob Balaban, Ed Begley, Jr., Laura Dern, John Hurt, Denis Leary, Bruce McGill, and Tom Wilkinson, Recount brings viewers behind the scenes at the controversial Florida recount. This illuminating, hugely entertaining film pulls back the veil on the headlines to explore the human drama surrounding the most controversial presidential election in U.S. history.

Mixing news footage and verbatim dialogue into fictionalized re-creations, Recount examines the torturous process that culminated in the Supreme Court decision in Bush vs. Gore. The Republicans, led by charismatic Texan James Baker, seize the initiative as the case is tried in the judicial system and the court of public opinion. The Democrats play catch-up until Ron Klain, Gore’s former chief of staff, takes over and starts matching Baker’s political hardball with tough moves of his own. Mutual respect forms between the two as the fate of the presidency plays out among a colorful cast ranging from the impressive (appellate lawyer David Boies) to the maligned (Florida’s Secretary of State Katherine Harris).

Recount recreates many of the movers and shakers in the Florida fight. Among the Democrats are Ron Klain (Spacey), soldiering on despite being demoted as Gore’s Chief of Staff; Michael Whouley (Leary), Gore’s Chief Field Operative; Warren Christopher (Hurt), the onetime Secretary of State whose passivity eventually yields to Klain’s more forceful tactics; and David Boies (Begley), an appellate lawyer recruited to articulate the Democrats’ message. Republicans include James Baker (Wilkinson), another former Secretary of State with a will to win to match Klain’s; Ben Ginsberg (Balaban), the campaign’s Lead Counsel; Katherine Harris (Dern), Florida’s Secretary of State, remembered as much for her makeup as for her role in determining the winner; and Mac Stipanovich (McGill), a lobbyist with the moniker "Mac the Knife."