Opening Remarks by
Joseph A. Mussomeli
Chargé d’Affaires, Embassy of the United States of America
at the 2004 U.S. Election Watch
Marriott Hotel, Cebu City
November 3, 2004

Thank you for joining us this morning. This is an exciting moment in the life of the American nation, and I am delighted you have chosen to share it with us.

Of course, “exciting” has many connotations. Sometimes it is merely a euphemism for chaotic, or stressful, or even bewildering. Well, today may be all of those things, but it will also be a shining example of American democracy in action. A day that, regardless of who wins and who loses, will be a great day for America. Because it is in having these elections that we all win, and none of us really loses.

Before I go any further, I want to thank the sponsors who have contributed to this event. We very much appreciate your support.

It has been only a few short months since May when we followed with keen interest Philippine elections. Now it is your turn to monitor our elections and tell us what you think. These role reversals are a good thing. They can be humbling, I suppose, but they can also be edifying. We can learn, you can learn, from sharing this experience together.

Many of us recall election-day events from November 2000 that involved the participation of the Supreme Court of the United States.
While this was the first time the Supreme Court got involved, it was not the first time the government was involved in the selection of the President.

Twice, when no candidate received a majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives selected the President. (Thomas Jefferson in 1800 and John Quincy Adams in 1824)

In August 1974, Gerald Ford assumed the Presidency upon the resignation of President Nixon. Already having been appointed as Vice President upon the resignation of Spirew Agnew, Ford was the only President to reach the office without election.

I note these exceptions to emphasize democracy as a process that adjusts and evolves and that provides mechanisms for resolving the unexpected. At times like this we recall Churchill’s sensible observation that “Democracy is the worst form of government -- except for all those others that have been tried.”

Today, while our attention is primarily on the presidential election, the democratic process in America extends well beyond. This year, the electorate decides upon 34 seats in the United States Senate, all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, 11 governorships, and thousands of other positions at the state and local levels.

So let us watch together as the results come in and the outcome emerges. And, if as was the case four years ago, it turns out that today’s outcome is more “exciting” than we expected, and that this election will take a month to decide, well then I guess we will have to order more sandwiches and sleeping bags.

Again, thank you all very much for coming. I hope you enjoy today’s festivities.

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