Politics, Baseball, Addressed in Will's Annual Meeting Session

by Andrew K. Chu

Nationally syndicated columnist George Will's keynote speech at the 2000 Annual CAS meeting focused on the extended presidential election. Those in attendance were treated to his insights on the unfolding drama, as well as his bold prediction: a Gore victory predicated on hand-recounted ballots, much to Will's displeasure.

Will discussed electoral college benefits as well as practical reasons why the electoral college is unlikely to change in the near future. In addition to commenting on the unwillingness of smaller states to diminish their relative voting power, Will asked the audience to consider the logistics nightmare of recounting ballots for all 50 states in an election as close as the 2000 campaign.

During a question and answer session, Will lamented the impersonality of Internet and mail voting. Aside from their greater fraud potential, such methods would eliminate the collective American exercise known as voting. The U.S. already has precious few collective activities; to dismiss yet another one would be unfortunate in Will's eyes.

After sharing his political insights, Will fielded some questions on baseball. The author of several books on the sport and a member of an ad hoc Major League Baseball committee, Will addressed the impact of the widening payroll gap on America's national pastime. Will did not go into great detail about potential solutions, but hinted that his committee's report to Bud Selig proposed some changes.

One CAS member found a topic on which Will had absolutely no opinion. When asked about the merits of potential federal insurance regulation versus the current state regulatory environment, his response was a quick "No comment."