2. At 2:18 am on Nov 9, 2000, one of the major TV networks made the call that GW Bush would become the 43 rd president of the US. All the major networks quickly followed suit. But , as we all know now, that was not the end of it. As demands for recounts and litigation went on, it became a field day for pollsters and their critics. In fact, the orginal call awarding Florida to AL Gore came early in the evening and was based not on actually vote totals, but on projections from the Voter News Service, an exit poll service used by new organizations. Between Nov 11-12, 2000: 55% favored a recount (80% of Gore voters, 20% of Bush Voters Between No 25-26, 2000: 51% said Bush was the real winner 15% said Gore was the real winner 32% were unsure