AS THE saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. The photo released by the Democrats showed it all: former Gov. Carl T.C. Gutierrez and Delegate Madeleine Z. Bordallo were shaking hands and apparently back together again. While their expressions may not be as warm and friendly as in the past, the handshake, as it is now being called, still welled up the veterans of the ’94 and ’98 campaigns present during the Democrats’ meeting in Sinajaña Tuesday night.

Sen. Rory Respicio, who was a protégé of the Gutierrez-Bordallo years and has now come into his own, said seeing the two icons together again felt just like old times. “Our party is alive and well,” the Majority leader declared.

Of course, it’s uncertain if that handshake was just for show or whether Bordallo and Gutierrez have really made up. If they did make up, Gutierrez may opt to preserve party unity and not challenge Madeleine for the congressional race this year, as many have speculated.

The tradeoff, apparently, is Bordallo’s unwavering support for Bill 413, the election reform measure, which also calls for an audit of the 2010 poll results. Even when Gov. Eddie Calvo had not yet vetoed the bill, Bordallo was already lobbying in favor of the bill to prove to the Democrats that she continues to be, well, a Democrat. This came after some Democrats had charged Madeleine of being closer to the Calvo administration than to her own partymates.

As for Bill 413, the move to override the governor’s veto, which was supposed to happen yesterday, has been temporarily put off as session was cancelled at the last minute due to Sen. Ben Pangelinan’s absence. But even if the gentleman from Barrigada had been present, the Democrats would still have needed one Republican vote to overturn Calvo’s veto.

If the Democrats are unable to overturn the veto, they have another option, as bared during Tuesday night’s meeting. And that is for Bordallo to initiate a congressional investigation into the allegations of voter fraud and electioneering during the 2010 elections.

This is also a kind of loyalty test for Madeleine. Would she use her position in Congress to help the Democrats? Bordallo apparently balked at the idea at first, not giving any firm commitment when the proposal was initially broached. But she has since announced her support for the proposal. Apparently, Madeleine is bending over backwards to demonstrate her loyalty and fealty to the Democratic Party.

Whether Bill 413 becomes law or not, what is clear is that the measure has resuscitated the Democrats, who were previously reeling from GOP attacks that they were the stumbling block to progress and the cause of delay for everything – from the release of the tax refunds to the Guam military buildup.

With regard to the 2010 gubernatorial race, the Democrats, it seems, aren’t hearing any fat lady singing; and with Bill 413, they have managed to shift the spotlight and revive the Gutierrez-Calvo matchup of 2010.

Gutierrez himself helped fan the fire by sending a personal message to Calvo, castigating the governor for vetoing Bill 413 and “making this more about the two of us.”

As far as Calvo is concerned, of course, the election is done and over with and the people have moved forward. The governor said he is concentrating all of his time now on the fight against poverty, the improvement of services, and the building of a strong future for Guam.

Meanwhile, Calvo's communications director Troy Torres also released an email this week stating the Calvo camp “never ever” had a problem with the audit provision of Bill 413.

“What these detractors keep leaving out is the hidden section about the absentee ballots. In the November 2010 election, as in all elections before it, a deadline was imposed for the Election Commission to receive the absentee ballots cast. Apparently, there were ballots that came in after the deadline. As in all elections throughout the country, those ballots do not count because they were late. ... (But) Section 7118 of Bill 413 legislatively ex post facto moves the deadline, so those ballots count. Where in the world of democracy is that allowed?” Torres stated.

“This is what they're not telling you about this bill. That section has nothing to do with election reform, and nothing to do with an audit of the prior election. It is a veiled attempt to change the rules of democracy to their overwhelming desire for power,” he added.

So what happens next?

If the Bill 413 veto is overridden and the measure becomes law, will there be a runoff if the audit results favor the Gutierrez camp? That is highly unlikely, since the opposing camp will likely counter and bog down the issue in years of litigation.

But whatever happens, the Democrats have won political points. There is indeed a method to their madness since they are no longer retreating and are ready to grasp the initiative again.

Gutierrez, especially, is a big winner because even if the eventual decision doesn’t favor him, he has managed to pull himself out of irrelevance and back into the political limelight again – something which will come in handy if he has any future political plans.