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Jewish World Review Oct. 26, 1999 /16 Mar-Cheshvan, 5760
Matthew Rees
Maybe. Theres no denying Gore has been running a more aggressive campaign in recent weeks. Zinging Bill Bradleyfor voting in favor of Reaganomics and for retiring in 1996seems weak, but it shows Gore has turned off the cruise control. Similarly, his decision to cut a television ad immediately after Republicans defeated the nuclear test ban treaty revealed a spontaneity that would have been unthinkable just a few weeks ago (John Podesta, Clintons chief of staff, was steamed Gore didnt check with the White House before running with the ad). Chris Lehane, Gores spokesman, now describes the campaign as a lean, mean, fighting machinea characterization that wouldnt have passed the smell test before Gore announced his campaign office was moving to Tennessee and shedding countless staff. But Gore still has his share of problems. Last week, a new Iowa poll showed that, for the first time, Bradley and Gore are in a statistical dead heat. And on October 20, the Washington Posts In the Loop column reported that three people have turned down offers to become the campaigns communications director, which should be a highly sought-after job. The press secretary post is also vacant. A more fundamental problem for Gore is money. At the end of September, he and Bradley had about the same amount of cash on hand. But Gore has already spent about 25 percent of whats permitted in Iowa. Add to that his new TV ads, and the Bradley campaign estimates hell soon be at 50 percent. Bradley, by contrast, has spent just 5 percent of the legal limit. Money becomes less important if Gore begins to energize voters. But can he? On October 20, Gore made four public appearances. I attended all of them, in the hope of finding out whether he has truly turned the corner.
10:40 a.m., Congress Heights United Methodist Church The 75 people in attendance stand and applaud as Gore briskly enters the basement auditorium of this church in Anacostia, the poorest (and blackest) section of Washington, D.C. Outfitted in a charcoal suit, white shirt, and sporty rep tie, hes here to unveil a set of proposals to combat deadbeat dads. The timing is not a coincidence: Bradley announced a few weeks ago he would be releasing his own child-poverty proposals one day from now. Gores office only called the church a few days ago to see if it would host the event. That Gore is being forced to respond like this underscores how far hes fallen. Yet, he did succeed at quickly putting together an event and a proposal to preempt Bradley. This suggests the speedy decision-making Gore showcased after the test-ban treaty vote may become the rule of his campaign, and not the exception. The session starts 40 minutes latebad symbolism for an event promoting personal responsibility. But Gore connects with the audience during a 20-minute presentation delivered without a podium and almost entirely without notes. At moments, he is Clintonesque, beginning his talk by congratulating the ministers daughter on her recent engagement. The audience applauds when he proposes denying men who owe child support the ability to get a new credit card (its a wonder Dick Morris didnt think of this). At other moments, he is, uh, Goring: He should know better than to say, Here are some statistics to reflect on. And his talk is long on government solutions, wrapping him in the civil-servant mantle he needs to shed. Gore is more effective when he sits with a group of young mothers and fathers and solicits their views on the challenges of parenthood. A young black woman describes her juggling act as a single mother, a full-time worker, and a law school student. Gore has a moment of Clintonian empathy, saying Im in awe of your achievements. Later, he seems even more relaxed, holding a 2-year-old girl on his lap. Her parents describe raising her while they were both unemployed. Gore abruptly asks, How did that make you feel? The mother says it taught her if you want something, you just have to work for it. Gore nods solemnly, as if its a sentiment hes uniquely qualified to appreciate.
3:30 p.m., Indian Treaty Room, Old Executive Office Building Gore is here to sign a memorandum of understanding between the Small Business Administration and the Social Security Administration, pledging the agencies to coordinate efforts to expand employment for the disabled. But because hes a busy guyhes just come from a lunch on Capitol Hill with Senate Democratsthe event begins without him. A disabled woman is five minutes into her presentation on the agreements importance when White House aides begin shuffling in and out. The woman eventually stops to ask what all the commotion is about. Told the vice president has arrived, she promptly resumes speaking. When Gore finally enters the room, he still looks loose in his charcoal suit. Only theres nothing informal about the Indian Treaty Room, with its high ceiling and ornate walls. During his 15-minute speech, Gore stands planted behind the podium. I notice hes reading from his notecards, as he pleads for equal treatment of the disabled, saying he believes in it with all my heart. There is applause, but his delivery is as lifeless as a seafood platter. The climate improves as Gore tells a poignant story about his blind aunt, and the audience of 50 people, many of them disabled or advocates for the disabled, lap it up. The notecards are nowhere to be seen when Gore recounts his meeting with Stephen Hawking, whom he describes as the smartest man in the whole world. He obviously thinks the crowd will like hearing him say that about the wheelchair-bound Hawking. And everyone laughs when he describes Hawkings A Brief History of Time as a book I pretended to read. For a routine signing ceremony, Gores performance is slightly better than I expected. But nothing about it suggests a dramatic change in persona. And, then, there is his penchant for sounding disingenuous. He prefaces his comments about Hawking by noting, Some of you may have heard me tell this story. Its a true story. This makes me wonder: Why does Gore feel the need to describe a story hes about to tell as true? Does he now make a practice of larding his speeches, Clinton-style, with anecdotes made out of thin air?
4:30 p.m., Marriott Hotel The vice president is late again, 20 minutes this time. Its the annual convention of the Civil Service Employees Association, a New York state union. A mischievous audio engineer decides to fill the cavernous room with Aretha Franklins Respect, followed by Queens We Will Rock You. Dozens of union members begin gyrating to the music. I wish Gore would arrive.
Gore connects with the crowd early by describing himself as pro-worker, pro-union, and pro-collective bargaining. Theres nothing courageous about anything Gore sayshe doesnt, for example, challenge his audience with any rhetoric about pushing the Democratic party to the center. But he does take pains to distinguish moderate Republican voters, many of whom belong to unions, from extreme Republicans. But then, starting to sound like Joe McCarthy, Gore warns darkly that the GOP would base its Supreme Court appointments on private meetings with Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. On a softer note, Gore tells the audience that when his father was Tennessee labor commissioner, Gore Sr. set a state minimum wage of 25 cents an hour. Sounds like one of the Republican platform positions. The crowd of 1,000 hoots with pleasure. But these days no Gore speech would be complete without an autobiographical riff and at least one gaffe. This speech has both. Gore talks at some length about his family, noting he and Tipper have just celebrated their 29th anniversary and that they have just become grandparents. Bill Clinton is referred to only cryptically. Obviously, Gore is setting himself up as the kind of family-values exemplar the president is not. And near the end of his speech Gore thanks the CSEA for its endorsement. The people around me look at each other and ask, What endorsement? As a matter of fact, CSEA hasnt endorsed Gore. Thanking organizations for support they have yet to offer is a mistake no campaign should make, particularly that of an incumbent vice president. Although the speech is well-received, the glitch stands out.
8:20 p.m., National Building Museum Its the final public event of Gores day, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee gala. His strategy is to serve up more red meat than one finds at the Palm, which is wise. No one comes to massive fund-raisers like these to hear speeches. Daylight saving time, says Gore, is the one time we all get to act like Senate Republicans by turning back the clock. His rheAverkill. Republicans who blocked the nuclear test ban treaty, he says, are not worthy to run the United States Senate. They are an embarrassment to this country. But the biggest moment of the gala comes when Gore introduces Miss America, Heather French, for a special announcement. She comes to the podium and says shes switching from Republican to Democrat, because of her concerns about veterans issues. The crowd of 1,200 goes wild. That very morning, French had been quoted in the Washington Post saying she was thinking about switching parties. She tells me Gore staffers tracked her downshe was visiting Washington to talk about homeless veteransand offered her a speaking spot at the dinner if shed hurry up and make her switch official. There was, however, one small detail that prevented this from being a public-relations coup for the vice president: French told me she hasnt decided whether shell be supporting Gore or Bradley. Following Gores speech, a quick survey of Democratic opinion reveals enthusiasm for the vice presidents newly energized campaign. Hes on a roll now. . . . Hes where he needs to be, beams fund-raiser-cum-mortgage guarantor, Terry McAuliffe. The campaign seems quite a lot better in the last few weeks, opines New York senator Charles Schumer. From the standpoint of Iowa, its a whole new ballgame, says Harkin. Hillary Clinton tells me, I think hes doing great! Great is an exaggeration; better might be more appropriate. Gore is running a more intelligent, and more nimble, campaign than he was just a few weeks ago. Shrinking the number of staff, for example, can only help. It saves moneyGore had been spending more on personnel than any other presidential campaignand makes-decision making easier. And moving to Tennessee is nicely symbolic. As a speaker, Gore still has a long way to go, but his delivery is improving and he seems to be connecting more with his audiences.
But what does it all add up to? One of the first real tests of whether Gores vaunted new campaign can fight off Bradley comes October 27, when the two Democrats square off at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. Gore seems to understand he can no longer afford to be timid. The question now is whether he can avoid looking
10/22/99: The Clintonized Democrats
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