Reply #48: Nixon was a supreme opportunist [View All]

[PATRICK]

refashioned his image without being crucified by a press every bit as skeptical and hostile. Most of all he worked behind the scenes garnering deals and favors and supporting the legislators who would back him.
Gore has worked the issues on a genuine high road without cynicism and therefore without spidery webs of support. What helped Nixon the most was the weakness of the ultra conservatives and the weakness of the mainstream candidates who very much resemble the cloak of non-meaning sometimes worn by the establishment Dems.

So it all rides on this. Will the door be wide open for Gore to take his chances with the party faithful and blast through the hostile media? Nixon had to 'charm" and wheedle the media and got results. Gore can forget about getting similar hospitality. I guess the irony there is Gore can act tougher than the "new Nixon" because another "new Gore" is DOA.

If the establishment Dems continue to marginalize themselves and keep the waters lukewarm they will create an opportunity for Gore, Clark, etc. that only would need an enthusiastic run by acerbic radicals to ruin the image of the so-called DLC moderates. Then he would garner the advantage of his base which is
the democratic Party itself which knows him and all his supposed weakness could turn into solid advantages with Democrats at least.

And the point should come up strongly that Gore in fact won both the votes and the electoral college in principle and it took a violation of principle- one in a subsequent landslide of lawlessness- to toss the technicality war out the window.

Can Gore handle the media and the dirty electoral scene better than he did? If so, he would be far far ahead of the others who seem incapable of learning anything new about those blatant problems. Can he light the fire and lead the turnaround and take back everything that has been stolen and lost? Or can anyone do better? With all the carping about any of the candidates the crucial questions are still wide open about the campaign capability itself. There are some new governors to take a good look at this time and my personal favorite Edwards.

And all it would have taken to make this an interesting exercise in choosing one from a bevy of the best was to have at least a fair voting system, screw the media. Failing a fair system we need a zealous populist landslide- and the media is a big problem.