Mullings A Political Cyber Column By Rich Galen

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A High Bar

Thursday, August 17, 2000

From Los Angeles, California
The Democratic National Convention

First, a prayer for John McCain's quick and complete recovery. All which follows is tempered by the shared understanding that good men and good women provide public service to the rest of us at great risk to their physical and mental health, to their families and, as we know, to their privacy.

Here's what's been going on here today. Remember that business we talked about yesterday - the Congressional Black Caucus, led by Congresswoman Maxine Waters not happy with Joe Lieberman as the Vice Presidential nominee?

Today, on KCAL Channel 9 here in L.A. Ms. Waters issued a verbal threat that she would be watching Lieberman's speech. To make the point even more sharply, she said that Lieberman knew what he had to say.

And wattaya think? He said it.

In the SpeakOut.com on-line dial poll, Lieberman was sailing along with the highest total scores of any speaker - maybe at either convention when he spoke about his faith, his wife, his mom, and what a great country this is.

As soon as he launched into the affirmative action part of the speech - the part that was a direct pander to Ms. Waters - Republicans, undecideds, and those voting for other candidates like Ralph Nader dropped off the table.

For a complete look at the on-line dial poll results, go here:

Meanwhile the Voter.com/Battleground poll showed that the Democrats' "Zag-To-The-Left-Night" to calm the Liberal base, came at a cost with more conservative Democratic voters. The tracking poll (which samples 500 people per night and combines the most recent two nights into a 1,000 person poll) showed the eight-point lead Bush/Cheney had over Gore/Lieberman after Monday night's activities stretched into an 11-point lead after Tuesday.

The Lieberman choice has angered Labor (they disagree with Lieberman on trade issues); African-Americans (racial preference issues); and the powerful Education lobby (has been for vouchers).

Al Gore arrived here today. His mission tonight is formidable. He has to, single handedly, get this party under his control in the 36 hours he will be on the ground.

Jim Miklaszewski, of NBC News said "Gore has to meld the many separate entities which make up the Democratic party in the year 2000 into one cohesive whole." Miklaszewski didn't think Gore could do it.

This is a party which isn't just splintering apart; it is a party which has put itself inside a political particle accelerator and is being split sub-atomic mesons, leptons, and (of course) quarks.

Doug Bailey, one of the smartest people ever to be in politics (and maybe THE nicest person ever to be in politics) explained Gore's problem this way: People watching television know almost instantly whether or not the person on the screen is comfortable with himself or herself.

Richard Nixon was never comfortable with himself and people watching him would cringe on his behalf.

Ronald Reagan, on the other hand, was extremely comfortable with his place in space and time and many, many people who didn't agree with him on issues still felt he could be President.

Bill Clinton mastered the J.R. Ewing edict: "Once you can fake sincerity, the rest is easy."

Bailey said you cannot, just before someone is ready to go on TV say, "Ok. Look comfortable."

Walter Shapiro, columnist for USA Today wrote that Gore may be the first nominee for President to use charts and a pointer in his acceptance speech.

So Al Gore, who has to "Look Comfortable" enough with himself to close the leadership gap, may not be certain who "himself" even is.

His career rides on that fifty-or-so minutes. No pressure, though.

I wondered why there were all those hand made signs at the GOP convention and all those pre-printed signs (complete with the union bug) here.

A Dem friend said the signs in Philadelphia were computer generated to look like they were hand painted.

"Au contraire," I said. The Lad and his buddy, Todd Beyer, spent the better part of a month in Philadelphia overseeing the painting of every one of those thousands of signs - by hand.

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Copyright © 2000 Richard A. Galen

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