Mullings A Political Cyber Column By Rich Galen

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Al's Pal

Monday October 30, 2000

In a shocking development the New York Times endorsed Vice President Al Gore for President in yesterday's editions. The Times pointed specifically to Gore's experience on a number of issues which, "could be undone in a flash by a pliable and inexperienced president driven by a highly ideological Congress."

That was not as big a concern to the NY Times' editors eight years ago when, we should remember, the Democratic nominee was an untested Governor from Arkansas running to join with "a highly ideological Congress" both Houses of which were, at the time, in the hands of the Democrats.

Showing remarkable prescience, the New York Times, in its endorsement of Bill Clinton eight years ago, said: "� he has, when pressed, shown a discomfiting tendency to blur truthful clarity." Those dozen words describe the essence of the Clinton Administration.

From the Desk of the Vice President:
Dear Bill:
I would like to take you up on your kind offer of support in this last week of the Presidential campaign. I have a few suggestions as to where you might be most helpful.
Fund Raising. Please go to Los Angeles and raise money there.
Democratic Turnout. Please go to Los Angeles and help turn
out base Democratic votes.
Republican Turnout. Please go to Los Angeles and help
suppress Republican votes.
Ralph Nader. Please go to Los Angeles and have Ralph
Nader indicted.
Congress. Please go to Los Angeles and wag your finger
at the Republican Congress.
Endorsement. Please go to Los Angeles and tell people
you are for me.
Joint Appearances. I regret I will not be able to fit
Los Angeles into my busy schedule while you are there.
Your Pal, Al.

This Administration continues to be stranger than fiction. Two major stories this week concern magazine photos: The cover photo of Bill Clinton in Esquire Magazine and the nude photos of Paula Jones in Penthouse.

The low angle alpha-male shot of Clinton does nothing to help raise the, um, stature of Al Gore. The photos of Paula Jones only serve to remind everyone why we're so tired of these guys.

It all just adds to Al Gore's woes. This is not what the Gore campaign had in mind for the final sprint:
Running:
AGAINST George W. Bush;
AWAY FROM Bill Clinton; and,
AFRAID OF Ralph Nader.

Don't forget to check here to see the daily update of polls from around the internet. It's updated daily and throughout the day as polls are released.

Also (and I know you don't care about this) but there's a picture of Paula Jones there, too.

Marty Plissner was, for years, the political guru at CBS. Although he is retired from that role, he remains well-respected for his analytical skills and his persistence in getting the facts on what is really going on in significant campaigns. He had an excellent op-ed piece in yesterday's New York Times discussing why the polls swing back and forth. To read it, go here.

The Mullmeister is scheduled to be on MSNBC on Tuesday at the mother ship in Secaucus, New Jersey from about mid-day until Hardball at five pm EST. Note, though, these schedules tend to change.

I don't hype websites very often (and don't e-mail me asking to do it for yours) but take a look at the Hillary-No site which has as its tag line: "She'll Run for President in a New York Minute."

Ad wars: Here's some further proof about the difference between the two campaigns. When the Bush campaign found out about the "daisy" ad against Vice President Gore, it called the independent group responsible and demanded it be taken off the air.

When asked about that horribly unfair ad the NAACP is running against Governor Bush, Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Joe Lieberman told NBC's Tim Russert, Sunday, that it represented a legitimate point of view. There's a profile in courage for you.

Friday was the deadline for Senator Lieberman to withdraw from the Senate race in Connecticut which he declined to do. The only explanation is the obvious one.

What in the wide, wide world of sports is a-goin' on here? The Washington Redskins are the Monday night game this week, so there was no early NFL game in the Washington, DC market. There was an AFC game on the CBS outlet, but the other three networks - the NBC, Fox, and ABC station - each had � figure skating.

The CBS game, by the way, included the Baltimore Ravens who have not scored a touchdown since Art Modell bolted Cleveland. Figure skaters. They play like 367 lb. figure skaters.

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Copyright © 2000 Richard A. Galen

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