Gore in the balance

If money is all that counts, Al Gore is well on his way to succeeding mentor Bill Clinton in the White House. But the opinion polls are not so promising for the Vice President.

Gore is trekking back soon to Manhattan's money salons for "hush-hush" receptions to rake in the campaign cash with the help of Wall Street tycoon Steve Rattner. (New York Post, 2/23) Thanks to a barrage of such fund-raisers in recent months, Gore's camp should have no trouble meeting the expected $10 million to $15 million his 2000 primary campaigns will need.

But in the opinion polls, Gore is posting weaker numbers, consistently losing in matchups against Texas Gov. George W. Bush and former Red Cross Director Elizabeth H. Dole. "It is quite surprising that a sitting Vice President is trailing so badly when he has a President that is so popular and has approval ratings that are so high," National Public Radio's Mara Liasson said on the Fox News Channel. (2/22) Liasson dismisses Gore aides who explain that Bush and Dole have famous names: "So does Al Gore. . . . None of the explanations are very good, and I think it is a mystery, unless you take them at face value and say, 'Well, Al Gore is off to a pretty weak start.'"

More Gore

Despite Gore's struggling poll numbers, conservatives are worried enough about his potential that they have begun focusing their attacks on him. National Review is leading the way with a cover story titled "Apocalypse Gore," assailing what will probably be a frequent target in the campaign--Gore's 1992 pro-environment book, Earth in the Balance.

Fred Barnes of The Weekly Standard does his part to belittle Gore by promoting Gore's thus-far-only Democratic rival, former Sen. Bill Bradley of New Jersey: "I think you really have to watch Bradley. He just needs one burst in New Hampshire. If Gary Hart had had this schedule of primaries in 1984 that we have in the year 2000, Hart would've beaten Mondale." (Special Report, Fox News Channel, 2/22)

Republican media whiz Mike Murphy is even bolder, predicting Gore's sure demise. "Al Gore is the one who will pay the ultimate political price for Bill Clinton," Murphy wrote in The Weekly Standard. "Al Gore will never be President." (2/22)

But some Republicans are openly concerned that Gore is unbeatable. GOP consultant Ed Rollins worries that a crowded Republican field of presidential candidates will leave the eventual nominee at a financial disadvantage. Rollins says Gore will be "sitting there with all of the primary money" he did not need to spend, able to launch first-strike television advertisements against the Republican nominee. (The Washington Times, 2/21)

Gray and Grayer

California Gov. Gray Davis, a Democrat, demonstrated a sense of humor when he was asked on national television about endorsing Gore in 2000: "I'm not supporting anyone yet, although it's no secret that I'm a good friend of Al Gore's, and we both practice the politics of dullness and have overcome that handicap."

Still, Davis ruled out running with Gore: "I'm going to give you an answer in one word: no." Davis said there are no circumstances under which he would accept: "None. That would be a great honor, but this is a great honor. And I took an oath to serve the people of California, and I expect to do that." (Meet the Press, NBC, 2/21)

In Their Shadow

Perhaps the wildest card in Gore's campaign deck is the effect of the two people who have taken him to the doorstep of the White House--Bill and Hillary Clinton. On Hillary's possible Senate bid in New York, a Gore campaign adviser commented to The New York Times: "Will it overlap with some fund raising? Yes. Will it be a high-profile campaign that attracts talent we would like to attract? Yes." (2/21)

Although polls show little if any impact of President Clinton's personal scandals on Gore, the Vice President has so far avoided talking about his dealings with Clinton on the matter. Alicia Mundy of Media Week: "I think this will play in 2000 because eventually somebody is going to hit Al Gore, the Vice President, with a question: At what point, Mr. Vice President, did you sit down with Bill Clinton and say to him: 'What the hell have you been doing? What has been going on all this time?' " (Hockenberry, MSNBC, 2/23)

News, Snooze

Television ratings indicate that the all-news cable channels had reason to fear the impact of the end of Capitol Hill's impeachment saga. Just one week after the Senate acquitted the President, viewers began going back to whence they had come. Nielsen ratings in the first full week after the vote showed CNN household viewership dropping 25 percent, MSNBC down 30 percent, and Fox News Channel plummeting a whopping 42 percent.

Hollywood Helpers

Actor Robert De Niro "and a host of other celebrities and corporate fat cats helped" President Clinton's legal defense fund collect about $2.2 million in the second half of '98, reported Tim Burger of the New York Daily News.

But the first family's unpaid legal bills--fattened by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's continuing probe and the congressional impeachment proceedings--also "shot up" from $6.5 million in April 1998 to nearly $9 million today.

De Niro's $5,000 donation "wasn't the Academy Award-winning actor's only sympathetic gesture toward Clinton." He also phoned House Republicans last year, urging them to vote against the Articles of Impeachment against the President. (Daily News, 2/23)

Hillary for Laughs

Hillary Clinton's dalliance with the notion of a run for the Senate from New York provided a wealth of fodder for comedy.

Radio jock Don Imus spoofed the "priceless" MasterCard ads with a Bill Clinton sound-alike: "One leopard-skin pillbox hat to throw into the ring: $320. One nonscientific voter opinion straw poll: $275,000. One furnished apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan to establish New York residency: $3,500 a month. A wife who will be living in another state for the better part of six years--priceless." Announcer: "There are some things that money can't buy. For everything else, there is MasterCard, the official card for the Hillary Clinton campaign for the Senate and those who believe that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Yeah, right." (Imus in the Morning, MSNBC, 2/23)

Jay Leno: "On MSNBC yesterday, Tim Russert said that if Hillary Clinton does run for the U.S. Senate, she will be forced to be a part-time first lady. Oh, I think Bill probably can get somebody to step in there once in a while, maybe take up the slack." (Tonight Show, NBC, 2/22)

David Letterman: "Apparently this is getting serious, because over the weekend, Hillary was in town meeting with Mob bosses. So you never know." More Letterman: "If the election were held tomorrow, Hillary Clinton would easily defeat Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. However, they do say that Giuliani is a favorite to win the swimsuit competition." Letterman on the Clintons' looking for apartments in New York: "Already there's some conflicts, because Hillary wants to live near the U.N. and Bill Clinton wants to live within walking distance of Hooters." (Late Show, CBS, 2/22)

Just Say No

In California, municipal elections are being canceled at a record pace, and the healthy economy and improved crime rates are being cited as reasons. High rates of voter contentment, combined with the usually low profile of races decided in off-year elections, have led to fewer races than usual being contested. Uncontested races mean cities avoid the expense of holding the election.

Political observers, the Los Angeles Times reported, say that "everyone seems happy--so what's to run against?" Beverly Hills Mayor Les Bronte was forced to reschedule a canceled election when a voter initiative made it onto the ballot: "We saved $60,000 by canceling the council election; now we are having to spend it, which tears my heart out." (2/21)

Quotables

"The media has virtually elected her."--CNN's Bernard Kalb on reports of Hillary Rodham Clinton's running for Senate (Reliable Sources, CNN, 2/19)

"Their marriage is another great American mystery, like the grassy knoll--or what O.J. Simpson did with those bloody clothes."--director-screenwriter Nora Ephron on the Clintons (New York Post, 2/19)

"Feminists are still better-regarded than lawyers."--Gloria Steinem (USA Today, 2/17) "You guys in the Beltway don't have a clue."--Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura (National Press Club, 2/22)

"New Hampshire is not a gloat-free zone."--The Washington Post's E.J. Dionne on President Clinton's Feb. 17 trip to New Hampshire (McLaughlin Special Report, MSNBC, 2/18)

"We're not supposed to gloat, but I can't control this crowd."--New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Jeff Woodburn, at Clinton speech in New Hampshire (Cox News Service, 2/18)