NEW HAMPSHIRE WEEKLY / AN OUTSIDER'S VIEW / HANK NICHOLS

A primary's perpetual, adjustable, motion

By Hank Nichols, June 27, 1999

While surfing cable TV last Sunday night I landed on C-SPAN's "Road to the White House." I recommend the show. It offers barely mediated glimpses of the presidential primary, a chance to watch the candidates do their thing with little or no comment.

There's George W. Bush in Bow, smiling and shaking hands with a small group of locals -- while a wall of media camera and sound crews jostle for position. When we watch the evening news we see the smiling and handshaking. We rarely see the press at work. What a zoo.

Next it's Al Gore announcing his candidacy to the folks in his hometown in Tennessee. Gore's been running for president for seven years, and he's getting good at it. In the past he has been criticized for wooden, plodding delivery when speaking, so he has worked to liven things up.

It is a sorry comment on American culture when the delivery of the idea becomes more important than the idea, but that's life. These days Gore gestures, raises his voice and wears a more expressive face. For some reason, Gore has attracted protesters. Suddenly black-on-yellow signs are held up by some in the crowd. The signs read "Gore's Greed Kills." I wonder what that means. In Ronald Reagan's day, these protesters would be yanked out of the crowd so fast we'd barely see them. But Gore says he believes in free speech and keeps on truckin'.

We are told that with Gore and Bush now in the race the primary is officially underway, but we in New Hampshire know better. The New Hampshire primary is the perpetual-motion machine of American politics. It never stops. Just ask Lamar Alexander and Steve Forbes. They never went home. Does the official start of Primary 2000 also signal its end? Is it a foregone conclusion that Gore and Bush will win their parties' nominations? Time will tell.

The two frontrunners are vulnerable. Being at the top means each has nowhere to go but down. Bob Dole was unable to hold onto his edge in New Hampshire; he got a surprise on primary election day. Count on Bush and Gore to tread with care in the weeks ahead.

While there are differences between Bush and Gore there are also many similarities. Both are relatively young, good-looking and personable. That counts for a lot in media-oriented campaigns. Both are insiders, coming from families with a history of political involvement. It's the only life they've known. This will be used against them by their opponents.

Both Gore and Bush are decent guys who attract big crowds and are followed by the media circus. This looks good on the evening news, but it denies them the intimate one-on-one the New Hampshire primary is known for. Their lives have become one long photo opportunity. Ugh! Both are also playing for the vote in the center. Gore is quietly trying to put some distance between himself and President Clinton, while Bush is trying to soften his party's somewhat harsh conservative image.

Each one has a problem to overcome. For Gore, the problem is his continued involvement with Bill Clinton and the politics of money. There is a growing discontent in this state and nation with the endless fund-raising that distracts our elected representatives from their work and which corrupts the system.

Bush has been selling himself as an oxymoronic "compassionate conservative." Among other things, this is a hard image to sell when you are governor of the state that executes nearly as many people as all other states combined. New Hampshire's conservatives of both parties have never shown any interest in compassion. They don't know the meaning of the word. How will the idea play with the rest of the voters? Compassionate conservative is a phrase that needs explaining. It clearly implies that until now compassion has been absent from the Republican Party.

While both Bush and Gore are the strong frontrunners, both have significant opposition to contend with. Gore's single opponent, Bill Bradley, is no slouch. He has impressive credentials and brings strong ideas to his campaign. New Hampshire's Democrats are deeply divided in the wake of the school funding debacle. Governor Jeanne Shaheen's husband is heading up Gore's campaign here, and many of the state's Democrats have moved into the Bradley camp. Gore had better look over his shoulder from time to time -- someone's gaining.

Bush has a host of presidential wannabes yapping at his heels. Some are familiar faces. Alexander, Forbes and Elizabeth Dole have the highest profiles, but they don't seem to light any fires. At this time it's hard to gauge the potential of John McCain. He's the kind of candidate New Hampshire's Republicans could go for and is respected by many voters of both parties. You have to respect John Kasich for his quiet determination as he comes back again and again for living-room coffees and meetings with small groups and few reporters. And anyone who loves dogs as he does can't be all bad.

Get used to hearing lots about family values in the months ahead. Clinton's indiscretions and the shootings at Columbine High School have put families at the top of the list. We're going to hear plenty of empty platitudes, but it's hard to raise a family when both parents have to work at one and sometimes two jobs to keep afloat. Will either party address that problem?

Hank Nichols is an assistant professor of journalism and writing at New England College in Henniker. He lives in Sutton.