he cold weather wasn't cooling partisan tempers at City Hall Plaza yesterday, as protesters for and against Vice President Al Gore's drive to recount ballots in Florida braved the chill to voice their opinions.
About 80 protesters, evenly divided, stood about 30 feet from each other on the plaza, chanting slogans and occasional insults.
Anti-Gore protesters said they organized the rally using a Web site and publicized it on local talk radio stations. Democrats, learning of the rally, organized party loyalists to appear and make their side of the argument.
Many on the anti-Gore side, while holding signs claiming George W. Bush won the Florida election, said they were not Republicans. Some said they were Libertarians, outraged by what they say is a ''selective recount'' Gore has called for in predominantly Democratic Florida counties.
Joseph Russo of North Attleborough, making a pun on the vice president's name, held a sign that said: ''algorithm: repeated calculation used to manipulate data.''
Democrats said there hasn't been a full count in Florida yet.
Winthrop Wulsin, a member of the Lowell City Democratic Committee, said he was surprised the rally drew as many people as it did, considering the cold and the holiday shopping season.
''Until every vote is counted,'' he said, ''we'll be out here.''
