By Ron Fournier, Associated Press, 10/04/00
DANVILLE, Ky. -- Al Gore and George W. Bush are sticking with the strategies that marked their first debate, the Republican on the attack, the Democrat playing nice. Both courses are fraught with risk.
Millions of viewers tuned in to their televised clash over taxes, Medicare, abortion and Gore's character. But analysts say the first debate may have minimal immediate impact on the political landscape.
That would be good news for the vice president, who came in with an edge in the state-by-state race for electoral votes. Bush needs to take advantage of every chance to persuade Americans to vote for change in a time of peace and prosperity, analysts say.
Gore appears to be playing it safe, though polls show the popular vote split and his electoral lead fragile. The Texas governor is assuming the role of scrappy underdog.
"Bush didn't make a particularly good case for changing the administration. He didn't look awful, he didn't lose anything, but this wasn't the kind of performance that moved him ahead," said John Green, political scientist at the University of Akron in Ohio, a battleground state that Gore is keeping tight.
Green and others said nobody will know the full impact of the debate for a few days, until voters digest follow-up media reports and talk to friends and colleagues.
Though their messages were unchanged, both campaigns were slightly adjusting their electoral map plans after the debate.
Gore planned to begin advertising in his home state of Tennessee and renew his ad campaign in West Virginia in recognition of Bush's inroads in two states he had hoped to have wrapped up.
Bush, meanwhile, was airing ads in Nevada, a state he had hoped to have firmly in his corner by this stage. Republicans say he may soon substantiallly increase the size of his media campaign across the country. His latest ad, due for release Thursday, is described by aides as a "vision spot" that outlines his governing philosophies.
The debate could turn out to be a mixed blessing.
Gore proved the best debater and drove home the experience gap he holds over the two-term Texas governor. But the vice president turned off some voters with constant interruptions and off-camera antics; his heavy sighs punctuated several Bush answers.
"I think if you're a debate coach, Gore did everything you're trained to do, but he looked a little strained and strident," said Terry Madonna, a political scientist at Millersville University in Pennsylvania, a key state that turned toward Gore in September.
Bush looked presidential in style and substance, a relief to voters who wondered whether he was fit for the job. But attacks on Gore's character, a cornerstone of Bush's election strategy, could rub some voters the wrong way.
"I felt there needed to be a better sense of responsibility of what was going on in the White House," Bush said. He targeted President Clinton without using his name or mentioning his impeachment.
It was red meat for his GOP base, which has gotten soft in the Midwest. Bush wove the theme through policy discussion, telling voters that Gore also can't be trusted to keep his promises to cut taxes, improve health care or manage the federal bureaucracy
Trying to dominate post-debate media coverage Wednesday, Bush advisers highlighted cases in which Gore exaggerated or misstated facts in the debate. Aides said Bush and his surrogates would continue to make the character case against Gore.
In Thursday's vice presidential debate here, running mate Dick Cheney may pick up where Bush left off. A spokesman said Cheney will be a "firm critic" of Gore's proposals in the meeting with Democratic candidate Joseph Lieberman.
Swing voters, particularly women, seem torn: They're cool to political attacks and yet receptive to Bush's argument for change.
"I'm getting really, really sick and tired of them cutting on each other," said Deb Barsh, a restaurant clerk and single mother in rural Pennsylvania who, when first interviewed by The Associated Press in April, said she was undecided.
"Now I'm pushing for Bush a bit. I don't like the attacks but, I just feel like he's being a tad more honest. I didn't like what went on in the Clinton White House and Gore had something to do with it," she said.
Gore is appealing to the same woman -- and others like her -- by attacking the attacker.
"You may want to focus on scandal," the vice president told Bush. "I want to focus on results."
Advisers said Gore would stick with the low-key response, betting that Bush will face a backlash. Recent polls show the Texan is viewed less favorably since he began sharpening his criticism of Gore.
"I think it's time to make our country an even better country instead of trying to make another candidate out to be a bad person," Gore said Thursday. However, attacks on Bush's record in Texas won't necessarily stop, Democrats say.
A number of advisers said Bush was not tough enough in the debate: He allowed Gore to dominate the discussion; he failed to recite the GOP talking points against the vice president's prescription drug plan and he rarely talked about education.
But mostly, there was relief among GOP officials who had feared a gaffe or a deer-in-the-headlights moment.
"Bush gave as good as he got ... and showed he's ready to be president," said GOP consultant Scott Reed, who managed Bob Dole's failed 1996 campaign.
And yet, "I don't believe he scored enough to change the dynamics of the race.
Ron Fournier is chief political writer for The Associated Press.
