Crowd tracks style points

By Farah Stockman, Globe Staff, 10/18/2000

ive die-hard Democrats strained to hear the debate on the big-screen television in the back room, while the rest of the patrons at Doyle's Cafe in Jamaica Plain drank beers to the sound of baseball. Every so often, a lone Republican would appear in the doorway of the back room, or a few independents would straggle in for a glimpse.

The five Democrats determined to watch the debate had already made up their minds on Al Gore. They were glued to the set, it seemed, to see if he'd be on his best behavior.

As the television showed the two candidates striding around the red circular space, vaguely resembling a wrestling ring with the audience seated all around them, Eric Elbogen bit his lip with anxiety.

''I wish Al would abide by the rules,'' the 30-year-old Dorchester psychologist said. ''He was stepping into Bush's space for a moment. It was intimidating.''

When Gore launched into his speech about George W. Bush's tax cut for the ''wealthiest 1 percent'' - and Bush countered with a tirade about Gore's tax cut for ''the right people'' - Elizabeth Elbogen, 34 and self-employed, looked like a nervous stage-manager.

''He caught himself,'' she said. ''Gore was going to say something and he caught himself.''

When Gore was accused of proposing ''the largest increase in federal spending in years,'' four voters at one table froze, beer in mid-sip.

''Don't sigh!'' they said, nearly in unison. ''Don't sigh!''

But despite Gore talking out of turn (''You just can't do that,'' lamented Elizabeth Johnson, a business developer from Beacon Hill), Gore brought excitement to the table when he pressed Bush on affirmative action.

''Are you for what the Supreme Court would describe as affirmative action?'' Gore asked.

Bush opted to move on to another question.

''Score! Score!'' the Democrats shouted.

Scott True, a Republican who said he had decided to vote for Bush, conceded that Gore appeared to be more personable in last night's town hall meeting than in earlier debates.''They also changed his makeup a little,'' he observed.

But a more-likable Gore still did not earn True's vote. ''It does come down to personality,'' said the 31-year-old, who works for a commerical real estate company and described Gore as ''wishy-washy.''

''If you can't trust him, you can't vote for him,'' he said.

Bush elicited gasps from the Democratic table when he said, ''I think we need to raise the age at which juveniles can have a gun.''

''Raise the age!'' Julie Brogan, a Cambridge lawyer quipped.

The real target audience for Bush's and Gore's responses was standing in the doorway, not seated at the Democrats' table. Dean Dawson, a 45-year-old scientist who teaches at Tufts University. Dawson is registered as an independent, and is still undecided.

Dawson said he had sworn off watching the debates after being so ''disgusted'' with the first two, but found himself watching last night's in spite of himself.

''I watched the first two intensely and only learned that both [candidates] are willing to distort their program to try to appeal to everybody,'' Dawson said. ''I think that both candidates, to a large extent, tell you exactly what they think you want to hear.''