NYT : Al Gore Places an Early Bet

[Manix]

<snip>

When Mr. Gore and Dr. Dean appeared together yesterday in Harlem, the moment conveyed two messages. One was the Democratic leadership's great desire for early unity — Mr. Gore warned his party against "the luxury of fighting among ourselves." But voters have a funny way of inserting themselves into these contests, even when the political leadership would clearly prefer to march in lock step toward next November's election.

New Hampshire voters, in particular, always like an underdog, and Dr. Dean, with his new head-of-the-pack status, doesn't necessarily qualify. The first real test of Mr. Gore's ability to transfer ballot-booth power — particularly among African-Americans and in the South — will arrive after Iowa and New Hampshire in the primary contests of early February.

The other message was the degree to which the Democrats have bought into the theory that victory in November will belong to the party that best energizes its passionate base. It is a concept embraced by President Bush's political guru, Karl Rove, and, now, by Mr. Gore, in his implicit turning away from the triangulation politics of the Clintonites who courted swing voters so well.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/10/opinion/10WED2.html

[liberalnurse]

1. Let us not forget......

The Great and Honorable Retired Ohio Senator Metzenbaum backed Dean first.......He said he knew a winner when he saw one....

[deminflorida]

2. Dean meets his Gettysburg in S.C.

you heard it here first.