It’s the big government, stupid

Al Gore has proven that he is completely out of touch with the
American people, and undecided voters in particular. Bush has tapped
into their pulse because he happens to be one of them: a real person.

Concerning Gore, I’m referring to his reaction to his own performance
in the third presidential debate. In an interview with Fox News’ Jim
Angle he was giddy to the point of being intoxicated as he playfully
goaded Angle into assessing his performance.

Even more telling than Gore’s self-satisfied glow is the revelation
that he is trying to make sure that the third debate is re-aired so that
more people can watch it. I wonder just exactly what it is that Gore is
anxious for more people to see.

Pollster Frank Luntz found that in terms of swaying undecided voters
Bush won the debate hands down. Among members of his focus group in St.
Louis, five Gore supporters switched to Bush, and only two of Bush’s
switched to Gore. Being in St. Louis that night, I talked briefly with
Luntz as he was explaining his results to a small group of us in a hotel
lobby. Above all, Luntz impressed me that he is convinced that his group
is truly representative of undecided voters, due to his organization’s
thorough vetting process in selecting people who ultimately qualify for
the group.

Happily for Bush supporters, Gore is apparently choosing to listen to
the wisdom of the Washington Post editorial board, rather than swing
voters. The Post pronounced Gore’s third debate effort as “just right.”

Bush supporters think that Gore’s performance was just right, too —
“just right” to ensure Gore’s defeat if he continues in that mode. His
impudent invasion of Bush’s space was “just right” to cause one female
politician I was talking with to be utterly repulsed by him. His
petulant insistence on making Dingle and Norwood household names was
“just right” to convince all non-policy wonks (99.9 percent of the
American people) that he is an irredeemable nerd rather than a champion
of the people. That endless exchange would have only been better if Gore
had been wearing a superhero cape and coke bottle glasses. Gore’s
boorish repetition of the 1 percent mantra was “just right” to ensure
that those who weren’t turned off by it the first ten times would be by the
last five.

As out of touch as Gore is, however, I think he’ll wake up when he
sees that the polls continue to contradict his self-punditry. Then we’ll
truly see an acting-out of the desperation that he’ll be experiencing.
It’s not going to be pretty.

Among the tactics he’ll probably use, is to escalate greatly his
efforts to scare the elderly (and others) about the security of their
Social Security (and Medicare). Bush should be ready but not overreact
to the ploy. So far, what Bush is doing is working, and he should stay
the course.

Bush’s heartfelt denunciation of big government is resonating
infinitely more than Gore’s demonization of big business and the
wealthy. How fitting that a man mostly from the private sector is taking
the career politician to school about the virtues of entrepreneurship
and the vices of government largesse.

Bush should continue to expand this theme across the board, as it can
be applied to nearly every issue on the table, including education,
health care, the environment, the budget, taxes, Social Security,
Medicare, prescription drugs and even foreign policy. Gore is manifestly
for increased government spending and control in all cases, which means
radically diminished personal liberties.

George Bush doesn’t have to do much political strategizing because
his policies are consistent with his deeply held principles. To him,
this election is about the American people — whether we will continue
to live and prosper in freedom or continue to walk that “alluring” path
toward paternalism and totalitarianism.

When Gore again tries to scare the people, he will probably find that
he and Bill Clinton have cried wolf one too many times. The public has
now seen George W. Bush, and they instinctively know that unlike his
opponent and his narcissistic mentor, he will not place his personal
political interests above their welfare.

Gore finished his closing remarks with the shamelessly
Reagan-affected statement, “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” As I think
he’ll discover on Nov. 7, we’ve seen plenty, thank you.