Gore Campaign Boss: Nader Can Hurt Us

W A S H I N G T O N, July 12, 2000 -- Al Gore’s new campaign chairman hopes to usenext month’s Democratic National Convention to shatter any publicperception of the vice president as “just a boring stiff.”

In an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press, William Daleyalso conceded that Green Party candidate Ralph Nader threatens tosiphon support from Gore. Allies inside and outside the Gorecampaign have made informal overtures to Nader supporters, Daleysaid.

“There’s been some discussions but kind of just, What is this?Why are you over there? ƒ Nothing official where we’ve approachedthe candidate.”

Secretary Daley spoke from his office in the CommerceDepartment, which he leaves this week to replace Tony Coelho, whoresigned last month for health reasons.

The Goal

Intimately involved with planning for the Aug. 14-17 conventionin Los Angeles, Daley said his major goal is to introduce Gore toAmericans as “the potential next president” and chip away at astereotype.

“Obviously, it would be great for those people who have beenconvinced for eight years that he’s just a boring stiff, anunable-to-speak guy — that he comes through as a real person,”Daley said.

Gore is already focused on his performance, strategists said,and has, for weeks now, been tossing ideas to his speech writers andworking more with a TelePromTer.

President Clinton will provide “lift-off” in prime time on thefirst night. “It’s going to be a rock ‘em, sock ‘em night — athank-you to him — but when he leaves, it’s Al Gore’s nominationthat takes place and Al Gore’s convention and campaign,” Daleysaid.

How About Hillary?

Party sources say first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, a candidatefor Senate from New York, is tentatively slated to speak the samenight as her husband, leaving the spotlight to Gore after that.

Daley said Mrs. Clinton will land “a prominent role,” thoughher campaign and Gore’s team have not settled the details.

The vice president knows it won’t be easy stepping outsideClinton’s shadow.

“That’s just a given,” Daley said. “The presidents overshadoweveryone ƒ when they stand alone like that and that is his night,as it should be after eight years.”

Unsafe in Any Race?

Nader, who gained national attention as a consumer advocate, issupported by about 6 percent of people polled in most nationalsurveys, slightly higher in a handful of battleground states. Pollssuggest that most of his support comes from Democrats. Daleypredicted “a drop off” in those numbers.

“The majority of people who would be supportive of a Naderwould be much more inclined to be for Al Gore than for GeorgeBush,” said Daley. But, he added, “People, at the end, vote forthe one of two people they think will win.”

Daley said Pat Buchanan, the former Republican likely to win theReform Party nomination, will hurt presumptive Republican nomineeBush after he wins the third-party nomination and the $12 millionin federal aid that comes with it.

Plan of Attack

Daley also said:

House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt is “extremelyattractive” and “very well qualified” to be vice president andhis efforts to win back control of the House for Democrats wouldnot preclude Gore from picking him as running mate. Daley did notconfirm that the Missouri lawmaker is under consideration.

Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, another potential running mate,supports abortion rights and is not damaged in Gore’s eyes byopposition from some women’s activists, who objected to Bayh’ssupport for a ban on what is known as partial-birth abortion.

Gore will likely remain even or slightly behind Bush in thepolls until voters start paying more attention after Labor Day.“Whatever happens in October, whether it’s the debates, theprocess starts and will begin to force people to deal with ‘Oh,I’ve got to vote in three weeks, and now what am I going to do?“‘

Daley, who organized the 1996 convention for Clinton, saidneither campaign will enjoy a major jump in the polls after theirconventions because the TV networks are scaling back coverage andmainstream voters will pay little attention.

“I think the people who sit and watch this stuff are people whoare all for you already, especially today in the climate ofnobody-gives-a-hoot about this campaign season yet, and they’rereally tuned out just in general,” he said.