Desperate Gore takes campaign to pulpit
Trails Bush in every poll: Election a battle between good, evil, Democrat warns
Ben Fenton
The Daily Telegraph (Canada), with files from new services
John C. Anderson, The Associated Press
An impassioned Al Gore winds up a rally in Philadelphia yesterday.
Doug Mills, The Associated Press
Al Gore, Democratic candidate, walks off the stage yesterday following a campaign rally at Fairmont Park in Philadelphia.
Al Gore's bid for the White House took on the tone of the pulpit in the final hours of the election campaign yesterday as he presented his struggle with Republican rival George W. Bush as a conflict between good and evil.
Still lagging in every national poll, the Democratic candidate represented the election as a matter of stark contrasts, even a righteous conflict between right and wrong, in a last-ditch appeal to his loyalists for support.
"I am taught that good overcomes evil if we choose that outcome," Mr. Gore said in a speech to a largely black congregation at a church in Philadelphia. "I feel it coming. I feel a message here that on Tuesday we will prevail.''
There is far less certainty among Mr. Gore's supporters. With time running out for Mr. Gore before Americans go to the polls tomorrow, the mood is strained, even at his own rallies. They shout, they cheer, they chant and they clap, but Mr. Gore's supporters do not sound optimistic.
"It's awfully close and [Ralph] Nader [the Green Party candidate] is there too," said Thea van Houten, a 65-year-old retired physiotherapist in Chicago. "I usually have a good feel about an election. This time I can't say."
Ms. Van Houten suggested that part of Mr. Gore's problem is the enduring perception that he is a stiff, uninspired speaker. "He's not the most exciting personality, although he's gotten a lot better," she said. "You know, he's not [Bill] Clinton."
Or perhaps it is because he is too close to Bill Clinton. Among the reasons cited for the difficulty Mr. Gore has had winning over the electorate is his support of the President during the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the impeachment saga.
"I think the stigma is there," said Douglas Scott, 59, a retired carpenter who saw Mr. Gore at a rally in Huntington, W. Va., on Saturday. Asked if he expected Mr. Gore to win, Kevin White, a 52-year-old executive who came to a rally in Alcoa, Tennessee, on Friday night, replied bluntly: "No. I just don't think he's reached enough people."
Mr. Gore's attempt to portray the election as a contest between good and evil seemed almost a desperation tactic, and the Bush camp was quick to seize on it. Karen Hughes, Mr. Bush's chief spokesman, lashed back at Mr. Gore for language that she said "went beyond the bounds of reasonable political discourse''.
Added Ms. Hughes: "We don't think the Vice-President is evil, we just think he's wrong. The American people are not going to appreciate that kind of comment.''
As Mr. Gore's voice has become hoarser, so his campaign's nerves have become increasingly frayed. "They are beginning to talk like they are losing," said one Democratic official in Congress.
Mr. Gore was compelled to spend a precious final day Saturday campaigning in Tennessee to head off a threatened Bush victory on his home turf, and Mr. Clinton travelled to Arkansas on the weekend on a mission to secure his home state for his fellow Democrat.
Meanwhile, Republican campaign officials are reporting a backlash against the Vice-President over the revelation that Mr. Bush had concealed his arrest and conviction over a drink-driving offence dating back to 1976.
Mr. Gore has tried to distance himself from the row and his campaign has denied any advance knowledge of the leak, first broadcast by two television stations in Maine, where Mr. Bush committed the offence near his parents' summer home.
The Vice-President pointedly refused to comment on it himself and aides said the first they knew of the story was when it broke on Thursday night.
Campaigning in Florida yesterday, Mr. Bush began the day by attending a church service before heading to rallies in West Palm Beach, Miami, Tampa and Orlando.
"It's a great way to start off a stretch run -- no politics, just a little prayer and reflection," Mr. Bush told reporters as he left the service. It was typical of Mr. Bush's easy-going style.
He makes sure he has six or seven hours sleep each night and has 30 minutes on a hotel running machine most mornings. In contrast to his Democratic rival, he appears perky and in control. At a rally in Oregon last week, he smiled and told the crowd: "We're winding down."
Still, as the 2000 presidential race entered its final days, most analysts believed Mr. Bush had still not "sealed the deal" with voters.
After two years on the campaign trail, many had grown to like the affable Texan. But doubts remained about whether he has the brains, experience, knowledge and expertise to be president.
According to opinion polls, this could be the closest vote since 1960, when John F. Kennedy defeated then vice-president Richard Nixon by less than a single percentage point.
The latest Reuters/MSNBC national tracking poll shows Mr. Bush with a two percentage point lead over Gore -- 46% to 44% -- within the margin of error.
In six key swing states -- Florida, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Washington, Wisconsin and Tennessee -- separate surveys showed the candidates in a virtual dead heat.
These states carry a combined 92 votes in the Electoral College, where 270 are needed to win the presidency.
The latest Reuters count gave Mr. Bush 209 votes solid or leaning strongly toward him. Mr. Gore had 196 votes and 133 were too close to call.
Before dawn today, Mr. Gore will be back on the campaign trail, launching a 30-hour, nonstop stretch run that will see him visit seven cities before going to Nashville to await the election returns.
Trails Bush in every poll: Election a battle between good, evil, Democrat warns
Ben Fenton
The Daily Telegraph (Canada), with files from new services
John C. Anderson, The Associated Press
An impassioned Al Gore winds up a rally in Philadelphia yesterday.
Doug Mills, The Associated Press
Al Gore, Democratic candidate, walks off the stage yesterday following a campaign rally at Fairmont Park in Philadelphia.
Al Gore's bid for the White House took on the tone of the pulpit in the final hours of the election campaign yesterday as he presented his struggle with Republican rival George W. Bush as a conflict between good and evil.
Still lagging in every national poll, the Democratic candidate represented the election as a matter of stark contrasts, even a righteous conflict between right and wrong, in a last-ditch appeal to his loyalists for support.
"I am taught that good overcomes evil if we choose that outcome," Mr. Gore said in a speech to a largely black congregation at a church in Philadelphia. "I feel it coming. I feel a message here that on Tuesday we will prevail.''
There is far less certainty among Mr. Gore's supporters. With time running out for Mr. Gore before Americans go to the polls tomorrow, the mood is strained, even at his own rallies. They shout, they cheer, they chant and they clap, but Mr. Gore's supporters do not sound optimistic.
"It's awfully close and [Ralph] Nader [the Green Party candidate] is there too," said Thea van Houten, a 65-year-old retired physiotherapist in Chicago. "I usually have a good feel about an election. This time I can't say."
Ms. Van Houten suggested that part of Mr. Gore's problem is the enduring perception that he is a stiff, uninspired speaker. "He's not the most exciting personality, although he's gotten a lot better," she said. "You know, he's not [Bill] Clinton."
Or perhaps it is because he is too close to Bill Clinton. Among the reasons cited for the difficulty Mr. Gore has had winning over the electorate is his support of the President during the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the impeachment saga.
"I think the stigma is there," said Douglas Scott, 59, a retired carpenter who saw Mr. Gore at a rally in Huntington, W. Va., on Saturday. Asked if he expected Mr. Gore to win, Kevin White, a 52-year-old executive who came to a rally in Alcoa, Tennessee, on Friday night, replied bluntly: "No. I just don't think he's reached enough people."
Mr. Gore's attempt to portray the election as a contest between good and evil seemed almost a desperation tactic, and the Bush camp was quick to seize on it. Karen Hughes, Mr. Bush's chief spokesman, lashed back at Mr. Gore for language that she said "went beyond the bounds of reasonable political discourse''.
Added Ms. Hughes: "We don't think the Vice-President is evil, we just think he's wrong. The American people are not going to appreciate that kind of comment.''
As Mr. Gore's voice has become hoarser, so his campaign's nerves have become increasingly frayed. "They are beginning to talk like they are losing," said one Democratic official in Congress.
Mr. Gore was compelled to spend a precious final day Saturday campaigning in Tennessee to head off a threatened Bush victory on his home turf, and Mr. Clinton travelled to Arkansas on the weekend on a mission to secure his home state for his fellow Democrat.
Meanwhile, Republican campaign officials are reporting a backlash against the Vice-President over the revelation that Mr. Bush had concealed his arrest and conviction over a drink-driving offence dating back to 1976.
Mr. Gore has tried to distance himself from the row and his campaign has denied any advance knowledge of the leak, first broadcast by two television stations in Maine, where Mr. Bush committed the offence near his parents' summer home.
The Vice-President pointedly refused to comment on it himself and aides said the first they knew of the story was when it broke on Thursday night.
Campaigning in Florida yesterday, Mr. Bush began the day by attending a church service before heading to rallies in West Palm Beach, Miami, Tampa and Orlando.
"It's a great way to start off a stretch run -- no politics, just a little prayer and reflection," Mr. Bush told reporters as he left the service. It was typical of Mr. Bush's easy-going style.
He makes sure he has six or seven hours sleep each night and has 30 minutes on a hotel running machine most mornings. In contrast to his Democratic rival, he appears perky and in control. At a rally in Oregon last week, he smiled and told the crowd: "We're winding down."
Still, as the 2000 presidential race entered its final days, most analysts believed Mr. Bush had still not "sealed the deal" with voters.
After two years on the campaign trail, many had grown to like the affable Texan. But doubts remained about whether he has the brains, experience, knowledge and expertise to be president.
According to opinion polls, this could be the closest vote since 1960, when John F. Kennedy defeated then vice-president Richard Nixon by less than a single percentage point.
The latest Reuters/MSNBC national tracking poll shows Mr. Bush with a two percentage point lead over Gore -- 46% to 44% -- within the margin of error.
In six key swing states -- Florida, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Washington, Wisconsin and Tennessee -- separate surveys showed the candidates in a virtual dead heat.
These states carry a combined 92 votes in the Electoral College, where 270 are needed to win the presidency.
The latest Reuters count gave Mr. Bush 209 votes solid or leaning strongly toward him. Mr. Gore had 196 votes and 133 were too close to call.
Before dawn today, Mr. Gore will be back on the campaign trail, launching a 30-hour, nonstop stretch run that will see him visit seven cities before going to Nashville to await the election returns.