12-03-2008, 03:54 PM
mikeylikesit wrote:
Are you seriously suggesting that Bush could have made it a contest with Gore without the impetus of the Lewinski affair? Sans Lewinski Gore would have had Clinton at his side; he could have won without bothering to campaign or ever leaving Washington.
OK The last assertion is a bit hyperbolic.
Well Bush would have been competitive regardless. He's all the GOP had. Even McCain got 57 million votes. Throughout Gore's campaign, instead of running on he and Clinton's successful record and their overwhelming popularity, he (and his staff) chose to shun all of that, stiff arm Clinton the entire time and run as if Gore was running for the first time. Considering that they basically ended the thing tied up, the Super-Popular Clinton would have made a big difference. Not saying that the Lewenski affair couldn't possibly have had an affect (which I doubt) but, Gore's competitive juices just weren't flowing. He even gave up too early.