четверг, 7 октября 2010 г.

Al Gore prods loyalists to back Kendrick Meek

TAMPA -- Needing to corral the support of Democratic voters, and needing to do it quickly, U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Kendrick Meek called on one of the party's most popular figures Thursday, former Vice President Al Gore.

Campaigning with Meek at a West Tampa union hall, Gore pressed Democratic voters to abandon their fascination with newly independent candidate Gov. Charlie Crist. Meek and Crist essentially are now in an election within an election, with the winner to become the viable alternative to Republican Marco Rubio.

``I want to say a word about the third candidate in this race, Gov. Crist,'' said Gore, about half way through his 12 minutes of remarks. ``I want to choose my words carefully. I know him, I've worked with him, I like him as a person. I've been puzzled, really and truly, because I've had direct conversations with him -- about the environment for example. And it's an old charge in politics that somebody flip flops. It's a little unusual to have somebody flip flop, and then flap flip. Seriously.''

The hundreds of assembled partisans loved the line, and they loved Gore, who has evolved from a comically dull political character to a hero to most Democrats. Yes, his monotone drawl was still there, and yes he still seemed a little rigid, but none of that seems to matter much now for Gore.

As he stepped off the podium in a full sweat at the Tampa Letter Carriers Hall on Thursday, Gore was greeted by about 100 supporters who simply wanted to shake his hand or say hello.

``He's someone who rises above all that garbage that we see on TV,'' said Barbara Van Hoek, 50, a Hillsborough County paramedic.

It wasn't always that way.

Gore is a guy who, just 10 years ago, could be summed up in one word, ``dull,'' someone mocked for having claimed to invent the Internet and saying over and over he would keep Social Security in a ``lock box.''

WIMP FACTOR

He was the guy who in 2000 was called a wimp for failing to bitterly challenge the results of the presidential election in Florida, which handed the state's 25 electoral votes, and the presidency, to George W. Bush.

He was the same guy who America poked fun at after the election for growing a beard.

All water under the bridge, apparently.

Gore spoke to an eclectic crowd of retirees, college students and union workers, mixing criticisms of Republicans in general with pleas against global warming and encouragement for Meek and his fans.

``It's an extremely important race. It's a complicated race as everybody knows,'' said Gore, before heading out for a Meek fundraiser. ``When you're coming into the final weeks of the campaign, it's all about who's got the momentum, what's the direction of the candidates.

``One of them [Rubio] is bumbling along. One of them's going down [Crist]. Kendrick's going up like a skyrocket.''

Gore's visit, which follows trips to Florida by former President Bill Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden, comes at a critical juncture.

While the recent focus in the Senate race has been about Crist's independent campaign failing to gain traction against Rubio, the situation for Meek actually isn't any better. And it might be worse. A Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday has Meek a distant third, with 18 percent of the vote. Rubio leads in the poll with 46 percent, while Crist has 33 percent.

The poll found that even of Meek's supporters, four in 10 say they might change their minds -- likely to vote for Crist -- before election day Nov. 2.

A CNN/Time poll of likely voters released Wednesday had Meek finishing third with 23 percent of the vote.

Meek is hoping Democrats rally around his campaign and cast off Crist. Crist, of course, is counting on the opposite. Both need huge chunks of Democratic voters to compete with Rubio, who is campaigning Friday in Land O' Lakes with possible 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

UNPREDICTABLE

The fight for Democratic voters was evident throughout the hourlong rally.

``There are Democrats who are thinking of voting for Charlie Crist,'' said former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre, who finished third in the Senate Democratic primary. ``If that were to happen, we'd have a man who thinks more of the Second Amendment than the First Amendment.''

Added state Rep. Janet Cruz, D-Tampa: ``When Democrats vote for Democrats, Democrats win.''

And when they don't? Rita Smith, 53, of Tampa, attended Thursday's rally and said she'd be voting for Meek. But she admits some of her like-minded Democratic friends prefer Crist. ``I have friends who always vote the same way as me, but this year they're voting for Charlie Crist, and I can't dissuade them.

``And I tried.''

Aaron Sharockman can be reached at asharock

man@sptimes.com.



Poll: Charlie Crist holds lead in U.S. Senate race — for now‘Predators’: The Reviews Are In!

Комментариев нет:

Отправить комментарий