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Jewish World Review June 12, 2000 / 9 Sivan, 5760

Chris Matthews

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Consumer Reports


Kennedy-Nixon redux?


http://www.jewishworldreview.com -- GEORGE W. BUSH hints that his tussle with Al Gore this fall will remind both historians and voters of John F. Kennedy's successful 1960 battle with Richard M. Nixon.

In the Bush scenario, Vice President Gore will play the nervous Nixonesque defender, laying desperate claim to an era of peace and prosperity. The Texas governor, Bush, will be the sunny, JFK-like challenger saying, "Let's soar higher!"

It's a delightful premise, especially to reporters.

Think of the suspense: Nixon and Kennedy were tied at 47 percent each in the Gallup Poll when the fall campaign began. After four dramatic debates, they divided the vote on election night 34,226,731 to 34,108,157.

Another appeal of a Nixon-Kennedy rematch is the cartoon factor.

Wouldn't it be great if Al Gore really did morph into Dick Nixon the night of the first debate? Imagine the fun if the vice president showed up looking sick, unshaven and scared to death. Think of the headlines the next day if an authoritative George W. appeared before us armed with a devastating arsenal of facts and figures to undermine Gore's claim of deeper experience.

On a superficial level, there's a case for such a historic rerun.

Like Jack Kennedy, Bush comes from a charming, well-off family. Like Kennedy, he spent his halcyon youthful summers on the New England coast. Like Kennedy, he inherited the social confidence and optimism that comes with wealth, supportive parents, prep school and an Ivy League pedigree.

For his part, Gore shares some definite Nixonian traits. Awkward in public, pleasant in private, he moves his body and mouth as if he were his own robot.

Like Nixon, he is not lovable as a public figure. Like Nixon, he has made his way up through the House to the Senate to the vice presidency, earning each new place by an admixture of sweat equity and attendance at enough party functions to make the chicken an endangered species.

Like John F. Kennedy, George W. Bush gives off the aura of a man who can take a loss and be quite happy with himself in another line of work, another style of life.

Like Nixon, Gore faces two outcomes this November: victory on the course he has set since youth, or defeat and utter humiliation for having choked under pressure.

House leader Dick Gephardt is one smart Democrat who believed early that Bush's breeziness makes him dangerous to someone like Gore.

The fact that the former president's son can walk away from a defeat gives him the latitude to take risks — Social Security changes, big tax cuts, Star Wars, anti-abortion statements and public money for vouchers at private and parochial schools.

Gore, meanwhile, may be so frightened of defeat and the attendant ignominy that he comes off as a guy like the Dick Nixon of 1960 — desperate to win the presidency because he can't think of anything else to do.



JWR contributor Chris Matthews is the author of Hardball. and hosts a CNBC show of the same name. Send your comments to him by clicking here.

Up

06/07/00: Bush says 'I do' to reality
06/05/00: Clinton's odd silence on his achievements
06/02/00: Pelosi, a voice for human rights
05/30/00: Bubba's escape hatches
05/23/00: Who typifies leadership?
05/19/00: Bubba's legacy involves AIDS
05/16/00: Dubyah's outlook for 'playoffs' remains perilous
05/11/00: Giuliani's travels
05/09/00: A Yale degree, a Bob Jones education
05/03/00: Show of force!
05/01/00: Abortion polls don't reflect reality
04/28/00: Bill Russell and American racism
04/24/00: Vietnam 25 -- The good, bad and ugly
04/19/00: Nader's threat to Gore in California
04/17/00: Berkeley politician visits with Elian's father
04/14/00: Clinton and the Castro curse
04/11/00: Men who saved Elián from the sea
04/06/00: Caine should coach politicians
04/03/00: No. 2 spots: Woman-to-woman?
03/29/00: Gray for veep and Gore might coast to victory
03/27/00: The secret life of a CIA wife
03/22/00: 'We're suckers for underdogs'
03/20/00: Bush's California dream vs. reality
03/06/00: Scary Gore vs. hopeful Bush
03/06/00: McCain's appeal to 'Reagan Democrats'
03/01/00: John McCain fits a hero's profile
02/28/00: Grading the American presidents
02/25/00: Clinton remains No. 1 issue
02/23/00: Will Ross Perot aid POW McCain?
02/18/00: McCain faces fury of GOP establishment
02/17/00: Citizen Springer
02/14/00: McCainia and the frisky independents
02/07/00: A prime-time primary for California
02/02/00: Clinton's final campaign: Take the blame
01/31/00: Which GOPer is willing to pay for his positions?
01/27/00: John McCain's gay radar
01/25/00: This time, candidates get 'authenticity' check
01/18/00: AIDS dooms 1 in 4 in tiny Swaziland
01/13/00: Complacency might be the campaign key
01/10/00: A choice, not an echo
01/06/00: The role of a lifetime
01/03/00: Dangers in Gore's dirty war
12/30/99: Churchill's fighting words saved the century
12/28/99: Candidate Gore's separation anxiety
12/17/99: Catch 22: Leading candidates don't lead
12/17/99: New Democratic leader on the horizon
12/15/99: Is Hillary clueless?
12/08/99: Taking Buchananism to the streets
12/03/99: Why are we so obsessed with 'spin'?
12/01/99: Donald Trump, 'Sinatra of Steel'
11/29/99: Why AlGore will be our next president
11/23/99: After the fall
11/17/99: Our conveniently forgetful president
11/15/99: Next president: Male, WASP, self-selected
11/10/99: Backroom Bill
11/08/99: Please don't feed the 'pander bears'
11/03/99: Battle of the Bubba clones
11/01/99: Pat Buchanan, kamikaze candidate
10/27/99: The year of the woman... voter
10/25/99: The Curse of the Bubba
10/21/99: GOP gives Clinton his finest hour
10/18/99: Clinton's last hurrah
10/13/99: Rough seas for Capt. Ventura
10/11/99: Gore targets Bradley's strength
10/06/99: Bradley's got the right Rx
10/04/99: Buchanan, Churchill and Hitler
09/30/99: Who'll spin political gold in Golden State — Gore or Bradley?
09/27/99: Here's a millennial checklist for candidates
09/22/99: The biography battle
09/20/99: Buchanan's new book is a must-read
09/15/99: Don't rule out Beatty
09/13/99: The man with the sun on his face
09/08/99: W. vs. Jr. on dope and the draft
The FALN: Hillary's Willie Horton
08/26/99: Bill's guilt fuels Hill's race
08/25/99: The seemingly inexhaustible strength of America's free enterprise
08/23/99: GOP candidates are weak also-rans
08/16/99: Bubba on Bubba
08/11/99: Hillary's agonizing attempts to understand
08/09/99: With warm regards, Richard Nixon
08/04/99: Weicker: real third party is on the Left
08/02/99: Dubyah's last hangover
07/27/99: Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Minh; capitalism is gonna win

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