A very striking finding in a recent poll on Democratic party activists in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Given a list of issues and asked to say which ones they cared about most, almost none said terrorism. In Iowa a full one percent said they wre concerned about terrorism – less than three years since 9/11. The base wanted a candidate with credibility on national security – but didn’t seem to care about the issue as such. A combination of cynicism and amnesia. I’m not a Republican. But polls like these make me realize I’m even less of a Democrat.
THE GEPHARDT BOOMLET: He’s the candidate Karl Rove has always said was the most under-rated. But now there seems to be a genuine Gephardt boomlet. Some of it may be due to press boredom at the possibility of a Dean walk-over. But there are other factors. It seems that Dean has peaked in Iowa and that Gephardt is making inroads. The WaPo picks up the story here, and touts Gephardt’s labor roots, Midwest clout and hawkishness. Some Congressional candidates in marginal seats are getting nervous about a left-liberal national campaign. And the “theme story” is a contest between the “wine track” and the “beer track” among Democratic voters. It does seem to me that the class divide within the Democratic party is a pretty major fissure and could widen under a Dean insurgency. At the same time, Gephardt still strikes me as a terrible candidate. He seems too political, too Washington, too familiar and not distinctive enough to become president. Another veep potential? Dean will need someone from the South or the Midwest to avoid the “Starbucks candidate” label, and maybe Gephardt could assist. But what all this speculation amounts to, I think, is that it still looks very tough for any of the current crop of Dems to win against Bush. Gephardt’s real strength is that he hasn’t gone wobbly on terrorism. But that’s a weakness with the Democratic base, of course, which puts him back almost where he started.
BARBOUR HANGS TOUGH: He condemns some of his supporters’ “indefensible” racism, but stays chummy nonetheless.
The Dish 