The Evil of Two Lessers

[Max Sawicky]

I guess we'll find out how important anti-semitism is.
JL is a good experiment.  He has no other qualities that
invoke the conservative stereotype of Jews.  My guess is
that the anti-semite vote goes to Bush and Buchanan regardless
of who Gore runs with.  By contrast, JL brings some
Jewish and upper-middle-class (overlapping, but not
the same) votes to Gore.

But I don't think the ethnic factor is paramount here.
It's the message embodied by JL:  moral rectitude,
centrism, maturity, and calmness, all of which make Gore
look better.

One tip-off is the Repug reaction.  They're saying JL is
a great guy who is more like Bush than Gore.  The flaw in
this tactic is that JL has a voice, and he will explain
why he is more like Gore than Bush.  Since he's a great guy,
who are the Repugs to disagree w/his self-assessment?

Then there's the funny factor.  Cheney is like the grim
reaper, almost scary.  Bush's humor is of the juvenile, frat-boy
variety. Gore is actually pretty funny, but his humor is too esoteric
for mass consumption so it doesn't come through.  He tries
to be a regular guy instead, and he isn't too good at it.
JL is funny-droll, so he could dominate in this category.

mbs

CB: Does this mean that America no longer has a significant problem of
anti-Semitism ?  Only a very small crackpot minority are anti-Semitic, no
significant voting bloc. Gore must have so concluded.