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US embraces cult of personality
George W Bush seeking support in New Hampshire |
By Nick Bryant in Washington
Campaigning for the United States presidential elections appears to be turning out to be a presidential popularity contest.
 Al Gore has a lot of virtues that never seem to come out in public  |
| EJ Dion, author |
Dignity and honour are defining issues, with each candidate's personal history providing the main narrative for the race.
McCain: 'Makes George W Bush look weak and flabby' |
Character and courage are his hallmark themes and America seems ripe for his candidacy.
"He comes across to people as a man who bore terrible burdens," says presidential biographer Robert Dallick.
America is looking for real leadership, not a slick, overly polished candidate |
| Elizabeth Drew, political commentator |
Sporting celebrity
Former basketball star Senator Bill Bradley is trading on his sporting celebrity and a reputation for fair play.
With spin doctors kept on the sidelines, the game plan is simple - to sell himself as the anti-politician's politician. The result is, Democrats seem to be madly for Bradley.
Bradley: 'The anti-politician's politician' |
"We're always reacting against past experience, and I think people are looking for someone who they feel will not disappoint them," she says.
Who am I?
But the problem for Al Gore, it seems, is deciding what his character is.
Advisors are telling him to wear new earth-colour suits and distance himself from the president. The man who claims to have invented the internet seems constantly to be reinventing himself
"For a while, he had six pollsters on the payroll and somebody said 'Who tells him what to think on the seventh day?'," says columnist and author EJ Dion.
"What's funny about Gore is people who've known him for a long time know that he can be funny, thoughtful and self-deprecating. He has a lot of virtues that never seem to come out in the public sphere."
Life is more straightforward for George W Bush, which is the underlying theme of his latest ad. It shows him holding two babies and kissing his wife, making the point that in post-Monica America, it is the man in the Oval Office who counts.
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See also: |
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06 Nov 99 | Americas |
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Bush no whizz on foreign quiz |
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11 Jun 99 | Americas |
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Game plan for the White House |
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28 Oct 99 | Americas |
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Gore-Bradley duel fails to inspire press |
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23 Oct 99 | From Our Own Correspondent |
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Gore's battle for nomination |
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26 Sep 99 | Americas |
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Bradley ahead of Gore |
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08 Sep 99 | Americas |
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Bradley enters White House race |
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Internet links: |
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George W Bush official site |
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Al Gore official site |
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Bill Bradley official site |
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C-SPAN - Campaign 2000 |
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