In the end, all three will have a mixture of big goals and small proposals to achieve them. But that doesn't stop the big-idea buzz. While Bradley is off combating racism and giving health care to all, Gore is establishing a telephone line for traffic jams and a bill of rights for airline passengers. Lefty Senator Paul Wellstone, a rather small man himself, picked up on the big thing when endorsing Bradley. But, for mainstream candidates, the era of big ideas is over, as it should be.
Candidates talk of the vision thing, but their proposals by necessity are small ones.
The big idea is now a goal, not a prescription. Gore and his allies are frustrated with Bradley's big-idea monopoly. David Axelrod, a consultant and Gore man, likens Bradley's big-ideas theme to a toy cannon. Bradley talks of nurturing oaks rather than houseplants, but even oaks begin as saplings. He has yet to say, however, how he would achieve these things.