But now the presidential campaign has assumed the same basic pattern as every presidential campaign for at least three decades. One candidate wants more government and higher taxes, the other wants less government and lower taxes. One candidate, in other words, is a liberal. A conservative, no adjective needed. He will have learned which candidate is the liberal, which the conservative, and that's plenty.
Closing statements beg for uplift.
Tonight Bush laid out his agenda and enabled Americans to picture him as president. Now Bush needs make the case against Al Gore. In a number of critical states, notably, for instance, Florida, polls indicate that most voters believe Gore is a moderate or a conservative. Dick Cheney is an ardent and articulate conservative, Joe Lieberman an ardent and articulate liberal. The debate on Thursday could be a lollapalooza.