But they still doubt the Republican candidate will hold up as well in the fall as he has this spring. We've got to keep our eye on the prize, and that's November. Republicans argue that Gore should be even more worried than he appears to be, given the strength of the economy and an issues terrain that is largely Democratic. The challenge for Gore is to take back that territory without his boss's charm and political skill to define the political center. The sense of confidence among Republicans, in and out of the Bush campaign, is palpable, almost as strong as it was a year ago as the Texas governor prepared to leave Austin on his first campaign swing as a candidate.
Analysts say that optimism is misplaced.
I think they feel a little bit better about Bush than Gore, but it could turn around in short order. . . . I don't think this is anywhere close to being solid. To Bush partisans, the springtime issue blitz has positioned the Texas governor as the advocate for change. From education to Social Security to arms control, they say, he has put forward new ideas. But it is one thing to offer policies in the protected environment of a prepared text and quite another to win the debate in the heat of a campaign.