Virginia's Senate candidate, George Allen, has employed the same tactic in his race against incumbent Chuck Robb. This kind of accusation works with a lot of voters, who are accustomed to sound byte politics and bumper-sticker debate. But the technique's pervasiveness offends those of us who like to think our way to the polls. On giving specific answers to the questions, I thought Gore was the clear winner. We may say we value education, but it's clear we don't trust too much intelligence.
Every presidential campaign seems to contribute colorful metaphors to public dialogue, as well.
Kicking off his campaign in Kansas City last spring, Bill Bradley also drew on metaphor. Speaking of Washington, George W. Bush's tendency to characterize himself as a Washington outsider is also amusing. He may never have held public office in the district, but his father did occupy the White House for four years and Blair House for another eight. Anybody with his family's connections is not exactly an outsider. Politicians also have the maddening habit of making an issue sound like it's about something it's not.