Afterward, he d ride a horse, take a spin on his boat, enjoy another dip in the lake, build a fire, fix a barbecue and light candles and talk and tell stories. And laugh some more. Gore s answers or Dowd actually sharing this tripe with her readers. I guess she figures it s better than exposing her colleague Richard Berke for his consistent Gore-shilling, which is no doubt at the behest of publisher Artie Sulzberger Jr., who s apparently decided that the 2000 presidential election must pit Gore against maverick John McCain. And so that s why Berke wrote a story on Nov. 9 about Bill Bradley, the rumpled, Adlai Stevenson-Paul Tsongas candidate of this cycle, actually turning to Madison Avenue to spruce up his image and come up with a slogan.
Presidential candidates hire pollsters, consultants and advertising experts.
This revelation, Berke writes, demonstrates the seriousness of his presidential campaign. Bradley s not putting up with jerks like New York Times hacks for a lark. Their big rush is to be on Imus show. They yearn for power and for respect from those they cover, so are easy prey for someone like McCain, who fawns all over them. One Gore campaign official told Berke that it was hypocritical for Bradley to campaign on a promise of protecting young people, particularly the poor, while working with a guy who was responsible for trying to sell tobacco products right to inner-city kids.