Good "on the trail" about Gephardt.
For Gephardt, Staid's the Course
Battling Dean in Iowa, Congressman Banks on Experience
By Lois Romano
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, January 10, 2004; Page A06
DES MOINES, Jan. 9 -- Janet Delaney, a retired schoolteacher, braved subzero temperatures this week to check out Dick Gephardt, a man whom she admires, but whom she feels may be -- to put it bluntly -- a has-been.
"The thing with Gephardt is that he's old hat," said Delaney, from the back row of a Burlington hall. She is still agonizing over her vote in the Jan. 19 caucuses, the first major balloting of the presidential race, and allows how she also likes Howard Dean "because he's something different. He may sound abrasive, but he gets his point across."
Ditto for Cherry Klein, a local Planned Parenthood official, also grappling with her vote. "Gephardt had some pretty good points as far as issues. . . . But Dean -- look what he's done in reaching so many people. . . . He's not connected to Washington. He wants to make a big change."
Delaney and Klein's quandary -- echoed by a number of voters who came to hear Gephardt this week -- illustrates not only the fluidity of the race but also Rep. Richard A. Gephardt's challenge. Neither charismatic nor flashy, the Missouri congressman is taking the "turtle" route to the caucuses, as he methodically plods through the small towns of Iowa day after day, delivering his stump speech verbatim, in drafty community centers and rural restaurants. At 62, Gephardt is the oldest candidate in the nine-way race for the nomination. His crowds are generally low-key -- largely middle-aged people or seniors worried about health care and jobs.
His campaign is banking on his vast union support for turnout -- but also on a late-breaking voter epiphany of sorts. "We believe people will ultimately ask themselves, 'Do I want to vote for a prom date or someone I want to be married to for 20 years?' " said a senior campaign aide.
In his second shot at the brass ring in 16 years, Gephardt must win the state he won in 1988 to remain viable in this race, his aides and political strategists maintain.
In an interview this week, Gephardt conceded that Dean "was the first one to really tap into the anger that's out there. Some people are just attracted to that. But I think as time goes on though a lot of people will say anger is not enough. In a time of terrorism . . . with all the difficulties we face, people are not going to leave the horse they're on -- Bush . . . to jump on a horse that is not experienced, that doesn't have steady hands, that doesn't have demonstrated reliability. My task in this has always been to make experience an asset, not a liability."
A straightforward and sometimes bland speaker, the candidate tries to humanize himself and his policies through personal stories. He talks about growing up poor. He describes his universal health care plan by telling about his son Matt's battle with cancer as a toddler. "He's a gift of God. . . . Matt wouldn't have survived if we didn't have insurance," he says. He shares how he is repaying his daughter Kate's college loans because she could not afford to do so on a teacher's salary.
Gephardt also pounds home his experience as a member of Congress and House leader, and he has sharpened his attacks on Dean, criticizing the former Vermont governor for supporting trade agreements with Mexico and China, and for siding with Republicans on proposed Medicare cuts in the mid-1990s.
In 1988, Gephardt dropped out of the race after winning Iowa and placing second in New Hampshire because he did not have enough money or a strategic plan to capitalize on the successes. This time, he's been ducking out of Iowa for day trips to New Hampshire, where he spent part of Friday, as well as going to the Feb. 3 primary states.
The strategy is to win here -- where local polls have him in a tight fight with Dean -- do well in New Hampshire the following week, propelling him into South Carolina and a string of midwestern states on Feb. 3, including Missouri, his home state.
"In 1988, we were Iowa-centric," Gephardt said in the interview. "When we got out of here, we really had no structure. We really didn't have anything going on anywhere and we did not have enough money to run ads. . . . I feel better about our campaign in South Carolina, in Oklahoma, in North Dakota."
Gephardt dismisses questions that he has not raised half as much money as Dean, saying the money will show up if he wins Iowa. He does seem annoyed at what he refers to as the media's coronation of Dean. "The media loves the Hula Hoop of the day," he said.
As for Al Gore and Bill Bradley's endorsement of Dean, and Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin's on Friday, Gephardt said that Iowans are "fiercely independent" and will follow their best instincts.
Through it all, Gephardt seems at peace, having made the decision that this could very well be his last political race -- he has opted not to run for reelection to Congress, where he has served for 27 years.
So, just how big does he have to win here to stay in the race? "I mean, you can run a hundred hypotheses," he said, shrugging. "What if we tie? What if I'm one behind? You'll know the result when you see it."
© 2004 The Washington Post Company |
