New York Post-September 12, 2000
LAZIO: NOTHING TO LOSE
By Dick Morris
THERE is little that Hillary Clinton can gain from tomorrow's
debate with Rick Lazio. She's a known quantity - overexposed, if
anything. But the debate is Lazio's chance to meet the first
lady's accusations and attacks head-on. The congressman can use
the confrontation to prove that he is squarely in the center of
our nation's politics, not ghettoized on the right as Hillary
would like to make it appear.
The Zogby Poll showing Hillary ahead, 47 percent to 45 percent,
cannot be good news for the first lady. Even with the Gore
convention bounce, with the vice president leading in most
national polls and well ahead in New York, the best she can
manage is a two-point lead - still short of the 50 percent plus
one she needs to have in the polls if she is to win in November.
The poll shows that she is still drawing the same vote share as
she had on Aug. 25.
Her every gain has been offset by an equivalent loss. She picked
up Jewish voters, propelled by Gore's choice of Lieberman as his
running mate, but she dropped by as much among Catholics and
Protestants. She gained upstate, closing to within seven points,
but lost ground in the suburbs.
More to the point, three weeks of Hillary's negative ads have
failed to budge the Lazio vote or even dent the undecideds.
Now, Lazio can take what Hillary dishes out in the debate and
give as good as he gets. Confident and even brash, the Republican
nominee will likely bone up on every possible Hillary attack and
counter with his best answer. This debate, and the others that
will follow, offer New York voters a chance to watch Lazio rebut
and counter all of Hillary's charges.
Worse, as she goes after Lazio with attacks, Hillary will come
off as increasingly shrill. The more she attacks, the less
attractive she will seem. But the less she attacks, the less
likely she will be to close the gap between her vote share and
the elusive 50 percent she needs.
For Lazio, this debate is the ideal opportunity to take the
education issue away from his opponent. By focusing on the issue
of teacher tenure and merit pay, the Republican can score on the
Democrat's base issue - schools.
Voters, particularly suburban voters, feel that, since they pay
for higher teacher salaries through bigger property tax bills,
they should be able to demand higher performance in return. Lazio
can clearly demonstrate how the first lady of the nation differs
from the first lady she was in Arkansas because she is now a
wholly owned subsidiary of the teachers union.
Lazio should also bring up Hillary's failed health-care
initiative - the one example of her attempt to legislate on the
national level. He should explain how thoroughly her plan
deprived patients of their rights and how it required them to go
into managed-care pools whether they liked it or not.
Hillary has recast her health-care proposal, in retrospect, as
trying to do too much too soon. In fact, she sought to impose by
federal fiat the same denial of patient power that she now
criticizes in the private sector. Lazio should berate her for her
insistence on secrecy in her health-care panel's deliberations
and should note that a federal court found it was illegal.
Finally, Lazio should state one fundamental fact: Hillary would
not be running if her husband weren't president: She wouldn't
have the fund-raising capacity or the ability to get the White
House to release photos of Lazio and Arafat. She'd be unable to
come through with more grant money for Medicare in New York. She
couldn't command the party nomination without a meaningful
primary in a state in which she has never lived.
For three weeks now, the congressman has skillfully answered each
of the first lady's attack ads. He must continue to do so right
up to the election. George W. Bush will regain his footing in the
national race and will likely settle into a small lead over Al
Gore. Hillary's bounce from the convention will fade. But the key
fact remains: She is under 50 percent.
Lazio has everything to gain and not much to lose from this
debate. It should be his big night.
Dick Morris' column now runs every Tuesday.
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Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT
FROM THE DESK OF: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
*Mike Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
~~~~~~~~ <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day.
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