-Caveat Lector- from: http://www.aci.net/kalliste/ Click Here: <A HREF="http://www.aci.net/kalliste/">The Home Page of J. Orlin Grabbe</A> ----- The View from Abroad Russians ask: Who is Mister Gore? The difference betweeen snickers and tampax. MOSCOW, Nov 3, 2000 -- (The Russia Journal) In Russia, an acting president can decline to participate in television debates. It�s enough to speak with a serious face the ridiculous phrase thought up by some speechwriter � "I don�t want to discuss in public the difference between Tampax and Snickers." It�s not clear who the acting president thought he was in this case, Tampax or Snickers. But it is only in Russia that voters can elect a man who no one knows to be their president and then spend the next few years asking each other: "Who is Mr. Putin?" America�s Mr. Putins would, maybe, just love to avoid participating in TV debates and all the other wearying trials that await them on the road to the White House. But, in the United States, this would be equivalent to political suicide. The team of Texas Gov. George Bush was anxious as the three-round debate between the presidential candidates drew near. Before the debates, Bush lagged behind his Democratic rival, Al Gore, by several points. Most experts, both American and foreign, figured that as a more experienced polemicist and orator, Gore would easily win the debates and decide the fate of the presidential campaign. The self-confident Gore flew onto the stage with a beaming smile and blew a kiss at the crowd. He revealed an arsenal that included dozens of similar images worked out in the finest detail, each one a marvel of perfection and chef d�oeuvre of the spin doctor�s craft. The range of masks was extraordinary � decisive intonations, wise nods of the head, ironic glances hiding seemingly bottomless depths of secret knowledge and competence not given to the common mortal. There were skeptical sighs and condescending mimicry during his opponent�s replies; solemn sorrow, carefully rehearsed stage movements, touching concern for the little old lady and her poodle who came from the back of beyond to hear how Gore planned to defend her prescription drugs, and the modesty of the brave as he recalled his "military feats" in Vietnam. But the very perfection of these masks unmistakably gives away their artificial nature, making their falseness visible to any observant viewer and voter. This kind of "virtual" or "plastic" politician who is nothing more than a collection of images reflects not a purely American phenomenon but a general world trend. (British Prime Minister Tony Blair is an example, as is Vladimir Putin in many respects. This is why robot-President Putin, programmed by his PR specialists, looked so helpless and unconvincing when he came face to face with the Kursk disaster, not foreseen by his spin doctors.) George Bush looked less polished and more on the defensive. He allowed himself to seem vulnerable, and this made him seem much more natural and human. The snap poll, asking who won the debate after the first round, gave the following results: 48 percent for Gore and 41 percent for Bush. But winning debates is not the same as winning hearts, and after the first debate, the drift began in the other direction. Al Gore also "won" the final debate, by a margin of 48 percent to 46 percent. But when voters were asked, in the same survey, which candidate they thought was more believable, the outcome wasn�t even close. It was Bush by a 50 percent to 41 percent margin; more honest and straightforward � Bush by 45 percent to 29 percent; more likeable � Bush by 60 percent to 31 percent. This was a verdict that now only remains to be sealed by the Nov. 7 elections. (C)2000 The Russia Journal The Russian Journal, November 3, 2000 ----- Aloha, He'Ping, Om, Shalom, Salaam. 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