Whither Bob?
It's Dole versus Clinton...and Gingrich...and Buchanan...and himself.
Now that Bob Dole has the GOP nomination well in hand--he easily swept all seven primaries on Super Tuesday--he can start focusing on running scared. Pat Buchanan is pulling him to the right, Clinton is pulling him to the center, and Dole--whose stands on the issues have always been shaky--is left wondering which way to turn. Before Dole took firm command in the race, the primaries weren't about issues--they were about candidates. All he needed to do was sell himself as the party leader with enough experience and integrity to do the job. Now that his big-money competition is gone--Morry Taylor dropped out after Dole's win in New York last Thursday, and Steve Forbes drops out officially tomorrow--he has to decide what it is he stands for. For Bob Dole, that isn't easy. Everyone knows where Pat Buchanan stands, and for all the talk of President Clinton's waffling, the Republicans have forced Bill to define himself in opposition to their radical measures.
But Bob? In a recent exit poll of voters in Southern states, the biggest reasons for Dole support are "He can beat Bill Clinton" and "He has experience in Washington." When voters were asked "Does Dole have new ideas?" 51% said no. People have faith in Dole, but not necessarily what he stands for.
Now that it's a race between Clinton and Dole, look for each to constantly nitpick the other's record. But while Clinton has a unified party behind him and can afford to court the middle, Dole has to appease the right before he can even think about the center. What will be crucial are the bedfellows he chooses and ignores. He has to distance himself from Buchanan and Newt Gingrich without alienating their supporters.
The irony of Bob Dole's campaign is that he can't sell himself as what he's been for years: a moderate Beltway Republican. Like they say, it's lonely at the top.
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