Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 19, 1992 TAG: 9202190213
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK W. GERMOND THE BALTIMORE SUN
DATELINE: MANCHESTER, N.H. LENGTH: Medium
N.H. GIVES DEMOCRATS NO LEADER
In the end, the Democratic primary here has raised more questions than it has answered.The one that matters is: one: Where do the Democrats find the candidate who can take advantage of the vulnerability President Bush demonstrated so clearly?
No Democrats except Paul Tsongas and his most devoted admirers would argue that the returns produced a satisfying answer. So the second question is: Do the Democrats now try to recruit an alternative "third man" such as House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt?
Tsongas' triumph was by any rational measure a remarkable achievement for a one-term senator from Massachusetts no one would ever accuse of being an exciting campaigner. But he now must show he can win in parts of the country where he doesn't have as much time to grow on the voters with his earnest insistence on telling them the bad news.
Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton's second-place finish, three weeks after he held a clear lead in opinion polls, inevitably will be attributed to a voter reaction against the controversies about his personal life and draft history. For Clinton, the critical question is whether he can prove he can overcome those reservations in the electorate elsewhere.
For many Democratic professionals, Tuesday's most disappointing result was their failure to produce another candidate showing the obvious promise to become a serious contender down the line.
Not only was nobody left dead on the political battlefield, but even Sens. Bob Kerrey and Tom Harkin received enough political nourishment to go on to the next rounds in the Maine caucuses Sunday, the South Dakota primary next Tuesday and a round of tests in seven states March 3.
The problem for Tsongas is not just the label of "regional candidate" - one that really isn't valid - but the kind of frenetic schedule he now faces. Tsongas' strength as a candidate has been his ability to wear well with the electorate and drive home the substance of his message week after week until he won increasing acceptance.
If he is able to do that elsewhere, Tsongas could be the final answer to that basic Democratic question. But few in the political world would make that bet today.
Keywords:
POLITICS