Dean, Gephardt Try and Reach New Voters

AP ^ | 1-13-04 | RON FOURNIER

[Indy Pendance]

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) -- Democrat Howard Dean is relying on house parties and hype while rival Dick Gephardt is tapping into fear and anger to drive new voters to Iowa's leadoff presidential caucuses.

In a tight, four-way race that may be determined by which campaign best recruits political novices, the leading candidates are using different tactics and motivations to expand the universe of caucus-goers.

Dean's campaign has 2,000 Iowans lobbying neighbors and friends on the candidate's behalf. Gephardt's team has 600 out-of-state union activists knocking on doors of labor workers.

Dean's organizers promote his front-running status and you-have-the-power message to create a buzz of inevitability among caucus newcomers. They fare best with voters angry at President Bush for waging war against Iraq.

Gephardt's organizers raise fears about lost jobs and health insurance to get active and retired union members interested in the race. They fare best with voters angry at Bush for what they describe as a reversal of Clinton-era economic gains.

It smells of pizza and stale sandwiches at Dean's get-out-the-vote offices. Cigar smoke and dipping tobacco punctuate the air at union halls turning out foot soldiers for Gephardt. The hair is long or spiked at Dean's headquarters; Gephardt's organizers are gray or balding.

They say they're fighting for the fun it - or for an ambiguous cause - at Dean's headquarters. They're fighting for their jobs at another.

But there are important common threads running between both operations: Teams Dean and Gephardt are obsessed with face-to-face contacts, soft sells and persistence.

[rickmichaels]

It smells of pizza and stale sandwiches at Dean's get-out-the-vote offices.

I wonder if Arm & Hammer baking soda works in rubber rooms.