Live from New York: Stephanopoulos Addresses DMDNY Attendees
George Stephanopoulos, who forsook the priesthood (“the family business”) to serve as a senior advisor in the Clinton administration and as a commentator for ABC-TV, addressed attendees of the DMDNY luncheon yesterday.
In his presentation, Stephanopoulos deconstructed the word “politics,” saying that it came from “poli,” meaning many, and “tics,” which refers to small blood-sucking insects. He then went on to comment on the current New York state senatorial race and the 2000 presidential campaign.
According to Stephanopoulos, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the likely Democratic candidate, is a better campaigner than when she first started: New presumptive Republican candidate Rick Lazio will be harder to beat than former candidate Rudy Giuliani, as Lazio is not as vulnerable on the “temperament” issues.
The presidential election, Stephanopoulos said, will likely be one of the closest in years, both in terms of popular and electoral college vote, and, he said, there was a good chance that the winner of the White House will likely carry Congress with him.
Speculating on potential running mates, Stephanopoulos felt that George W. Bush is leaning toward picking a candidate who will have a direct impact on electoral-college math, such as Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge. Al Gore, he said, has the latitude to go with a more unconventional choice, such as former Senate leader George Mitchell.
A deciding factor in the presidential election might be the candidate debates –or the lack of them. According to Stephanopoulos, Bush “does not wear well” and may feel that one debate, in which he does not make a major gaffe, would be sufficient for his campaign’s fortunes.
