COLUMN: The appeal of a real leader

From Andrew Exum's, "Perilous Orthodoxy," Fall '00 From Andrew Exum's, "Perilous Orthodoxy," Fall '00Well, the suspense is finally over in South Carolina. Since voters there have emphatically decided who they want to be the GOP nominee for president, they can now go back to debating over which flags they let fly over the state capitol building. First -- and this is the question everyone has been asking -- did George W. win the primary in South Carolina at the expense of the general election in November? In other words, has he so alienated moderates with his pandering to the far right in Carolina that they will similarly abandon him when he goes head-to-head with Al Gore in the fall? Indeed, the win in South Carolina may prove to be a pyrrhic victory. But there's another question: assume the John McCain campaign is, as the analysts have suggested , dead in the water. Shouldn't we -- George W. and Al Gore included -- at least stop and muse about the phenomenal popularity McCain has enjoyed in the past few weeks? There are definite lessons to be learned. I mean, the guy was on the cover of every major newsmagazine. He was -- for perhaps only a brief stitch in time -- the media darling. Obviously, something about the man made him appeal to voters, both those on the left and the right. Who knows? He could still rebound in Michigan and charge to an unlikely nomination. But what's remarkable is that McCain successfully stole away the moderates and Democrats that George W. pledged to steal for himself when he first declared his candidacy. Oddly, newly converted McCain supporters were at a loss to describe why they had thrown their hats into the ring with the war-hero senator from Arizona. "I dunno, I just like the guy," was the chorus echoed across America. Many voters -- Democrats especially -- pushed the issues aside to support one of Congress' more conservative members. That's especially odd considering how issue-focused this election has been. Just a few weeks ago, writing on the editorial page of The New York Times, columnist Gail Collins noted, "Never have we seen a campaign more focused on the issues." But the issues -- abortion, health care, gun control, etc. -- were exactly what moderates and Democrats tossed aside to support McCain. They decided issues weren't the only thing that matters in a candidate -- he's got to be able to lead as well. All of this has to do with the political environment that has characterized the post-Clinton election era into which we have recently entered. Voters want to concentrate on the issues because -- after too many years filled with interns and scandals -- they have become sick of hearing about politicians' personal lives. At the same time, though, they are also ready for a candidate in the post-Clinton era that doesn't need to consult a poll or Dick Morris to answer a simple question about policy. They want a candidate to be honest. Straight-forward. Enter John McCain. I can't help but think we could have predicted all this from Philadelphia a few months ago. When Republican Sam Katz gained so much support from Democrats in a Democrat-controlled town, I, like many voters, thought the phenomenon had more to do with John Street's skin color than anything else. But perhaps people felt that -- issues aside -- Sam Katz would simply be a better mayor than John Street. I hope you're taking notes, Mr. Gore. Because whoever wins the presidential election in November just may do so because they convince the voters that they can flat-out lead better than the next guy. Screw the issues -- the voting populace wants a fearless leader to follow up the zero-backbone, don't-take-a-stand-on-anything-unless-the-numbers-are-favorable Clinton presidency. If that's the case, then Gore -- who enlisted for duty in Vietnam following graduation from Harvard -- may have the tough guy advantage over Bush. Provided, of course, he can get past his wooden public image. Sure, he's no war-hero, P.O.W. fighter pilot like McCain. But then again, unlike his opponent, Gore didn't spend the war in the National Guard defending Texas from Oklahoma either.