Gore camp continues drive to White House

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The limousines have left, Vice President Al Gore has gone home to his farm and Sen. Joseph Lieberman is back in Washington. Staffers have packed up and volunteers have driven off into the sunset. But it isn't over yet, not by a long shot. "We're going to win!" read signs posted on computer terminals at the Gore headquarters here. Sure, the election is theoretically over and things are being taken down. Workers yesterday were dismantling the stage, from which Gore was supposed to claim victory or defeat, amid pouring rain as Gore staffers scrambled to move their makeshift press office at the Nashville downtown Sheraton. "They did some strike this morning," Han Henze, a worker with the local electric company, said Wednesday. "The electronic stuff will have to come down tonight." But the Gore campaign has kicked into overdrive. While volunteers and staffers alike here were in a state of disbelief early Wednesday morning, Gore supporters are now as determined as ever in their quest for the White House, as the vote in Florida is recounted, debated and litigated. "It was elated at first and then just very resigned," David Roeske, a 19-year-old intern with the campaign from Pacific Union College in California, said of the mood when the networks gave Texas Gov. George W. Bush the election late Tuesday night. "Toward the end, it was depressing with a faint glimmer of hope." That passive hope has been transformed into an active full-court press. The Gore campaign has sent scores of lawyers into Florida to begin the long process of officially determining who won Florida's crucial 25 electoral votes. "We're excited that he won the popular vote," Democratic National Committee spokesman Jamal Simmons said. "We want to make sure there are no mistakes." And while voters have taken to the streets in Palm Beach County, Fla., to protest a confusing ballot, Gore-Lieberman signs have remained in local shop windows. The people of Nashville -- the majority of them are Gore supporters -- are refusing to give up hope. "I'm just really excited," said Jessica Pitt, a sophomore from Austin Peay State University in nearby Clarksville. "This is my first time voting." The people here are relatively upbeat. "This has been an exciting 12 hours," Gore campaign chairman Bill Daley said Wednesday. "We ran a great campaign," Gore campaign manager Donna Brazille said. "We had a great staff and great volunteers and I am proud of them today." Many expressed excitement that they were on the brink of history. And people who were once crying are now smiling. Despite the chaos in Florida, eyes are still on this small capital in the middle of Tennessee. The television crews from the major networks remain and the hotel rooms remain booked. "Business has been great," a doorman at a local hotel said.