The No. 1 instinct in politics is survival, ... going to have a much harder time than he's had so far in ... keeping people close to him.

234

Voters at a rally at 8 a.m. don't know Gore will keep going at 8 p.m..

196

Maybe I'm alone in this view. But I'd think that Gore, if he were to lose, might have a hard time capturing the nomination because he failed to win at a time of great prosperity and having a president with a 55% approval rating despite 'Clinton fatigue' and all that. Many might argue that the problems were based on the candidate and not on the issues.

195

People do make a distinction between what someone does in his personal life and his ability to do his job. However, if this involved perjury or obstruction of justice, which speaks to his role as president, the public has not come to any conclusion on that yet.

186

Bush's numbers are going from bad to worse, and there is no silver lining. People just see more and more bad news everywhere and they don't see a way out.

178

We still live in a time where people feel threatened, and the Democrats have been at a disadvantage on this issue, and for them to make progress they have to address it.

176

Media coverage both shapes and reflects public opinion. The press coverage in the run-up to the war was very pro-war and the country was very pro-war.

120

Gore is really handicapped by this and it makes it more difficult for him to put his best foot forward.

105

The Republicans were making gains through the first four years of the administration - and they could have consolidated those gains and made further gains, ... I don't want to preclude anything, but with 38 percent approval ratings, Republicans gains are going to be hard to come by. More likely they will experience reversals.

71