Doublespeak; as in Double Plus Ungood = 'very bad' ie the streak of anti-intellectualism in Murica is as ancient as our xenophobia and Puritan roots.

Rather dense RR became, lovable avuncular Ronnie - and he already knew the right buzzwords - mumble ... Flag! .. mumble .. Freedom! and so on.

Muricans quite suspicious of anyone who ever could pronounce sodium ethylmercurithiosalicylate, but make allowances for Net Debenture Money Velocity compounded semi-quarterly via the sum-of-the-years digits method. (Because that is about our God)

They hated Adlai because he spoke actual English sentences..
Gore alas - has both skeletons in closet (like Dubya's Prescott B.), a lousy line of public patter - and other defects. There *was* no 'Democrat' candidate last year; it was the Clinton Modified Repub version, ie steal their platform *before* they can launch stuff like the ugly-ugly 'welfare reform':

Provisions of which are coming home to roost all across Murica, just in time to really sock it to the poorest tens of millions -- in Recession Time.

Probably Clinton got-off (on speaking in complete sentences! - esp. after Bush Sr's laughable speech impedimentia) for the "Southern thing" - even though his accent was hardly noticeable by campaign time.

We'll pick folksy over brainy any time (Bush Sr. never managed either = why C. had an advantage).

(Well that's just one take)


A.