An airball from Bradley?
The Democratic insurgent has been fading fast in Iowa after an autumn surge. He needs a respectable finish in the caucuses to maintain his momentum in New Hampshire, which remains up for grabs. But what’s respectable? Bradley aides already are trying to lower expectations. They say they’ll be happy if the ex-New Jersey senator matches the 31% vote won by Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy in an ill-fated 1980 challenge to incumbent President Jimmy Carter. That’s baloney. If Gore crushes Bradley by 2-to-1 or better, the former hoops star will be in deep trouble. A Bradley vote total of 35% to 40% would be a wash in the expectations game. Bradley needs to top 40% to have a chance of claiming a moral victory — and maintaining his momentum in the far-more-important New Hampshire primary on Feb. 1. How good is the Gore machine? It’s a truism of Campaign 2000 that Al Gore supporters lack passion for their candidate. The Vice-President has a terrific organization on paper, led by labor and po
