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In the end, the clashes between the candidates, while demonstrating that it would be difficult for them to develop any real rapport, were far less brutal than the party's brawls over Viet Nam in 1968 and 1972. Only two of the unkind labels each tried to affix to the other seem likely to stick: Hart's tagging of Mondale as the candidate of "special interests" and Mondale's "Where's the beef?" query, implying that Hart's "new ideas" and "new generation" themes are empty slogans.
As Mondale continued to pick up a delegate here or there through the end of the week, Hart traveled to Washington to consult key Democratic leaders. Most of them urged that he restrict himself to a highroad preconvention campaign in which he would avoid any divisive attacks on Mondale. Cautioned Speaker Tip O'Neill: "People love a fighter, but they hate a spoiler." Said Hart: "He's exactly right, and I have no intention of being one." Hart indicated that he did not plan to stage furtive raids on Mondale delegates or mount numerous seating challenges at the convention.
But in an interview with TIME last Friday, Hart seemed determined to carry on his quest for the nomination. "I intend to go all the way to San Francisco and I intend to be nominated on the first ballot," he asserted. "Six weeks is a lifetime in politics," he added, referring to the preconvention period. "Remember New Hampshire? Remember Florida?"
Hart then softened his certitude a shade, conceding that "it's going to be an uphill fight. It always has been, but it's still possible." Yes, he had weighed the pros and cons of persisting into the first ballot. "There are lots of positive reasons to go on and very, very few negative ones. We have been advocating moving this party into the future, and a great many people have responded. That element of the party should and must be heard through to the convention."
As for yielding to Mondale's call for party unity, Hart said he will "try to avoid conflict." He had talked to Mondale on Friday, he reported. "It was very pleasant. He didn't ask anything of me. I didn't ask anything of him. He said it would be a good idea if we got together soon, and I said, 'Great, the sooner the better.' I told him I'd be continuing to run a positive campaign, that I had no intention of fighting a rearguard or a spoiler action, because that's not the kind of person I am. It's not in my nature."
Flying to his home state's Democratic convention, Hart received an emotional welcome on Saturday. To standing ovations, he declared, "We have a duty that goes beyond a candidate or party. The defeat of Ronald Reagan is our moral imperative." Spacing his words for emphasis, Hart vowed: "I—do—not—quit."