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Suddenly the earnest, Howdy Doody-ish Midwesterner became an old-fashioned firebrand. He had found a voice that worked. "Dick has touched a deep-seated fear about the economic future of the nation," says Kirk O'Donnell, president of the Center for National Policy, a Democratic-oriented think tank. "This is powerful stuff."
The other candidates immediately blasted Gephardt for blatant opportunism. In New Hampshire, Paul Simon put on tough radio ads outlining issue after issue in which "Congressman Gephardt" said one thing while "Candidate Gephardt" said another. Michael Dukakis accused Gephardt of being "protectionist" and having 19th century ideas about trade. Even several of Gephardt's former staffers described his new persona as contrived. Don Foley, who quit as his press secretary three months ago, told friends, "Some days he doesn't even know who he is."
The new strategy comes easily to Gephardt because he, more than any other Democratic candidate, has an instinct to please, an inclination to tell people what he thinks they want to hear. Yet he is tapping a real well of discontent and economic nationalism. Such a message plays well in regions where times are hard and resentment is ready to be roused. But it is hardly a blueprint for governing.