PHILADELPHIA – Vice President Al Gore didn’t go to bed last night, forsaking sleep so he could take his surging campaign to late-shift workers and an all-night diner.
In a head-spinning zoom around the country’s eastern half, Gore will hit four states and five cities in 27 hours.
At his first stop, Gore hit Pat’s Steaks, where he downed a famous “Philly-style” cheesesteak, followed by a trip to a construction site where he declared: “We’ve got a lot more work to do.”
In a not-so-veiled reference to Texas Gov. George W. Bush, who travels less and keeps a less frantic pace than the vice president,
Gore cited his work ethic and promised more.
“I am not satisfied. You ain’t seen nothing yet,” Gore shouted. “We’re going to keep going to talk to folks who are at work for Labor Day. We’re doing it to honor your work.”
At dawn today, Gore was to address firefighters in Tampa, Fla. And he’s set to walk in a Labor Day parade in Pittsburgh around noon.
Last night he chatted up construction workers in Philadelphia before flying to Michigan for some glad-handing with hospital workers on the late shift.
The marathon ends tonight with a trip to the Louisville Motor Speedway.
The round-the-clock swing, a variation on Bob Dole’s 96-hour race in the 1996 election, is intended to send a strong Labor Day signal to any voter who happens to be listening:
“Nobody is going to work harder for the American people,” Gore said yesterday, a phrase he’s used repeatedly in recent weeks as he tries to paint himself as the hardest-working candidate.
Gore’s pre-Labor Day campaign bash is no accident. He’s hitting three critical states that are toss-ups in the November election – Pennsylvania, Florida, and Michigan all could easily tip Republican or Democrat.
Gore is planning his campaign to appeal to the working-class base of the Democratic Party, with each stop aimed at diehard union members ranging from teachers to firefighters to electricians.
The vice president is also hoping the energy he generated with his surprise running-mate pick – Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, the first Jew on a national ticket – will last to Election Day.
It’s notable that Gore is willing to endure such a demanding schedule so early in the campaign.
Labor Day usually marks the start of the last dash to the Nov. 6 election – candidates don’t typically begin their all-night runs until a week or so before the election.
The big event for Gore this week comes Wednesday during a visit to Cleveland when he’s set to deliver a major address – that once again he’s written himself – about the economy.