With No Decision 2000 a face-off of spins–moralistic outrage for the Republicans (don’t steal our election) versus lofty principle for the Democrats (every vote should count)–the Bush gang has had the edge in passion and unity. In the postcertification phase, the Republicans and their conservative movement pals were impressively maintaining a lockstep message, while the Democrats were trying hard to mount a stand-by-our-man front. House Democratic leader Richard Gephardt and Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle trotted to Tallahassee to demonstrate their support for Gore, but it was a bit late in the game. Other high-profile Democrats–Senators John Kerry and Bob Kerrey, Representative Jerrold Nadler–hit the Sunshine State and the talk shows to help out. And on Capitol Hill, most Democrats–angered by Republican rhetoric and majority whip Tom DeLay’s schemings–were egging Gore on. As a senior Democratic House staffer quipped, “DeLay has rallied the Democrats better than Al Gore could.”

But questions hovered: How long would the Democrats hang tough? And would they play tough? “Most Democrats are going to wait and see how the court contests go and see what happens with the Supreme Court before they pull out,” says one chief of staff for a Democratic senator. But unlike Bush, Gore had to deal with cracks within his bloc. Senator Bob Torricelli remarked that the Florida certification was “the beginning of the end.” Senator Byron Dorgan indicated that time was short for Gore: “This is a search for an accurate count, but it cannot be an endless count.” Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich counseled retreat: “The country needs closure.” Representative Bud Cramer said, “The time has come for this to come to a close.” And even though Gore had much of his party on his side, the Democratic effort did not match the fervor of the GOP postcampaign endeavor–and not merely because the Democrats did not send mobs into county buildings in Florida. The remarks of Gephardt and Daschle were temperate, almost defensive, as they pointed out that they were backing the abstract principle of counting all votes. They expressed little emotion regarding the GOP attempt to block the vote-counting process so crucial for Gore. From the Democratic perspective, the election was being hijacked by the Republicans, yet, for the most part, the alarm wasn’t raised.

A few Democrats did sound off. James Clyburn, who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, said, “We know what it is to have an election stolen from us.” He warned that Democrats who wimp out during the postelection combat would lose support among black voters. Nadler, reacting to the GOP-led protests that perhaps precipitated the shutdown of the Miami-Dade recount, complained about the “whiff of fascism.” But such fightin’ words were not part of the Gore/Democratic talking points.

This was the Democratic plan: Stay calm. “Our message is patience,” said an aide to the House Democratic leadership. “We have to embody reasonableness. We feel we have votes and the law on our side, and that the Republican tactics and vehemence will backfire. People may mistake that as a message of not caring, of not being passionate. But we believe this can work.” In fact, early on in the postelection battle, Gore decided not to rev up supporters. His campaign discouraged Jesse Jackson, who staged a protest in Florida and raised questions about allegations of racial intimidation on Election Day. “Gore told Jackson to get out of the state, and he told labor not to organize,” says one Jackson associate. “He cooled Democrats out, just when Bush and his people were going into overdrive. Gore thought he had the votes. This was a classic case of Gore not believing in politics.” It may have been smart to de-Jessify the dispute, since Jackson brings his own baggage to headlines. But the Gore-Lieberman camp kept its distance from the charges of racial intimidation–which, though unproven, were of intense concern to many of Gore’s most ardent supporters.

For better or worse, Gore mostly stuck to a legal strategy–and eschewed political mobilization, outrage and crusading rhetoric, even as polls and a few Democratic pols turned against him. As one Democratic Senate aide said wistfully, “It’s always been our problem. We Democrats have trouble going for the jugular. We always try to sound reasonable. Reason may not be enough this time.”