Party Chairmen Predict Nobody Will Get 50 Percent

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, Nov. 3) -- The chairmen of the Democratic and Republican parties agreed today that it is unlikely that if President Bill Clinton wins re-election Tuesday, he will garner a majority of the popular vote.

"Any president would like to have that going in" to another term, conceded Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said on NBC's "Meet The Press."

"We knew his (Clinton's) vote was soft and he is coming down," added Haley Barbour, chairman of the Republican National Committee. "Some are coming to Dole/Kemp and others are going to Perot. This is a race that is going to be decided by a point or two and neither candidate is going to get 50 percent." (128K WAV sound Courtesy NBC)

Their comments came amidst discussions about polls released this weekend showing the race between Clinton and Bob Dole closing, but Clinton still holding a commanding lead.

Dodd said it is still "remarkable" that with two days until the election, Dole is still at least 10 points behind.

"I'm not surprised that it is closing," Dodd said. "What is stunning is that Bob Dole has never gotten above 40 percent. His campaign has never caught fire because he has never been able to hit with a single issue other than tax reform."(288K WAV sound Courtesy NBC)

The two men also considered predictions by Reform Party nominee Ross Perot that a second Clinton term would be marred with a constitutional crisis and more scandal.

"We are not only politicizing our differences, but we are criminalizing our differences in politics," Dodd said. "This preoccupation of digging up dirt....I think people are sick of it. If this is what people want, then re-elect the Gingrich Congress."

Said Barbour: "Columnist David Broder said the exact thing in his column this week. A Republican Congress is going to exercise its responsibility, but remember a Democratic Congress started the Whitewater investigation."

The two men also disagreed vigorously over whether both the House and Senate may fall into Democratic hands and Republicans lose their majority in both houses.

"Heaven forbid Clinton is elected. We don't want to give him a blank check for his liberal programs," Barbour said. "The likelihood is that Republicans will make small gains in the House and Senate."

Said Dodd: "I think the president is going to win re-election, and we have a 50-50 chance of taking over the House and Senate. Who would have even imagined a few months ago that we would have a chance winning the House and Senate."

Party Chairmen Predict Nobody Will Get 50 Percent

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