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Surging with Steve
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Feb. 1, 2000 | WASHINGTON --
After Iowa, Forbes quickly shot a television ad trumpeting his campaign's new momentum. The spot, called "Surging," shows an ebullient Forbes standing before a crowd of Iowa supporters after the better than expected results were announced. "This is not a good night for the powerbrokers in Washington, D.C.," he tells viewers. "We broke the political rules." Forbes may be feeling a little smug these days, but he's earned it. In one night, the longshot candidate for president managed to debunk nearly a year of inside-the-Beltway conventional wisdom that had all but declared his candidacy dead on arrival. Washington insiders thought there was no way someone so stiff and awkward on the stump could give the photogenic, good-ol'-boy-establishment-Republican candidate from Texas a run for his money. But in Iowa, Forbes did just that.
His show of strength -- 30 percent to Bush's 41 percent -- clearly agitated the Texas governor's supporters on Capitol Hill, who were quick to mobilize their defenses. The day after the caucus, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott took aim at Forbes, saying that even far-right radio host Alan Keyes had a better resume for the presidency. However brief Forbes' Iowa surge may be, his second place finish gave his campaign a much-needed boost and forced many of his detractors to stand up and take notice. Regardless of his performance in New Hampshire, Forbes could slow the Bush juggernaut in the months to come, not as a chief rival for the nomination, but possibly as chief distraction. With his personal war chest, Forbes will be able to sling arrows long after any other candidates have given up and gone home. For a while, it didn't look like Forbes could build any momentum at all. Since announcing he would run last year last year, reporters have scrutinized Forbes' looks, his wealth and his stilted personality as much as his policy positions. They've obsessed about Forbes' face peels, straightened hair, nervous tics and even how often he blinks his eyes (once every 15 seconds, according to the Washington Post). But for the considerable number of conservatives who seethe at the mere mention of Bill Clinton's affability and slick spin control, Forbes' clumsiness, made-for-radio looks and laconic style are his biggest assets.
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