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"I've been through it once before and I want to make sure that everything is in place so that we can do it with heart and soul, and I must admit, I'm looking forward to it." |
| Steve Forbes (NJ) A businessman who understands the concept of long-term investing, Forbes is building on his 1996 presidential campaign during which he made "flat tax" a household word. He has reached out to the Christian conservatives he failed to win in 1996 and has attended many GOP functions across the country, meeting the people he will need to build the organization he lacked in his first run. Forbes waged an air campaign on television in 1996 and he is expanded that to include the Internet in 2000. While his "announcement" on-line was more gimmick than substance, his creation of e-precincts is an idea that could be very effective. Forbes learned that grassroots support is vital and this time around he is builing it both on the ground and in the air. Another interesting move by Forbes was his selection of Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell to be national chairman of his 2000 presidential campaign. Doing so makes Blackwell, who worked on Jack Kemp's 1988 campaign, becomes one of the highest ranking minorities in any presidential campaign, Democratic or Republican. And Ohio becomes more of a battleground state in the key Midwest block of votes. Forbes has the campaign experience, the intelligence to learn from his previous mistakes and the money run a good campaign. His biggest weakness is convincing people that it's possible to win the Presidency as one's first elected office. |
