In The Nation, a late September essay by columnist Eric Alterman was titled “Bush or Gore: Does It Matter?” Alterman’s answer was yes, based on the core argument that “the Republican Party, at this moment in history, is politically and ideologically dedicated to the destruction of the very foundations of social solidarity in this country.” But even in this emphatically pro-Gore essay, published in a shrilly liberal publication, every attempt at casting the candidates as different was littered with reminders that most people thought they were alike.
