Voters Weigh in on Gore Endorsement of Dean
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the aftermath now of a political bombshell for Democrats, Al Gore's endorsement of Howard Dean.</s>MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: You've heard how it isn't going over well with the other Democratic wanna-bes. So how do real folks feel, though? Jeanne Moos takes the pulse.</s>JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Al Gore and Howard Dean spent the day holding hands, looking like twins in their blue ties, unbuttoning in unison.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a marriage made in heaven.</s>MOOS: But in this marriage, aides say, the pair did not intentionally coordinate their outfits. (on camera): What did you think of this, Gore backs Dean?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a shock that he would do it so soon.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was very surprised.</s>MOOS: Will this make Dean more attractive to you?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.</s>MOOS (voice-over): Dean couldn't have asked a more perfect holiday gift.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he won it for Dean.</s>MOOS (on camera): He won it?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, he's going to win the nomination for Dean?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it hurts him.</s>MOOS: Hurts who?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dean.</s>MOOS: To be associated with Gore?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.</s>MOOS: How come? He did get half the votes.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we have a lot of dumb people in the country, too.</s>MOOS (voice-over): Gore took some flak for passing over his former running mate.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just think it's kind of stabbing someone in the back.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's kind of an underhanded, tricky thing to do.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And how Lieberman found out about it, right, in the news, that's not very nice.</s>MOOS: And speaking of the news, the Gore endorsement almost got gory. A load of risers being carted away almost took out CNN correspondent Kelly Wallace.</s>KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Joe Lieberman, Gore's running mate back in 2000 -- excuse me, we have some falling -- excuse me there.</s>MOOS: Her crew staved off the falling risers. The endorsement got a rise out of some Bush supporters.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sorry. He's a pantywaist.</s>MOOS (on camera): Gore is? What about Dean?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's worse.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As far as I'm concerned, they both stink.</s>MOOS: Were you surprised that Gore backed Dean?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Losers back each other.</s>MOOS (voice-over): Is that any way for an officer on horseback to talk a dark-horse-turned-front-runner? Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.