What's In A Handshake?

In a highly publicized bipartisan gesture, presidential candidates Bill Bradley and John McCain met in New Hampshire to push the same line on campaign finance reform. CBS News Correspondent Dotty Lynch looks at what and who may follow.

Rabin and Sadat. Castro and the Pope. Mary Robinson and Queen Elizabeth. Clinton and Gingrich. And now, Bradley and McCain. These symbolic gestures in the past have one thing in common. They have all received a huge amount of publicity -- and then have been followed by a wave of skepticism and in some cases, disillusionment.

But for Bill Bradley and John McCain, two insurgent candidates who are waging strong challenges to the party establishment favorites, it is hard to see too much of a downside to Thursday's meeting to discuss campaign finance reform . They get tons of national as well as local media attention for challenging "politics as usual," earn the good will of Independent voters who like bipartisanship and come across as men of principle, courage and clean government. And, after Lewinsky, Tripp Starr, Charlie Trie and the Lincoln bedroom, voters seem ready for a president they can look up to.

Some political analysts have questioned the wisdom of the bipartisan strategy, saying that Bradley and McCain risk losing to the other some of the Independent voters who are free to vote in either party's primary. But most pollsters say Independents have either Democratic or Republican leanings, and while the Democratic-leaning Independents like McCain and the Republican-leaning ones admire Bradley, there is not that large a pool of possible crossover voters. The result of an event like Thursday's is more likely to stimulate those voters' interest and get them to turn out to vote.

This is not the first bipartisan event in the presidential cycle. In the summer of 1987 Republican Congressman Jack Kemp and Democratic Congressman Dick Gephardt had a debate in Iowa on trade issues. But that was to highlight their differences -- not their similarities. The event earned a fair amount of publicity for the dark horse candidates, although by 1988 that moment got lost in the heat of the election. And in 1980, Democratic challenger Ted Kennedy and Republican-turned Independent John Anderson held a "joint event" in which Anderson promised to give up his Independent candidacy if Kennedy beat Carter for the Democratic nomination.

The biggest question for McCain and Bradley now is: Where do they go from here? Both men have surged in polls in New Hampshire, gaining support not only from Independents but also from well-educated primary voters who tend to like "process issues." But in many states Independents can't vote in primaries and the vast majority of primary and caucus voters are loyal partisans who care more about social and economic issues than about "the system."

This bipartisanship could turn them off or at least cast doubt about stands on other issue. John McCain has a particularly high hurdle to overcome here. The Republican leadership and many of their activists strongly disagree with his position on campaign finance reform. He faces serious opposition from frontrunner George W. Bush. In the debate on Tuesday night and again Thursday, Bush warned that McCain's proposal would hurt the Republican Party and give labor unions an unfair advantage. On the other hand, Bradley has the support of most Democrats on the issue, but it has low saliency with the rank and file Democrats who are now backing Al Gore.

Republican Pollster Linda DiVall, who worked for Elizabeth Dole earlier this year, says McCain needs to find more issues that matter the daily lives of Americans -- health care being a prime example. She cited McCain's reticence on this issue in a recent debate as a potential danger sign. Democratic pollsters say Bradley needs to do the same, though strategists on both sides of the aisle agree that if Bush and Gore start to self-destruct McCain and Bradley have put themselves in good position to seize the initiative.

So Thursday's event looks good, but the question is: If the handshake looks like a big winner how many will follow? Will Bush and Gore shake on overcoming successful fathers? Will Gary Bauer and Bill Clinton shake on fighting against scurrilous rumors of sexual indiscretion? Steve Forbes and Donald Trump on "millionaires are people too?" But wait a minute -- Donald Trump won't shake hands with anybody because of fear of germs. If that continues, 2000 may just not be his year.