It's still early, and a lot of people have not focused on the issues. The differences are stark; the differences are deep. And I believe when America's men and women, vetting the record of achievement, what they have stood for, what they have done with their lives, and what they will continue to work for in the future for the future of America, then Al Gore will win. When you get to the debates and people focus on the issues and see the clear difference between the Democratic and Republican parties, I truly believe women will be voting in large numbers for Al Gore -- Republican women, Democratic women and independent women.

Make no mistake about it -- choice hangs by a single vote on the Supreme Court. And with one appointment, we could lose that right. And it's not that we might lose the right to choose, we will lose the right to choose. George Bush says that his favorite Justices are [Antonin] Scalia and [Clarence] Thomas. And women have to realize that, and that message has to get out, because when Gore wins, women win.

Ed Phelps, CEO, BlackPolitics.com, an Atlanta Web site devoted to issues of concern to African-Americans.

I think Al Gore has to demonstrate inclusion and accountability. In addition to including minorities in his campaign, he should focus on issues like stopping redlining and giving equal access to capital in the marketplace. To show accountability he should basically stand up at his first major mistake as a candidate, and say "You know what, I screwed up on that one."

He also has to do more to show who he is. Al Gore's personality is still becoming visible. You don't know who the heck Gore is right now, and that's his job between now and November. He's riding on Clinton waves. But at some point the closer we get to pulling the lever, you're going to need to have some idea of who he is. I think frankly he wins by default with minorities. This is a serious case of the lesser of two evils, and there's a wide gap there. But I think to really assure some turnout, he really has to get people comfortable with who he is. I would advise him to stop being a politician and to start talking from his gut and his hip, to shoot from the hip a little more, to tell it how he sees it and not be afraid to rattle some cages.

Alan Dershowitz, attorney and author.

In one word, Al Gore needs debates. Bush is terrified of debates. Bush is the famous debate ducker. Gore has to hit him hard for being the debate ducker. The debates have to be specific, content based, and he has to persuade Americans that a nerd is good for president, that we want someone works hard and thinks deeply. He should ask this question: Would you hire George W. Bush to be your doctor or your financial advisor? Would you hire a doctor like Bush? No! He's not qualified. Would you want to be in a fraternity with him? Sure!

But when you're picking a president, you want to use the same criteria you use to pick a doctor or financial advisor. You want a nerd who will sit by a machine all day thinking about boring subjects. I want a doctor who reads the medical journals. And when I pick a doctor, I always pick the ugliest one, the one who didn't make it on his charm.

Every poll shows that the country supports Democrats on issues, but they think Bush is more charming, maybe a better leader -- all those things that are very hard to quantify. The best issues for Gore are healthcare, the economy and who benefits [in times of prosperity]. The thing that's always been paradoxical to me is why poor people vote for a party that says they're going to work for the rich people. Why would poor people vote for a party that would abolish the inheritance tax? I know my kids would want to, but I've told them that if they vote for Bush, I'll give all my money to charity.

I don't think the Democratic Convention will give Gore the kind of bounce he thinks he'll get. What he needs is chutzpah, boldness. He needs to act as if he's behind and come up with innovations and bold statements. His selection of Lieberman was bold, but he has to do more of that.

Bill Zimmerman, political consultant and campaign manager of California's Proposition 36, a ballot measure to promote treatment rather than incarceration for drug offenses.

The presidential election will be determined by the independent voters in the middle. The Democrats will vote for the Democrats, Republicans for Republicans. So the question is what you can do to impress an overwhelming number of nonpartisan voters. Those voters are concerned about campaign finance reform. You can see that in the response to John McCain. And they are concerned about the drug war. Eighty percent of the people in the country think it's failed. By lesser majorities, they think we should offer treatment instead of incarceration.

Here are two issues that Gore can take an independent position on and show he is departing from the failures of the past. Independent voters, the constituency that supported Ross Perot in 1992 and is cynical about elected leaders and political parties, are looking for a non-politician. How could he do it? He could say, "I've been part and parcel of a failed system. I took advantage of a failed system, but I know that this system is wrong and has to be changed. I am willing to be the first presidential candidate to repudiate soft money." I would advise him to declare unilateral disarmament in the campaign finance war by refusing to use soft money.

Lanny Davis, former White House counsel

Al Gore has to define the differences between the Democratic and Republican parties, and make the case that America is better off than we were eight years ago. In 1992, we had high unemployment, runaway deficits and our economy was out of control. Now we have billion-dollar surpluses, low unemployment and unprecedented growth. Gov. Bush doesn't have an answer for how he would do anything different from the last Republican administration.

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