Kerry Mingles With Pols; Weld With Fans

SPRINGFIELD-As the battle between Sen. John F. Kerry and Gov. William F. Weld '66 roared to an end over the past four days, the two Brahmin candidates continued spewing the same rhetoric that has marked the race since April.

Kerry's final hours included photo-ops with President Bill Clinton and Vice-President Al Gore '69. Weld spent canvassed the state with his record as governor to speak for him.

Clinton, who stopped long enough to slam down a cup of chowder, press the flesh with local VIPs and let 20,000-plus supporters hear his strained voice, had western Massachusetts ogling Sunday night.

"This is history, you don't get a chance to see something like this very often," said Springfield resident Jane Robitaille, who waited hours to see Clinton.

Following a revival-like introduction by larger than life Bay State myth Edward M. Kennedy '54-'56, the Democratic troika thrashed the cuts made by Congressional Republicans in education, Medicare, Medicaid and environment programs.

"They want to abolish the Department of Education, I want to give you world class education," Clinton roared to a pumped up UMass Minuteman Marching Band.

Meanwhile, Weld was hamming it up with beer-guzzling football fans as he watched the New England Patriots clobber the Miami Dolphins.

Weld, a former Fly Club member with a wry sense of humor, maintained, "If a Patriots crowd is not a Weld crowd, I don't know what crowd is."

Weld undertook a much-bally-hooed bus trip through Worcester, Fall River, New Bedford and Attelboro before watching the Patriots harpoon the Dolphins 42-23. He also shook hands with fans in the men's restroom at Foxboro Stadium.

As he has done throughout the campaign and his six years on Beacon Hill, Weld stressed the need to cut taxes, get tough on crime and reform welfare.

Despite their invigorated and divergent campaign tactics, few observers said the candidates moved many voters from the undecided column to their camp. Pools still show the race is a statistical deadlock.

Bradley Palmquist, associate professor of government, said, "The race is very predictable in that we're predicting that its going to be very close."

"In the last election, Republicans were trying to turn the race into a national referendum on Clinton...now it's exactly the opposite," Palmquist said.