SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.-For lifelong Democrat and boat captain Dominic Papetti, a rugged native Californian who has been fishing the waters off San Francisco for 27 years, his daily catch is his livelihood.
As he stood on Pier 45 repairing his 65-fathom herring net and trying to ignore the seagulls squawking overhead and the bay seals frolicking next to his boat, Papetti expressed deep concerns for the future of his profession and about Vice President Al Gore.
"I'm afraid of Gore because he wants to make the whole Pacific coast a sanctuary. It's nice to save the trees, but there are some heavy repercussions," he said. "That's going to put us all out of business."
Jim Baumgart, a 20-year Bay area fishing veteran and captain of the Hyak, agreed.
Gore "has just been crying 'over-fishing,'" Baumgart said. "Everybody is kind of leery of him. I wouldn't vote for Gore if they were holding a gun to my head."
Because of the perceived threat to their way of life, many San Francisco Bay fishermen are supporting either former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley or are crossing traditional party lines in favor of Arizona Sen. John McCain (R).
While the vice president may be unpopular with people like Papetti and Baumgart who make their living on Fisherman's Wharf, Gore seems to be the leading Democratic candidate everywhere else in the state.
Just as the herring Papetti and Baumgart chase every day are running strong in the icy waters of the Pacific Ocean, Gore too is running strong in the Golden State - and in the other 14 states where Democrats will vote tomorrow for their presidential nominee.
The latest Los Angeles Times poll has Gore leading Bradley by almost a five-to-one margin in the quest for the 434 California Democratic delegates up for grabs in tomorrow's Super Tuesday showdown.
Over 60 percent of the 2,170 delegates needed to nominate will be doled out tomorrow, including 294 in New York and 170 in Ohio. In New York, the latest Marist Institute poll has Gore ahead by 32 points.
Bradley, who has lost all three primaries to date, has 27 delegates to Gore's 42.
Even the Republicans are assuming Gore will be victorious in the primary season.
After a rally in Oakland yesterday, Texas Gov. George W. Bush (R) went so far as to refer to Gore as his future presidential opponent in an interview with The Cavalier Daily.
Bush indirectly attacked the Clinton-Gore administration in the interview by saying that if he himself were elected president, he would "bring honor and dignity to the office" and "always tell the truth."
Analysts agree that Bradley's quest to win in California and the other Super Tuesday states is an uphill climb. Bradley lost last week's Washington primary after campaigning aggressively in the state.
"On the Democratic side, there is little excitement. Maybe Bradley will win a few upsets or 'come closer-than-expected' here and there, but expect a withdrawal speech," said Larry J. Sabato, University government and foreign affairs professor. "Even if Bradley stays in, he will drift into irrelevancy rather quickly."
But David Chai, California Gore 2000 press secretary, said the vice president is not placing much emphasis on the polls and is continuing to campaign aggressively in all the states that have upcoming primaries.
"It's not affecting our drive or our energy," Chai said. "He's not taking anything for granted."
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