Populism Did Not Sink Gore

It seems that everyone knows that Al Gore lost because he used a lot of populist rhetoric in 2000. The most obvious example of this was his convention speech, where he recited his "the people vs. powerful" schtick in front a huge national television audience. The result? Not something you'd expect if you had been listening to the pundits:

The latest Gallup poll, conducted August 18-19, shows Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George W. Bush in a dead heat, with 47% of likely voters saying they would choose Gore and 46% opting for Bush. This represents a 17-point swing from a poll conducted before the Democratic National Convention, when Bush led Gore by 16 points, 55% to 39%. -Gallup

Eh! Look at that! I know there are a lot of variables that can't be controlled for, but at the very least it seems that populism did not hurt Gore. After four years of Republican rule and economic stagnation, it seems that a populist campaign would be even better suited for the Democrats in 2004. It also gives them an excellent opportunity to avoid cultural issues which are basically a distraction and which many voters disagree with the Democrats on.