US voter isn’t listening to the Al Qaeda chief

If Osama bin Laden imagined, in releasing a threatening new videotape four days before the presidential election, that he could sway the vot...

If Osama bin Laden imagined, in releasing a threatening new videotape four days before the presidential election, that he could sway the votes of people like David and Jan Hill, he’d better think again. ‘‘We’re dug in,’’ said Jan Hill, an accountant in Denver who said she would vote for Sen John Kerry.

Indeed, with passions raised to such a pitch by this election, and many people so deeply committed already to their choices, bin Laden and his blustering postures appear to have achieved the strange and remarkable feat of being irrelevant. Many people said while bin Laden remained a potent symbol, issues raised by the election were bigger than one man, and that bin Laden’s words, at this point, would not make any difference in how things turn out on Tuesday.

Jan’s husband, a musician, said having been subjected to a barrage of commercials, and a flood of news reports about the election, the tape is just another note in the cacophony of the campaign season. ‘‘I don’t think people are responding anymore,’’ he said.

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In interviews on Saturday in five hotly contested states, the Hills’ steely sentiment was echoed again and again.

‘‘It’s more of the same, basically, about what you’d expect from this group,’’ said Rex Reeve, a contracts specialists from Iowa. ‘‘I’ll definitely be voting for Bush.’’

Of the two undecided voters who could be found, neither said the tape had tipped the balance. Veronica Gonzalez, from St Paul, said the tape scared her, but she did not know if it may influence her vote. ‘‘It’s very scary. I might vote for Bush, but I haven’t decided.’’

Tyler Lisenbee, from Denver, said he voted for Bush in 2000 but was leaning toward Kerry this year. The tape has not helped him make a choice. ‘‘Bush has been in office and Osama is still running around. I don’t know if Kerry can do a better job, but maybe it’s worth trying somebody new.’’ —NYT

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