"The underdog always gets the easier treatment until the underdog becomes the front-runner, " said Borger, pointing out that SNL skit aired just as that power shift was occurring.

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Pessimists could be forgiven for pointing out that this united-front plan, like others that have been articulated on the continent before it, lacked any substance or specifics.

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Another mistake of the Tahoe campaign, Neisser thinks, was the failure of Chevrolet to use the program to engage its critics by at least pointing to slow-but-steady progress on the gas mileage front.

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