The American Spectator

p> I WON’T FOLLOW HIM br> For all the excitement about presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry , it isn’t translating into volunteers for his campaign. In fact, according to a Kerry campaign staffer in Florida, the Kerry camp is surprised by the lack of paid staff and volunteer crossover from other dead Democratic primary campaigns to theirs. /p>

“We aren’t getting a lot of young people coming on board to help from other campaigns, like Gephardt and Clark and Dean,” says the Kerry staffer. “We don’t know if it’s sour grapes, lack of enthusiasm, or them just being fried from the primary season.”

Kerry has made some strategic hires from other campaigns, particularly to fill regional positions. But he apparently has failed to get many Democratic worker bees’ hearts racing.

One potential hire, a former Clark campaign aide, was recently offered a position by the Kerry campaign, but turned it down. She may end up working for MoveOn.org or might sign on to do some consulting for Howard Dean’s new 527.

“I thought about Senator Kerry, but couldn’t get into it. He just isn’t my guy,” says the former Clark staffer. “General Clark didn’t turn out to be everything we hoped, but he was someone I could admire. Kerry just doesn’t have what Clark or Dean has. I couldn’t work for him.”

According to a DNC source, the party overall is not having trouble finding volunteers to help with the convention or at headquarters. “But I know that in some areas, down south in Florida, and in the Midwest, Kerry is having trouble getting large numbers. He’s banking on the unions sending him some help. By now, he should be turning volunteers away, but he has time to get things straightened out.”

p> HYBRID FUMES br> Toyota, the Japanese auto manufacturer, with a number of plants here in the United States, approached the presidential campaign of Sen. John Kerry