"It's not that I don't know how to [raise money]," Brown said during the rally yesterday. "I've raised more money that Clinton or Tsongas ever have, but I know it doesn't work."

"This country has been presided over by leaders who have forgotten who they work for," he said.

Beyond his fierce opposition to the system, Brown emphasizes his stands for environmental protection and energy efficiency and against nuclear power.

"We put a space shuttle up there, we've got nuclear bombs--so we can build a car that won't pollute," Brown said.

Brown has also been known to adopt policies of his rivals on issues that are not his focus.

The candidate openly endorses the health care plan of Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey, who dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination last week.

And Brown has joined Tsongas in criticizing a Clinton-proposed tax cut for the middle class.

"I'm not for a middle class tax break like Clinton wants...that is only a dollar a day," Brown said.

As the Democratic race has narrowed to three candidates, Brown and his message, once ignored by the media and derided by commentators as the product of too many meditation sessions with his Indian gurus, is now considered mainstream.

The candidate was featured on the front page of yesterday's New York Times, and the newspaper defended his proposal for a flat, 13 percent tax rate on its editorial page.

And while so-called "Governor Moonbeam" was ignored by the other candidates in early debates. Brown now receives respect and sometimes harsh condemnation from his presidential peers.

The attention Brown now receives is commensurate with his political clout after respectful showings in the season's early primaries.

But with Democratic voters concerned about nominating a candidate who can win the presidency, even those who agree with Brown say they are not sure they will vote for him.

"I think we just need a complete change," said Rita Carson, 52, who works in a downtown Boston bank."But I worry that he's not electable."

"Still, I'd vote for Jack the Ripper over George Bush," Carson said.