Post by GSC Admin on Nov 30, 2003 14:25:44 GMT -5
Talking Points for Gore Supporters
1. Gore Knows How Real People Live: Before entering politics, Gore's father was a farmer and teacher; Gore's mother was a waitress. Both worked their way through college and law school. As a child, Gore worked for his father on the family farm, getting up before dawn to help feed the livestock, clean out hog parlors, and help to clear and plow fields with a mule team. Gore served as an enlisted man in the U.S. Army. After he left the service, Gore worked as a newspaper reporter in Nashville, Tennessee. Now since leaving the Vice Presidency, Gore teaches at various colleges in the US.
2. A Lifetime Spent in Service to the Nation: Although he was offered a position in the National Guard that would have kept him out of the Vietnam war, Gore volunteered for the Army and was posted near Saigon. Gore served four terms in the House (1977-1985) and two terms in the Senate (1985-1993). He served as Vice President from 1993 to 2000; his duties included being an advisor to President Clinton, a Cabinet member, President of the U.S. Senate, a member of the National Security Council, and head of a wide range of Clinton Administration initiatives.
3. Intelligence: Al Gore received a degree in government with honors from Harvard University in 1969. He wrote "Earth in the Balance", a ground breaking book on the environment which reached #13 on the New York Times bestseller list. Gore was instrumental in the creation of the Internet and literally dreamed up the Triana satellite, which was designed to study global warming. Since leaving the Vice Presidency, Gore has taught graduate level college courses, even creating a new academic discipline on how to build family friendly communities.
4. An Economy For The People, Not The Powerful: Gore cast the tie-breaking vote that passed the 1993 federal budget, which turned record deficits into record surpluses and ushered in the longest economic expansion in U.S. history. More than 22 million new jobs were created under the Clinton/Gore Administration, the most jobs ever created under a single Administration. The unemployment rate was the lowest in three decades (3.9%). Hispanic unemployment and African-American unemployment were reduced to the lowest levels ever recorded. Under Clinton/Gore, the minimum wage was increased for the first time in five years, real wages rose at all income levels and home ownership reached record levels.
5. A Champion OF The Environment: Gore chaired the first Congressional oversight hearing dealing with toxic waste clean up. He co-sponsored early legislation to study global warming and was an original cosponsor of the Water Quality Act of 1987. The Clinton/Gore Administration cleaned up three times as many toxic waste sites as the Reagan and G. H. W. Bush Administrations combined. Gore was instrumental in launching a partnership between Detroit and the Federal Government to develop more fuel-efficient vehicles by 2003. Al Gore helped negotiate an agreement between 142 countries to reduce greenhouse gasses at the Kyoto Global Warming Conference. The Clinton/Gore Administration created 13 new national parks and used the Antiquities Act to preserve and protect more acreage in the lower 48 states than any prior administration. Al Gore also spoke out on an uranium enrichment plant that was to be put it Middle Tennessee. This prevented that plant being built in Tennessee.
6. A Commitment To Civil Rights, Not Photo-Ops: Gore cosponsored the Civil Rights Restoration Act. He was an original cosponsor of the Civil Rights Act of 1990, the Equal Remedies Act and also an original cosponsor of legislation to create a federal holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Clinton/Gore Administration filed over 500 cases to enforce fair housing laws, more than any other Administration. Gore made history in the 2000 campaign when he selected Senator Joe Lieberman as his Vice Presidential running mate, making Lieberman the first Jew to run on a major party Presidential ticket. Although he was criticized bitterly by the media and some members of his own party, Gore fought to have every vote counted in the Florida 2000 election, and asked the Justice Department to investigate Civil Rights violations that occurred there. Al Gore has recently been speaking to college students and citizens about racism and how to overcome it. He says we must first recognize our differences and also look at the mistakes made in the past and bridge them with the future.
7. A Leader In Women's Issues: As a Congressman and Vice President, Gore was an advocate for the Family and Medical Leave Act, which was the first bill signed into law by President Clinton. Gore cosponsored the Freedom of Choice Act, which sought to codify the Roe v. Wade decision into federal law. Gore was one of the most outspoken supporters of the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Violence Against Women Act. He cosponsored the Breast and Cervical Cancer Mortality Prevention Act of 1990 and the Women's Health Equity Act. In 1988, Al Gore fought successfully for legislation that would require a warning label on alcoholic beverages about the dangers of alcohol for pregnant women.
8. A Real Education President: Gore co-sponsored the bill which created the Department of Education. The Clinton/Gore Administration made the largest single investment in higher education in 30 years, securing a historic increase in the Pell Grant program. Gore cast the deciding vote to create the Direct Student Loan Program. The Clinton/Gore Administration increased funding for Head Start by 90 percent. In 1994, Al Gore set a goal of connecting every classroom in the country to the Internet; by 2000, 63% of classrooms and 95% of schools were online.
9. Gore Has Proven He Can Beat George W. Bush: The 2000 Presidential campaign began with George W. Bush leading Gore by 15 points; and it ended with Gore receiving the second largest number of votes of any Presidential candidate in history -- over 540,000 more votes than Bush. Gore's victory was record breaking in a number of other ways: he also got more votes than any other Democratic Presidential candidate; more votes any other first time Presidential candidate; and more votes than any other Vice President who ran for President. Mathematical models prove that Gore's margin of victory in Florida would have been over 49,000 votes, if everyone in who voted in Florida had been able to cast their vote on modern equipment.
10. Al Gore was one of the few Democrats to stand up to the President on the issue of Iraq. For more info, please read this passage: www.commondreams.org/views02/0925-01.htm
* Thanks to Al Gore Democrats for this fine record of Al Gore talking points.
For a detailed list of Gore's record and proposals for America, please visit his VP site here: clinton3.nara.gov/WH/EOP/OVP/initiatives_bottom.html
1. Gore Knows How Real People Live: Before entering politics, Gore's father was a farmer and teacher; Gore's mother was a waitress. Both worked their way through college and law school. As a child, Gore worked for his father on the family farm, getting up before dawn to help feed the livestock, clean out hog parlors, and help to clear and plow fields with a mule team. Gore served as an enlisted man in the U.S. Army. After he left the service, Gore worked as a newspaper reporter in Nashville, Tennessee. Now since leaving the Vice Presidency, Gore teaches at various colleges in the US.
2. A Lifetime Spent in Service to the Nation: Although he was offered a position in the National Guard that would have kept him out of the Vietnam war, Gore volunteered for the Army and was posted near Saigon. Gore served four terms in the House (1977-1985) and two terms in the Senate (1985-1993). He served as Vice President from 1993 to 2000; his duties included being an advisor to President Clinton, a Cabinet member, President of the U.S. Senate, a member of the National Security Council, and head of a wide range of Clinton Administration initiatives.
3. Intelligence: Al Gore received a degree in government with honors from Harvard University in 1969. He wrote "Earth in the Balance", a ground breaking book on the environment which reached #13 on the New York Times bestseller list. Gore was instrumental in the creation of the Internet and literally dreamed up the Triana satellite, which was designed to study global warming. Since leaving the Vice Presidency, Gore has taught graduate level college courses, even creating a new academic discipline on how to build family friendly communities.
4. An Economy For The People, Not The Powerful: Gore cast the tie-breaking vote that passed the 1993 federal budget, which turned record deficits into record surpluses and ushered in the longest economic expansion in U.S. history. More than 22 million new jobs were created under the Clinton/Gore Administration, the most jobs ever created under a single Administration. The unemployment rate was the lowest in three decades (3.9%). Hispanic unemployment and African-American unemployment were reduced to the lowest levels ever recorded. Under Clinton/Gore, the minimum wage was increased for the first time in five years, real wages rose at all income levels and home ownership reached record levels.
5. A Champion OF The Environment: Gore chaired the first Congressional oversight hearing dealing with toxic waste clean up. He co-sponsored early legislation to study global warming and was an original cosponsor of the Water Quality Act of 1987. The Clinton/Gore Administration cleaned up three times as many toxic waste sites as the Reagan and G. H. W. Bush Administrations combined. Gore was instrumental in launching a partnership between Detroit and the Federal Government to develop more fuel-efficient vehicles by 2003. Al Gore helped negotiate an agreement between 142 countries to reduce greenhouse gasses at the Kyoto Global Warming Conference. The Clinton/Gore Administration created 13 new national parks and used the Antiquities Act to preserve and protect more acreage in the lower 48 states than any prior administration. Al Gore also spoke out on an uranium enrichment plant that was to be put it Middle Tennessee. This prevented that plant being built in Tennessee.
6. A Commitment To Civil Rights, Not Photo-Ops: Gore cosponsored the Civil Rights Restoration Act. He was an original cosponsor of the Civil Rights Act of 1990, the Equal Remedies Act and also an original cosponsor of legislation to create a federal holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Clinton/Gore Administration filed over 500 cases to enforce fair housing laws, more than any other Administration. Gore made history in the 2000 campaign when he selected Senator Joe Lieberman as his Vice Presidential running mate, making Lieberman the first Jew to run on a major party Presidential ticket. Although he was criticized bitterly by the media and some members of his own party, Gore fought to have every vote counted in the Florida 2000 election, and asked the Justice Department to investigate Civil Rights violations that occurred there. Al Gore has recently been speaking to college students and citizens about racism and how to overcome it. He says we must first recognize our differences and also look at the mistakes made in the past and bridge them with the future.
7. A Leader In Women's Issues: As a Congressman and Vice President, Gore was an advocate for the Family and Medical Leave Act, which was the first bill signed into law by President Clinton. Gore cosponsored the Freedom of Choice Act, which sought to codify the Roe v. Wade decision into federal law. Gore was one of the most outspoken supporters of the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Violence Against Women Act. He cosponsored the Breast and Cervical Cancer Mortality Prevention Act of 1990 and the Women's Health Equity Act. In 1988, Al Gore fought successfully for legislation that would require a warning label on alcoholic beverages about the dangers of alcohol for pregnant women.
8. A Real Education President: Gore co-sponsored the bill which created the Department of Education. The Clinton/Gore Administration made the largest single investment in higher education in 30 years, securing a historic increase in the Pell Grant program. Gore cast the deciding vote to create the Direct Student Loan Program. The Clinton/Gore Administration increased funding for Head Start by 90 percent. In 1994, Al Gore set a goal of connecting every classroom in the country to the Internet; by 2000, 63% of classrooms and 95% of schools were online.
9. Gore Has Proven He Can Beat George W. Bush: The 2000 Presidential campaign began with George W. Bush leading Gore by 15 points; and it ended with Gore receiving the second largest number of votes of any Presidential candidate in history -- over 540,000 more votes than Bush. Gore's victory was record breaking in a number of other ways: he also got more votes than any other Democratic Presidential candidate; more votes any other first time Presidential candidate; and more votes than any other Vice President who ran for President. Mathematical models prove that Gore's margin of victory in Florida would have been over 49,000 votes, if everyone in who voted in Florida had been able to cast their vote on modern equipment.
10. Al Gore was one of the few Democrats to stand up to the President on the issue of Iraq. For more info, please read this passage: www.commondreams.org/views02/0925-01.htm
* Thanks to Al Gore Democrats for this fine record of Al Gore talking points.
For a detailed list of Gore's record and proposals for America, please visit his VP site here: clinton3.nara.gov/WH/EOP/OVP/initiatives_bottom.html
