GORE LIES (Part 3)
Gore Didn’t Meet With Al Sharpton? Lie Number Twenty-Eight!
The Gore Lie
“As The New York Times reported, Gore’s meeting with Sharpton ‘was hidden from public view. . . in the apartment of Karenna Gore Schiff, Mr. Gore’s oldest daughter.’ Meanwhile, naturally, Gore’s aides lied. From the Times account: ‘The press corps that normally follows Mr. Gore were told by his aides that the meeting with Mr. Sharpton was not happening and that his visit to his daughter’s apartment was strictly personal.’” (The New York Post, 2/16/00)
The Truth
Gore Lies to the Press About Meeting Sharpton. “Gore long hesitated, but last weekend finally paid obeisance to Sharpton. Being Gore, he did it dishonestly.” (The New York Post, 2/16/00)
Gore Never Grew Tobacco on His Farm? Lie Number Twenty-Nine!
The Gore Lie
“I should have included in that speech a reference to the fact that my family had grown tobacco. It was never actually grown on my farm, but it was on my father’s farm.” (Al Gore, San Jose Mercury News, 2/15/00)
The Truth
Gore Admitted Growing Tobacco “On [His] Farm” in 1999. “On my farm, we stopped growing tobacco some time after Nancy died.” (Cox News Service, 4/26/99)
Not Only Did Gore Grow Tobacco on “His Farm,” He Also Received Federal Subsidies. “Mr. Gore had to strike that balance to survive -- not only did he grow tobacco on his farm and receive federal subsidies for it, but he had 10,000 tobacco farmers in his congressional district.” (The Wall Street Journal, 8/10/95)
Gore Was a Forceful Advocate for Tougher Restrictions on Tobacco in 1984 and 1985? Lie Number Thirty!
The Gore Lie
“But if you look beyond that issue, at the substance of what I did as a legislator, I immediately began to become a forceful advocate for tougher restrictions. . .”
Q: “In ’84-85?”
“Yeah. The people who were really in the trenches fighting against the tobacco industry during those years have said that I was the first person from a tobacco state to provide leadership in taking on the tobacco industry. So it’s not fair to say, OK after his sister died he continued in the same relationship with the tobacco industry. I did not. I did not. I began to confront them forcefully. I don’t see the inconsistency there. “ (Al Gore, San Jose Mercury News, 2/15/00)
The Truth
In 1985 Alone, Gore Voted for Pro-Tobacco Legislation Four Times:
· Gore voted for a cigarette tax decrease. (CQ Vote # 66: Motion agreed to 49-47: R 41-9; D 8-38, 5/9/85)
· Gore voted against a motion to raise taxes on tobacco products. (CQ Vote #240: Motion agreed to 66-30: R 38-13; D 28-17, 10/22/85)
· Gore voted in support of major cigarette manufacturers’ ability to purchase discounted tobacco. (CQ Vote #311: Motion agreed to 57-42: R 37-16; D 20-26, 11/14/85)
Gore voted against increasing the cigarette tax by 1 cent. (CQ Vote #357: Motion agreed to 53-37: R 39-9; D 14-28, 12/9/85)
The Same Year Gore’s Sister Died (1984), He Received $1,000 from U.S. Tobacco For a Speaking Appearance. Gore received “$1,000 from US Tobacco for a speaking appearance the same month and year that his sister died from cancer and at a time when he was pushing for stronger federal health warnings for cigarette packs.” (The Knoxville News-Sentinel, 9/8/96)
Gore Championed “Diluted” Tobacco Legislation. In 1984, Gore did work on warning labels for cigarette packages. However, what Gore will not tell you is that he “championed a compromise that diluted the legislation.” “[F]irst, the warning statements are all attributed to the surgeon general - not the United States government. Second, the words ‘death’ and ‘addiction’ are dropped. Third, the ugly circle and arrow format - a virtual self-defacement - is out. Fourth, the requirement to submit a list of ingredients had been improved to provide for better confidentiality. Fifth, the provision of $100,000 in criminal penalties has been eliminated.” It should be no surprise that when the tobacco companies released internal files during the class-action cases, it was revealed that big tobacco had “a high industry regard for Gore’s efforts.” (The Boston Globe, 1/13/00)
Gore Got the Stiff and Wooden Rap Only After He Became Vice President? Lie Number Thirty-One!
The Gore Lie
“I’ve started digging deeper and communicating more clearly and getting rid of some of the habits I picked up as vice president, namely pausing a fraction of a second to think about whether I’m going to be talking about administration policy. . . . When you take an oath as vice president, no matter who you are, you incur an obligation of honor to work as part of a team and to help the president and the administration. And so, when somebody asks you a question or you confront some issue there’s an internal vet of a split second, you know. For me, I never got that stiff and wooden rap in the House and Senate. It has been as vice president.” (Al Gore, The Associated Press, 1/23/99)
The Truth
Gore Was Considered a “Stiff” Back in 1988. “A joke among the press corps is, How do you tell Al Gore from his Secret Service protection? Answer: He’s the stiff one.” (Time, 3/21/88)
Gore Beat Bill Bradley Honestly and Fairly? Lie Number Thirty-Two!
The Gore Lie
Gore: “Well, let me just stay on what I was talking about right there. Let me introduce a friend of mine to you. Chris Peterson (ph) is here. Could you stand up, Chris? Chris is a farmer with 400 acres. He farms beans and corn. He’s got--he says, unfortunately, he’s got some hogs. Not many cattle. Back in 1993, 300 of his 400 acres were flooded out. I joined with Tom Harkin to get the extra billion dollars of disaster relief to help Chris and the others who were flooded out.”
Moderator: “And your question?”
GORE: “Why did you vote against the disaster relief for Chris Peterson (ph), when he and thousands of other farmers here in Iowa needed it after those 93 floods?” (2000 Democratic Debate, 1/8/00)
The Truth
Gore’s Misrepresentation of Bradley’s Record on Flood Relief Was “Egregious.” According to the University of Pennsylvania’s Kathleen Hall Jamieson “this year’s most egregious example of Gore’s willingness to stretch the truth was his continued repetition of the charge that Bradley had opposed flood relief for midwestern farmers in 1993. . . . Caught off guard in debate, Bradley failed to respond. But Gore was criticized when details of the flood votes emerged, showing that Bradley had voted for $4.8 billion in Midwest flood relief and opposed only an amendment to add $900 million more. Even the White House opposed the amendment until the last moment. Under criticism, the Gore campaign briefly stopped running the ad. But on the weekend before Iowa’s caucus, it reappeared on Iowa airwaves. Bradley was badly drubbed in Iowa, sending him into a tailspin from which he never recovered.” (The Boston Globe, 4/11/00)
Gore Never Said Mike Dukakis Was “Too Liberal” in 1988? Lie Number Thirty-Three!
The Gore Lie
Elizabeth Drew: “Sen. Gore you said during the primaries that if Gov. Dukakis were the nominee he could fall in the footsteps of other defeated nominees in being too liberal for the country at large, naïve on foreign and defense policy. Are you being born out?”
Sen. Al Gore: “I never said he was ‘too liberal.’ Never used that word.” (NBC’s “Meet the Press,” 10/9/88)
The Truth
Gore Clearly Doubted Dukakis’ Electability Because He Was “Too Liberal.” “Gore began suggesting that Dukakis has an ‘electability’ problem-that despite winning the two biggest states of the South in the Democratic primary, he is too Northern, too liberal and too ethnic to carry those states or the region against the Republicans.” (The Associated Press, 3/9/88) “And Gore vowed to take the fight to Dukakis, whom he identifies with the more liberal wing of the party.” (Los Angeles Times, 3/9/88)
Clinton/Gore Never Proposed Investing Social Security Funds in the Stock Market? Lie Number Thirty-Four!
The Gore Lie
When asked about the Clinton/Gore Administration plan to invest Social Security funds in the stock market, Al Gore said: “We didn’t really propose it. We talked about the idea.” (The Washington Post, 5/2/00)
The Truth
The Fact is that the Clinton/Gore Administration Did Not Just Float This Idea In the State of the Union Address. They Have Proposed It In Their Last Two Budget Submissions to Congress.
FISCAL YEAR 2000 BUDGET: “Increase Returns Through Private Investment: The Administration proposes tapping the power of private financial markets to increase the resources to pay for future Social Security benefits. Roughly one-fifth of the unified budget surplus set aside for Social Security would be invested in corporate equities or other private financial instruments.” (Budget of the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2000, “The President’s Framework to Save Social Security”) (Submitted February 1, 1999)
FISCAL YEAR 2001 BUDGET: “Transfers To Extend Social Security Solvency: The President also proposes to invest half of the transferred amounts in corporate equities.” (Budget of the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2001, “Saving Social Security”) (Submitted February 7, 2000)
Gore Has Supported Investing in the Stock Market for Several Years:
Gore in 1999. “President Clinton proposed this year to begin transferring 62 percent of projected budget surpluses to Social Security, to put more than $2.7 billion into the system over the next 15 years. He said about $700 billion of it should be invested in the stock market for increased returns. Gore supports the administration plan.” (The Associated Press, 11/27/99)
Gore in 1999. “On the Democratic side, Vice President Al Gore is wedded to the Clinton Administration proposal to invest part of the Social Security trust funds directly in the stock market.” (Veneeta Anand, “Presidential Hopes: Candidates Hawk Their Proposals For Social Security,” Pensions and Investments, 6/28/99)
Gore in 1999. “Gore backs the Clinton administration plan to use the $3 trillion in surpluses over the next 15 years to pay down the national debt, boost economic growth and thus increase future tax revenues. He would earmark the money for Social Security and Medicare by placing IOUs from the general Treasury in the programs’ trust funds. The government would invest the rest, about $700 billion, in the stock market for Social Security.” (The Associated Press, 6/4/99)
Gore in 1999. “In Wassau Gore also said it may make sense to invest a small amount of Social Security in the stock market to ‘get an extra infusion of some money in the system.’” (The Associated Press, 4/12/99)
George W. Bush has not Provided For Reduction in the Debt? Lie Number Thirty-Five!
The Gore Lie
“He [George W. Bush] provides for no reduction in the debt – and no reduction in interest on the debt.” (Gore 2000 press release, 4/25/00)
The Truth
Bush Has Pledged to Preserve Every Dollar of Surplus Payroll Tax Revenue For Social Security. “In fact, Mr. Bush has pledged to preserve every dollar of surplus payroll tax revenue for Social Security, an average of $200 billion a year over 10 years. Under current practice this money retires debt if Congress doesn’t spend it first.” (The Wall Street Journal, 5/5/00)
George W. Bush Never Put Together a Budget as Governor of Texas? Lie Number Thirty-Six!
The Gore Lie
“Does he [George W. Bush] have the experience to be president? You know he has never put together a budget. The governor of Texas is by far the weakest chief executive position in America and does not have the responsibility of forming or presenting a budget.” (The Washington Post, 5/2/00)
The Truth
The Texas Law Version of the Facts. “Subchapter C. Governor’s Budget:
Sec. 401.041. Chief Budget Officer.
The governor is the chief budget officer in the state.
(Added by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 268, Sec. 15, eff. Sept. 1, 1993.)
Sec. 401.046. Distribution of Budget.
(a) The governor shall deliver a copy of the governor’s budget to each member of the legislature not later than the sixth day of each regular legislative session. (Texas State Government Code)
Gore Was the First Legislator to Introduce Free TV Legislation? Lie Number Thirty-Seven!
The Gore Lie
“Some of you may know that I don’t come new to this issue; I introduced the very first free TV legislation in the Senate, exactly nine years ago this past Saturday, October 18, 1988[.]” (The American Prospect, 6/5/00)
The Truth
163 Bills for Free or Reduced-Cost TV Time Have Been Introduced in Congress Since 1960. “In fact, there have been 163 bills for free or reduced-cost TV time introduced in Congress since 1960, according to the Congressional Research Service. Oddly enough, one of these bills, (proposed in the 90th Congress 1967-68), was sponsored by Albert Gore, Sr., the vice president’s late father.” (The American Prospect, 6/5/00)
The Gore and Bradley Campaigns are in Regular Contact? Lie Number Thirty-Eight!
The Gore Lie
“And though the two men have not spoken in weeks, Mr. Gore contended that their relationship was ‘in good shape.’ ‘Our people are in regular communication,’ he said.” (The New York Times, 5/27/00) “Gore spokesman Chris Lehane says the campaigns are in ‘close contact.”’ (USA Today, 5/15/00)
The Truth
Bradley Aides Said They Had Not Had a Relationship with the Gore Campaign Since Bradley Withdrew From the Democratic Primary. “Bradley aides say the two sides have had a ‘non-relationship’ since Bradley withdrew from the race March 9. Bradley has not spoken to the vice president since then, and aide-to-aide calls have been rare.” (USA Today, 5/15/00)
Gore Reinvented Government? Lie Number Thirty-Nine!
The Gore Lie
“President Clinton and I are committed to making the federal government work better and cost less for the American taxpayer. . . Our models, teachers, and partners in this historic undertaking are America’s best-run companies that led the quality revolution of the past two decades. We are taking their advice on how to improve customer service, streamline operations, and improve efficiency. The result is $137 billion in savings to taxpayers and the smallest federal workforce since the 1960s.” (Al Gore, Press Release, 11/6/97)
The Truth
GAO Disputes Gore’s Claims on Reinventing Government. In 1999, the nonpartisan GAO reviewed Gore’s National Performance Review. Although the Administration has touted $137 billion in claimed “savings,” the GAO looked at a random $33 billion—and found that two-thirds could not be verified. Instead, GAO uncovered a variety of creative accounting techniques used by the Clinton/Gore Administration. One was double counting—taking credit for cost cutting well under way before the initiative was in place; another was the failure to factor in “offset costs,” such as employee buyouts. (“NPR’s Savings: Claimed Agency Savings Cannot All Be Attributed to NPR,” United States General Accounting Office, 7/99)
Gore will Allow Local Input in Logging Decisions? Lie Number Forty!
The Gore Lie
“[L]ocal input that has worked so well here in New Hampshire in the past will be a part of the ongoing effort to protect more forests.” (Al Gore, Democratic Presidential Debate, 1/5/00)
The Truth
Gore Does an “About-Face” on Logging. “However, in accepting the endorsement of the League of Conservation Voters on Tuesday, Mr. Gore said he would unilaterally ban logging inside national forests. ‘He did an about-face,’ said Eric Kingsley, executive director of the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association.” (The Washington Times, 6/3/00)
Al Gore Lies and Exaggerates About His Own Family:
Gore’s Father Was a Civil Rights Champion? Lie Number Forty-One!
The Gore Lie
“I feel a connection to that struggle and to the NAACP in a personal way. You see, I was raised to believe in racial justice and civil rights. My father was a United States Senator from the South who had courage. He fought against the poll tax in the 1940s, and for civil rights in the 1950s. He was one of only two Senators to refuse to sign the hateful Southern Manifesto. He voted for the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and he voted against Supreme Court nominees whose commitment was suspect. And those brave stands probably cost him his career.” (Al Gore, Remarks to NAACP Detroit Metro Chapter, 4/25/99)
The Truth
Gore Ignores His Father’s Vote Against the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Albert Gore Sr. voted against the Civil Rights Act, the watershed civil rights legislation, which covered voting rights, equal access to public accommodations, desegregation of public facilities, public school desegregation, extension of the Civil Rights Commission, nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs, equal employment opportunity, gathering of registration and voting statistics by race, intervention by the Attorney General in pending civil rights cases, review of court orders remanding a case to state courts, establishment of a Community Relations Service, and jury trials under the Act. (CQ Vote #180: Passed 73-27: R 27-6; D 46-21, 6/19/64)
Gore Sr. Even Voted for the Filibuster of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Gore Sr. also voted to maintain the Senate filibuster against the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and voted against the Act after the filibuster was broken. Al Gore Sr. voted against the motion that the Senate invoke cloture on the filibuster. (CQ Vote #73: Cloture motion adopted 71-29: R 27-6; D 44-23, 6/10/64) Additionally, before he voted against final passage of the bill, Al Gore Sr. voted for various amendments to the bill to weaken the Civil Rights Act’s protections. For example, Gore Sr. voted to delete the fair employment section of the bill. He also voted to delete the voting rights section of the bill. Al Gore Sr. voted for the amendment to delete Title VII, the fair employment section of the bill. (CQ Vote #71: Rejected 33-64: R 12-20; D 21-44, 6/9/64) Al Gore Sr. voted for the amendment to delete Title I, covering voting rights. (CQ Vote #104: Rejected 16-69: R 0-29; D 16-40, 6/13/64)
Gore Sr.’s 1964 Letter to a Constituent Emphasized His Opposition to Civil Rights. “Please permit me to recall you that I voted against the recent Civil Rights Bill but those of us who voted that way were very much in the minority. In the interest of clarity I would like to make it plain, however, that there are some parts of the Civil Rights Bill that I would have liked to have supported. But when the total bill was considered, I concluded that it went too far and I protested to the very last, exhausting every parliamentary maneuver and argument available. Even so, as I have said, the bill passed both houses overwhelmingly and is now law.” (Albert Gore Sr., Letter to a Constituent, 9/5/64)
Gore Sr.’s Legislative Assistant Wrote a Letter in 1964 Explaining How a Tennessee Constituent Could Get Around the 1964 Civil Rights Act. “In further simplification of my telegram, I would call your attention to the underlined passages on pages three and four of the enclosed copy of the Civil Rights Act. It would appear that a swimming pool privately owned and operated would not be covered. If, however, your food dispensing operation can be classified as ‘lunch counter, soda fountain, or other facility principally engaged in selling food for consumption on the premises’, then your entire operation would appear to be covered by the Act. You could presumably remove your swimming pool operation from coverage by closing or curtailing your food dispensing activity. If there is a local ordinance or regulation requiring segregation in swimming pools, you might be covered under Section 202 (see page four of Act). You could be removed from coverage under this section by repeal of the ordinance or regulation. I would strongly suggest you consult your attorney. In the meantime, this correspondence will be brought to Senator Gore’s attention at the earliest opportunity.” (Andrew J. Lynch, Legislative Assistant to Sen. Al Gore Sr., 7/10/64)
Gore Sr. Wrote a Letter to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy Outlining His Opposition to the 1964 Civil Rights Bill. “As I indicated on the Floor of the Senate, I also have reservations about the feasibility of the approach of Title VI. I doubt the wisdom of denial of aid or the threat of such denial as a means of forcing conformity. . . . Because of questions I have about Title VI and some other provisions, however, I am unable to support HR 7152 in its present form or as drafted in the proposed substitute.” (Al Gore Sr., Letter to Robert F. Kennedy, 6/5/64)
Gore’s Father Appears to Have Had a Different View than His Son. “Some blacks, too, refused to vote for me [in 1970] because of my views on the 1964 Civil Rights Bill. . .” (Al Gore Sr., Let the Glory Out, 1972, p. 182)
Gore Sr. Lost His Senate Seat Because He Was Too Liberal. Al Gore Sr. lost his Senate seat in 1970 because he was too liberal for Tennessee. He was ridiculed as the “third senator from Massachusetts.” (The Associated Press, 10/2/99)
Bill Brock Says Civil Rights Was Not an Issue in 1970 Campaign. Bill Brock, the candidate who defeated Al Gore Sr. in 1970, said civil rights was not an issue in that campaign. Brock said he won by criticizing Gore Sr.’s opposition to the Vietnam War, school prayer and the anti-ballistic missile system. (The Florida Times-Union, 12/8/99)
Gore Exaggerates Stories About His Own Mother? Lie Number Forty-Two!
The Gore Lie
“In a speech honoring his mother at the Nashville City Club in Tennessee, the vice president told an anecdote about how Pauline Lafon Gore was invited for lunch at the club in 1971, only to be summarily kicked out of the main dining room due to the club’s all-male policy. Gore went on to recount how his mother’s ouster drew local outrage and she was a key instigator in the club’s changing its rules toward women: ‘The resulting outrage, especially among young professional women here in Nashville, caused a revolution – a minor one, albeit – but a major change in the life of this club and a few days later, this city club was opened to women and the charter was changed.”’ (ABCNEWS.com, 4/10/00)
The Truth
Gore’s Mom Did Not Spark the “Revolution” Gore Claimed. “But what the vice president didn’t mention was that minor ‘revolution’ his mother sparked at the Nashville City Club did not open the club’s membership to women, as his comments implied – only its dining rooms – and even that didn’t happen until weeks after Mrs. Gore’s visit, not a mere ‘few days later,’ as Gore claimed. The Nashville City Club did not go on to admit women as members until September 1985, 14 years after Mrs. Gore’s visit.” (ABCNEWS.com, 4/10/00)
Gore’s Sister Was the First Volunteer for the Peace Corps? Lie Number Forty-Three!
The Gore Lie
Al Gore: “She [Gore’s sister Nancy LaFon Gore Hunger] was the very first volunteer for the Peace Corps.”
Host Brian Lamb: “First ever?”
Gore: “First ever, and worked with Bill Moyers, and Sarg Shriver, and Harris Wofford and the group that put the Peace Corps. together.” (C-Span’s “Book TV,” 1/27/92)
The Truth
Gore’s Sister Was Not the Peace Corp’s Very First Volunteer. “Coates Redmon, author of a book about the Peace Corps and a Peace Corps colleague of Nancy Gore Hunger’s, said the agency’s first volunteers have always been afforded special status. For the vice president to describe his sister that way, Redmon said, ‘amounts to stretching the truth.’” (The Boston Globe, 4/11/00)
Gore Was a Brilliant Student? Lie Number Forty-Four!
The Gore Lie
“High school athlete. Brilliant student. Admired by many. Gore won a scholarship at Harvard University where he graduated with honors.” (1988 Al Gore for President Advertisement)
The Truth
Gore Was Far from a Brilliant Student in High School. “From ninth grade (called Form III in the Anglophilic St. Albans culture) to his senior year (Form VI), he earned an equal number of C’s and B’s in English, but no A’s. In history during those four years, he also moved between C’s and B’s until his senior year, when he broke through with an A-plus in Sacred Studies, a religious history course. He pulled steady C’s for all three years of high school French.” (The Washington Post, 3/19/00)
Gore Struggled at Harvard University. “He received one D, one C-minus, two C’s, two C-pluses and one B-minus, an effort that placed him in the lower fifth of the class for the second year in a row. For all of Gore’s later fascination with science and technology, he often struggled academically in those subjects. The political champion of the natural world received that sophomore D in Natural Sciences 6 (Man’s Place in Nature) and then got a C-plus in Natural Sciences 118 his senior year. The self-proclaimed inventor of the Internet avoided all courses in mathematics and logic throughout college, despite his outstanding score on the math portion of the SAT.” (The Washington Post, 3/19/00)
Gore Has Never Told a Lie? Lie Number Forty-Five!
The Gore Lie
“There has never been a time in this campaign when I have said something that I know to be untrue. There’s never been a time when I’ve said something untrue.” (Al Gore, Manchester, N.H. Democratic Debate, 1/26/00)
The Truth
Please See Lies One Through Forty-Four. |
