ST.LOUIS POST today.......Al Gore for president
ELECTION 2000
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE should elect Al Gore because he is far better
prepared to be president than Gov. George W. Bush and because he
believes that government can be a positive force in people's lives.
Mr. Gore has prepared for this daunting job for three decades. He served
as one of the most influential members of Congress, taking the lead on
arms control, the environment and -- yes -- the development of the
military computer system that was a precursor of the Internet. Then, as
one of history's most active vice presidents, he led the effort to cut the
size of government.
Mr. Bush, his likable opponent, doesn't have what it takes. His resume is
thin and his command of issues is thinner. This is a man who governs the
biggest state in the lower 48 from 9-5, with two hours out for lunch.
Working stiffs should have it so good.
Ralph Nader is an attractive alternative. There is some truth in his analysis
of how corporate America corrupts the political process. But his opposition
to free trade runs against the tide of history. A vote for Mr. Nader is,
effectively, a vote for Mr. Bush.
Mr. Gore believes in an activist government that helps teach the poorly
educated, treat the poorly cared for and level the playing field between
the haves and have-nots. Regrettably, Mr. Gore sometimes sounds as
though he is passing out candy. He should better explain the uniting vision
behind the many programs.
Mr. Bush's compassionate conservatism is a welcome departure from the
hard-right slant of the GOP. Mr. Bush is to the GOP what Bill Clinton was
to the Democrats -- a moderating influence who makes the party
presentable in public.
If Mr. Gore loses, it will probably be because of a smarmy streak and
lingering doubts about his ethics. Mr. Gore isn't nearly as likable as Mr.
Bush.
Moreover, the GOP and their propagandists have done a spectacular job
making out Mr. Gore as a liar. During the debates, much was made of Mr.
Gore exaggerating how long a girl had to stand without a desk in a
Sarasota, Fla. school. The local newspaper reported that the girl was one
of 12 children in a science classroom without a desk and that the school
district had a serious overcrowding problem. Yet, somehow, Mr. Gore is
the "serial exaggerator."
Meanwhile, Mr. Bush said in the debates that Texas spent $4.7 billion on
the uninsured, when the amount was $1.2 billion. He said he engineered
passage of a patients' bill of rights in Texas, when he body-slammed it. He
smirked in the second debate when talking about executions, and then
denied he had.
What's important is what the men would do as president. It matters that
Mr. Bush doesn't support the Norwood-Dingell version of the Patients' Bill
of Rights because it has the broadest coverage and strongest right to
sue.
Mr. Gore is for middle class tax cuts rather than the $1.3 trillion cut that
Mr. Bush admits would benefit the rich. Mr. Gore would create a Medicare
entitlement for prescription drugs, while Mr. Bush would rely on private
firms that could leave their members high and dry by getting out of the
business. Mr. Gore would use the national surplus to bolster Social
Security; Mr. Bush would divert some of that money through partial
privatization.
Mr. Gore opposes school vouchers; Mr. Bush supports them. Mr. Gore
would address global warming and bar oil drilling in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, while Mr. Bush doesn't know if global warming is
real and is ready to drill. Mr. Gore favored the use of the military to stop
ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, while Mr. Bush had reservations. Mr. Gore
would spend more on the military than Mr. Bush, but Mr. Bush claims,
falsely, that the military isn't prepared.
A crucial issue is the Supreme Court, where changes in the makeup of the
court can alter our fundamental charter of government. If Mr. Bush clones
Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia, the court will read the right to
abortion out of the Constitution, knock holes in the wall between church
and state and continue to cut back Congress' power to promote equality.
We cannot let that happen. |
