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Gore started out 20 points behind "any Republican" when he announced in 1999. After Smirk won the GOP nomination, the convention wisdom was that he was going to win in a landslide. Gore was still 10 points behind Smirk going into the Dem convention. The fact that Gore was able to come from that far behind and win was a really impressive piece of campaigning, given that only 19% of his press coverage was favorable. Gore's final win was aided in a large part by his GOTV operation. The GOP spent millions studying Gore's GOTV operation and that's one of the reasons that they skunked us in 2002. Additionally, Gore DID campaign like this in 2000. Most people never heard it because the media was so surreally awful in 2000. The pundits decided what interested them and reported on it obsessively - - tax cuts. "Character". Anything else that Gore said or did - - or his surrogates said - - was reported as Gore "pandering" to some group, engaging in "class warfare" and embracing "failed populism". Below are a couple of Gore's smack downs from 2000 (he said a lot more stuff like this, but I don't have transcripts because I didn't realize then I had to document history because the media would not): Here's the end of his 2000 speech to the NAACP: http://www.algore04.com/news/gnn/EpkAuFlEFZeDtlVuMP.shtmlTalk doesn't cost much. The true test is to come here to Baltimore and vow to appoint a Supreme Court that lives up to the legacy of this city's greatest son, Thurgood Marshall, and interprets the Constitution in the way our founders intended it to be interpreted, not to give a commitment to the far right wing to stack that court, because stacking the court would threaten civil rights and threaten the fundamental guarantees of liberty in this country.
And when there is a closed-door meeting with the far-right-wing representatives and they come out and say that, "We heard everything we needed to hear about the Supreme Court," that may not be public, but it is not difficult to understand.
Talk doesn't cost much. The true test is telling Trent Lott and Tom DeLay the time has come for a tough new law against hate crimes because they are different.
We need to pass hate crimes legislation, because when we don't stamp out the sparks of hatred, we risk a fire at the very foundation of our house.
And when James Byrd is dragged to his death behind a pickup truck, then the governor of his home state ought to at least heed the family's plea for action.
In the words of James Byrd's nephew, "I asked him personally if he would use his influence to help pass the bill, and he told me no."
One brief sentence that said the word "yes" would have mattered a whole lot more to the cause of justice than a whole speech that didn't even mention hate crimes, the future of the Supreme Court, taking down the Confederate flag, ending racial profiling or defending affirmative action or Bob Jones University. One sentence with the word "yes" would have mattered a whole lot more.
I'm not asking you to read my lips, I'm asking you to read my heart and watch my feet and watch the work of my hands when joined with yours.
Standing together, marching together, we have a lot of work to do.
Let's heed the lessons of Clarence Mitchell, Charles Hamilton Houston, Roy Wilkens and Ben Hooks, Rosa Parks. Let's fight together. Let's struggle together. Allow yourselves to believe that we can do the right thing and be the better for it.
Let's make this country what it is intended to be. Let's rise above our differences. Let's establish respect for difference. Let's pass the legislation. Let's make the march that will take us to the mountaintop of justice and prosperity and progress and freedom for all of the people of the United States of America.
I want your help. I want to fight for you. I want to fight for your families and the future of America. And here's the end of a speech at Wayne State in October, 2000 http://www.algore04.com/news/gnn/EpEyAuVZEyAsTXRtOZ.shtmlNow, I want to close with two points.
Number one: in order for us to accomplish these goals that I've outlined here, we have to recognize that all of us have to come together. And that means standing up for one another. When somebody is involved in a struggle to get fairness in the workplace, we need to stand in solidarity with them. I'm for a ban on permanent striker replacements. We need to have the right to organize. It means that when there is discrimination on the basis of race, or ethnicity, or national origin, or who you select as your partner, we have to stand for what is right and what we know in our hearts. In the words of our Founders, who said all of us are created equal, and given by God certain rights that are inalienable. Not given by the government, given by our Creator. That's what I believe. And I believe that means we have to fight against all forms of discrimination, that's why we need a hate crimes law in this country. We've also got to recognize that all of us one under the skin, and that's why the rights as between men and women need to be equalized, and we need an equal day's pay for an equal day's work. Let us vow that never again will we allow ourselves to be divided on the basis of these artificial distinctions that are always used to the disadvantage of working people and middle class families.
Now, finally - - the outcome of this election will determine an awful lot. It'll determine the future of our country, the Congress is at stake, the Supreme Court is at stake. You know, some people say it doesn't make any difference who appoints the next three Justices of the Supreme Court. It makes a difference to Women's Rights, it makes a difference to Civil Rights, it makes a difference to the environment, it makes a difference to our federal system, it makes a difference to who we are as a nation.
And the outcome really is up to you. This is a close race. It's close here, it's close nationwide. Even up. So don't let anybody tell you that what you do and what you say will not determine the outcome. You personally might very well make the difference.
Now, as for my role, I want you to know this - - I've said this before, but I want to repeat it. I know full well that if you entrust me with the Presidency, I won't always be the most exciting politician, like Dennis Archer. But I will work hard for you every day and I will never let you down. And I will fight for you. Because I know this in my heart about the job of President. It is the only position in the Constitution that is filled by an individual who is given the responsibility to fight not just for one group or one area of the country or the wealthy and the well connected or the powerful. A President is charged with the responsibility to fight for all of the people, especially those who need a champion, who's willing to stand up and fight for you. That's why I'm running for President.
And I need your help. When you leave this place, I want you to consider it your personal mission to chart the future course of our nation for the next four years. The choice is between diverting the surplus and our resources and our destiny toward the old trickle down approach, or continuing a sound economic plan that will continue the prosperity, create more jobs, balance the budget, and invest in people, education, middle class tax cuts, health care, retirement security.
But it is up to you. When you leave this place, I want you to think long and hard about what you personally will say to one of your neighbors or one of your friends who, in an idle moment says: "I'm not sure who I'm going to vote for, what do you think?" I want you to arm yourselves, I want you to arm yourselves not only with the names Gore and Lieberman and Stabenow and Kilpatrick and all the other candidates that you support. I don't want you to just say "Vote for Al Gore". I want you to arm yourselves with the arguments about these issues that we've discussed here. Take some time to tell them that prosperity itself is on the ballot this fall.
Prosperity itself is at stake in this election. Jobs are at stake. Families are at stake. Health care, our schools, the environment - - they're at stake. Social Security is on the ballot this fall.
Medicare is on the ballot this fall. Prescription drugs are on the ballot this fall. Civil Rights are on the ballot this fall.
Now, after you have given your choice and after you have given them your reasons, then I want you to give something else. And this is the last thing I'm going to ask you for. It's something that is difficult for you to give. It's something that people hardly ever give any more. I want to ask you to open your hearts and push past any fear of disillusionment, push past any fear of disappointment, push past any fear of having a broken heart, once you have invested your heart in the outcome of this election and in your choice for the future of our nation. Too many good people with high ideals and strong dreams have themselves decided to remain at arm's length from the political process, because they believe their hearts are brittle. And they don't want to get too involved, because if they get their hopes up, their hopes might be shattered. If they get their dreams invested in a particular outcome, then they think they might be disappointed and they may not be able to handle it.
Hear me well: your hearts are not brittle. Our country is not brittle. Your future is at stake. We need you - - not only to give them your choice and to give them the reasons - - give them your passion. If anybody is cynical, if anybody says it doesn't make a difference who wins, it doesn't make a difference which agenda governs us over the next four years, it doesn't make a difference the direction we take, I want you to tell them: "Wait a minute! I know for a fact that it makes a difference. It makes a difference to me. It makes a difference to you. It makes a difference to your family." And one of the reasons is it makes a difference if you have a President who's willing to fight for you. I ask for your passion, I want your hearts, I want your vote, I want your enthusiasm, because I want to fight for you! I want to fight for your families! I want to fight for Michigan, and Detroit and your future! God bless you. Let's win this election! |
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