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Gore Launches Campaign Web Site
April 6, 1999
SAN JOSE -- Vice President Al Gore today unveiled the Gore 2000 website -- www.algore2000.com.
"I am pleased to announce the launch of my campaign website," Vice President Gore said. "It is interactive, informative, and inclusive; kid-friendly, easy-to-use, and functional. I hope Americans of every age will take advantage of this as an easy way to participate in the campaign."
The Internet is revolutionizing the way we communicate and share information and it is changing our political life, offering another way for people to connect with each other and with their elected leaders to share ideas and concerns. This website embraces that revolution. It will grow and expand with our campaign.
Interactive
The Gore 2000 website is truly interactive. It opens a two-way dialogue between the Vice President and the American people, young and old. It encourages people to participate in the Gore 2000 campaign and register their opinions on the issues they care about most. Children and adults will be able to ask questions of the Vice President, share their ideas, their photographs and artwork. The Gore 2000 website also includes features that will make volunteering easy to do. As the campaign grows, the website will provide useful information on where people can go to help out and how they can express their support for Al Gore.
Informative
The Gore 2000 website is comprehensive and informative. It offers information on the Vice President's life, his family, his accomplishments and views on the issues, speech texts, and more to allow voters to learn more about Al Gore, his record and his vision for America in the 21st Century.
Kid-Friendly
The Gore 2000 website is the only current presidential campaign website with a kid's page. This will help young people learn about the campaign and the electoral process in a fun and easy way.
User-Friendly
The Gore 2000 website takes into account the wide range of hardware and software in use by Americans all across the country. Most of us aren't experts with high-powered computers. This webpage is for you. It is designed to work on all systems, not just high-end computers with powerful Internet connections.
Online Privacy
The Gore 2000 has the strongest and most comprehensive online privacy policy of any presidential campaign website. Gore 2000 is firmly committed to protecting your privacy. The website also contains a special section of online safety tips for kids.
Internet Growth
The Gore 2000 website reflects the degree to which the Internet's exponential growth has impacted the political process. More people are using the Internet to get news and information about political candidates than ever before. Our site is designed to keep the voters informed on Al Gore's views, update them on campaign activities, provide up-to-date campaign news, and have the ability to know more about the campaign than ever before.
Source: Al Gore for President Official 2000 Web Site
REMARKS AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY BY AL GORE
ANNOUNCEMENT OF CANDIDACY
CARTHAGE, TN
JUNE 16, 1999
Wednesday, June 16, 1999
To my beloved family, to Tipper, to the people of Tennessee, and all of you: I see so many who have been my friends as far back as I can remember. You have always been there for me. And I begin this journey today to be there for you.
Two hundred years ago this summer, at the sunrise of America's first full century, veterans of the American Revolution came here and founded Smith County.
In their minds' eye, the very idea of what America could become was still then a barely discernible horizon. Yet they moved toward it, convinced of its fineness, certain the distance would yield a place better than they had ever known.
Each of us has our own sense of the next, finer horizon.
Near the beginning of this century, when my mother was a child in West Tennessee, a poor girl when poor girls were not supposed to dream, she looked out on a world where women could not even vote, and saw with her heart something better: a horizon of equality, where women, as well as men, could be and do their best.
I'm so glad she's here on this day.
Halfway through this century, when my father saw that thousands of his fellow Tennesseans were forced to obey Jim Crow laws, he knew America could do better. He saw a horizon in which his black and white constituents shared the same hopes in the same world. He fought against the Southern Manifesto and for voting rights. His last election was lost -- but his conscience won. He taught me all my life that that was what really counted.
I miss my dad; but I know he's here in spirit.
Early in this decade, we set out to put America back to work. And today, the gifts that surround us are great. We have built a strong and growing economy. For many of our families, it is a time of firsts: first child to go to college, first mortgage for a first home, first regular paycheck, first grandchild.
Under the policies President Clinton and I have proposed, instead of the biggest deficits in history, we now have the biggest surplus in history. Instead of quadrupling our national debt, we've seen the creation of almost 19 million new jobs. Instead of a deep recession and high unemployment, America now has our strongest economy in the history of the United States.
We remember what it was like seven years ago. And I never, ever want to go back. America always looks forward, to the next horizon.
I want to keep our prosperity going - and I know how to do it. I want to do it the right way - not by letting people fend for themselves, or hoping for crumbs of compassion, but by giving people the skills and knowledge to succeed in their own right in the next century.
And I want to extend our prosperity to the unskilled and underprivileged, to Appalachia and the Mississippi Delta, to our farms and inner cities, to our new immigrants, y tambien en las communidades.
But as important as prosperity is, there is more to long for: there is a hunger and thirst for goodness among us.
Just visible within a generation's journey is a new horizon: a 21st Century America with stronger families, stronger communities, and a more vital democracy -- in which we live and govern according to our highest American ideals.
I love this country with all my heart. I love free speech. I believe in its future. And I know that with our history as our rudder and our ideals as our compass, we can reach our new horizon.
And so today, I ask you to join with me, to keep our economy growing and to bring a new wave of fundamental change to this nation - starting with revolutionary improvements in our public schools.
I ask you to join with me, to build safe and livable communities, where we protect our environment, and restore the quality of life we deserve.
I ask for your help to strengthen family life in America. And I make you this pledge: if you entrust me with the Presidency, I will marshal its authority, its resources, and its moral leadership to fight for America's families.
With your help, I will take my own values of faith and family to the Presidency - to build an America that is not only better off, but better. And that is why today, I announce that I am a candidate for President of the United States.
Seven years ago, we needed to put America back to work -- and we did. Now we must build on that foundation. We must make family life work in America.
For the issue is not only our standard of living, but our standards in life. The measure is not merely the value of our possessions, but the values we possess.
We have closed our budget deficit. But today, we find a deficit of even greater danger, one that only seems to deepen the harder we work, and the better we do.
These are our deficits now: the time deficit in family life; the decency deficit in our common culture; the care deficit for our little ones and our elderly parents. Our families are loving but over-stretched.
These deficits cannot be measured in monthly economic tables, or even in the size of a family's paycheck.
To find them, you have to look harder - at the places our statistics do not describe:
The dinner tables that sit empty, when working parents do not have the time to share a meal with their children.
The entertainment that glorifies aggression and indecency, with lessons more vivid and overpowering than those in the classroom.
The schools where discipline is eroding - and the school hallways where guns and fear are becoming too common.
The communities where too many families hardly know their neighbors' names anymore - and find it too hard to honor an aging parent by keeping them and caring for them in the neighborhoods they love.
The crisis in the American family today knows no boundary of class or race. It is a challenge we share together, and it is one we must overcome together.
One of the best ways to help American families is by making America's public schools the finest in the world.
With your help, I will bring revolutionary improvement to our public schools. And I'll start by making high quality pre-school available to every child, in every community, all across the entire United States.
With your help, I will reduce class sizes, and establish high standards and accountability. I will make it easier for parents to save for college tuition - tax-free, and inflation-free. I will improve teacher quality, and treat teachers like professionals.
We have to have schools that instill the values and character we need in the next generation. And every school in America has to be drug-free and gun-free.
While some want to pass new protections for gun manufacturers, to shield them from lawsuits, I will work to get guns off the streets, out of the schools, and away from children and criminals.
We must also expand community policing, with more cops walking the beat. It's not enough to support the death penalty - which I do. We must also give police new crime-fighting tools to track every lead, catch every criminal, and protect every citizen.
And families deserve refuge from a culture of violence and mayhem. I will work to give parents the ability to protect their children from the marketing of cruelty and degradation.
Parents also deserve help balancing work and family. I want to bring after-school programs to every community in America. And no parent should have to risk losing a job to go to a parent-teacher conference at school, or to drive a child or an aging parent to the doctor. And I will expand the Family and Medical Leave Act, to make sure that we do just that.
Families deserve decent, affordable health care -- with good long-term care for their loved ones. Kids need their grandparents; grandparents need their grandkids. How many old people in America live in loneliness? I will make it easier for our elderly to get health care in their homes. And I will make sure that we pass the Patients' Bill of Rights.
And, I will never privatize Social Security or destroy it by diverting funds intended for Social Security. I will strengthen Social Security, not undermine Social Security.
While some want to raise the cost of Medicare and force seniors into HMO's, I will make sure that Medicare is never weakened, never looted, never taken away. I believe it is time also to help seniors pay for the prescription drugs they need. It's time we acted.
And Tipper and I want to see the day when mental illness is treated like any other illness, by every health plan in America.
And I see on the horizon an America where people with disabilities are fully respected for the abilities they have, everywhere in this land.
Responsible men and women must make their own most personal decisions based on their own consciences, not government interference. Some try to duck the issue of choice. Not me. American women must be able to make that decision for themselves. I will stand up for a woman's right to choose.
All these policy choices are important. But let's remember this: no executive action can mend a broken family. No legislation can reconnect a parent to a child, or a family to a grandparent. No proposal can change a culture that does not place family life at the top of our hierarchy of values, where it belongs.
So today, I say to every parent in America: it is our own lives we must master if we are to have the moral authority to guide our children. The ultimate outcome does not rest in the hands of any President, but with all our people - taking responsibility for themselves, and for each other. So my first promise is to ask you, each of you, to fulfill that American promise.
I want all of our communities to be working communities. We have moved more than six million people off our welfare rolls. Now we must make sure the jobs and opportunities are there, to restore self-sufficiency and self-esteem. And we must not only sustain the Earned Income Tax Credit, we must raise the minimum wage.
Families deserve work that pays. And I will fight for this simple principle: an equal day's pay for an equal day's work.
Families deserve real neighborhoods - where the word "neighbor" is not just a geographic term but a moral one. Let us become neighbors again.
We can create a true "politics of community" by working more closely with faith-based organizations to heal the afflicted, feed the hungry, and house the homeless in their own communities.
We can sustain such good, strong, livable communities - with green spaces where our children can thrive away from gangs and drugs. With smart growth, we can take back our neighborhoods from sprawl, and make the places our kids call home more than desolate stretches of structures and roads.
Some want to cut back on environmental protection and let polluters off the hook. I will never allow that to happen. The environment is our children's home too. We are in a crucial time when it comes to the health of our Earth; it is our children's most precious inheritance, without which everything else we leave them is meaningless.
We teach our kids respect by our own actions -- and also by showing respect ourselves for the God's green Earth. I will address the international challenge of global warming - with new technologies that create more jobs, and make our economy even stronger.
American families deserve a strong economy. I know what works. I will balance the budget or better -- every year. I will search out every last dime of waste and bureaucratic excess. I know how to do that. I will ask Congress for the power to reach new trade agreements, and open new markets to our goods and services -- but I will also ask for, and use, the authority to negotiate labor and environmental protections in those agreements, whenever necessary. My Administration will lay the foundation for groundbreaking economic innovation -- so that America leads the global new economy of the 21st Century.
We have an opportunity to shape a world of freedom and open markets, of rising living standards and human dignity all around the world.
But this world is still a dangerous place. We face new threats that know no borders: terrorism and rogue states, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and ancient ethnic hatreds that resurface to tear nations apart.
Make no mistake, America must lead the world. And we must always be strong enough to do so. I am proud that we refused to yield to the forces of barbarism in Kosovo. America refused to back down or look away from the face of ethnic slaughter. For an alliance of young democracies to rise up against a Medieval tyranny is the right way to end this millennium - having learned something. And let me say: President Clinton was right to stand for freedom.
I served my nation proudly in Vietnam. I have always, always been for a strong defense - above politics, above party, above partisanship.
And, I will always stand with America's veterans. And I am honored by the veterans who are standing with us here today.
They know foreign policy is no game, nor is it the proper arena for partisan politics, or easy soundbites. The world today is complex and volatile in the extreme -- more than it has ever been. You deserve a leader who has been tested in it -- who knows how to protect America, and secure peace and freedom.
Of course, as we defend democracy around the world, we must give democracy new strength and meaning here at home. We all know, inside of us, the way things are supposed to be in America. The way it is supposed to be, no one is hungry; no one is illiterate; no one faces prejudice. The way it is supposed to be, faith -- in ourselves and our mission on this Earth -- lights our steps.
But when all is said and counted, when we in our generation are finished adding up our deeds, our possessions, all our material and scientific advances, I believe we will ultimately be judged by whether we have strengthened or weakened the families that are the hope and soul of America.
I am not satisfied. Indeed, I am restless. I believe we can do better. I believe we must build on our success, not rest on it. I believe we have what it takes, not only to keep our economy strong, but also to make our values the strongest compass for our future, and the strongest force on Earth.
As we begin this new millennium, we will face many new questions. But the most important is as old as America itself. It's the one we faced at Concord and Lexington. The question at the heart of the Miracle at Philadelphia in 1776, and at every critical juncture since -- from the cliffs at Normandy to the bridge at Selma:
The question is: will we turn back now - or will we move forward?
That is the question I will put to you, the American people, in this campaign. History makes no promises to keep the good times going in the absence of our own wise choices. It is all too easy to slide backward if we are not vigilant, or if we allow ourselves to be seduced with eloquent words advancing harmful realities. No matter what language you speak:
Sin accion, las palabras no valen nada - aunque sean bonitas. Mis amigos, seguiremos, trabajando juntos, mano a mano, para el futuro de nuestras familias y nuestros ninos.
If you believe America must move forward - if you are ready for America to choose the good once more -- then let us lead this nation together. Come with me toward America's new horizon. Across that horizon stands the promise of our common values and prosperity - of strengthening every family, lifting every child, leveling every barrier, leaving no one behind.
Here, at the center of my home town, in the heart of America, in the midst of the people I love - that is the new horizon I see.
I need you for this journey. So together let us vow, in these first long days of summer, that we will work through the night, so that our children may make a clean start from the right place -- a higher place -- in a fresh century.
Thank you and may God bless you.
And God Bless America.
Gore Launches Campaign Web Site
April 6, 1999
SAN JOSE -- Vice President Al Gore today unveiled the Gore 2000 website -- www.algore2000.com.
"I am pleased to announce the launch of my campaign website," Vice President Gore said. "It is interactive, informative, and inclusive; kid-friendly, easy-to-use, and functional. I hope Americans of every age will take advantage of this as an easy way to participate in the campaign."
The Internet is revolutionizing the way we communicate and share information and it is changing our political life, offering another way for people to connect with each other and with their elected leaders to share ideas and concerns. This website embraces that revolution. It will grow and expand with our campaign.
Interactive
The Gore 2000 website is truly interactive. It opens a two-way dialogue between the Vice President and the American people, young and old. It encourages people to participate in the Gore 2000 campaign and register their opinions on the issues they care about most. Children and adults will be able to ask questions of the Vice President, share their ideas, their photographs and artwork. The Gore 2000 website also includes features that will make volunteering easy to do. As the campaign grows, the website will provide useful information on where people can go to help out and how they can express their support for Al Gore.
Informative
The Gore 2000 website is comprehensive and informative. It offers information on the Vice President's life, his family, his accomplishments and views on the issues, speech texts, and more to allow voters to learn more about Al Gore, his record and his vision for America in the 21st Century.
Kid-Friendly
The Gore 2000 website is the only current presidential campaign website with a kid's page. This will help young people learn about the campaign and the electoral process in a fun and easy way.
User-Friendly
The Gore 2000 website takes into account the wide range of hardware and software in use by Americans all across the country. Most of us aren't experts with high-powered computers. This webpage is for you. It is designed to work on all systems, not just high-end computers with powerful Internet connections.
Online Privacy
The Gore 2000 has the strongest and most comprehensive online privacy policy of any presidential campaign website. Gore 2000 is firmly committed to protecting your privacy. The website also contains a special section of online safety tips for kids.
Internet Growth
The Gore 2000 website reflects the degree to which the Internet's exponential growth has impacted the political process. More people are using the Internet to get news and information about political candidates than ever before. Our site is designed to keep the voters informed on Al Gore's views, update them on campaign activities, provide up-to-date campaign news, and have the ability to know more about the campaign than ever before.
Source: Al Gore for President Official 2000 Web Site
Gore And Lieberman Will Win The Fight For America's Working Families
Gore Announces Lieberman as His Running Mate
Nashville - August 8 - Al Gore today announced Joseph Lieberman, a well-respected two-term senator from Connecticut, as his vice presidential running mate. Lieberman has been fighting for working families and standing up to special interests throughout a 30-year career in public service.
"With pride in his achievements, with gratitude for his willingness to stand with me, and with faith in his fight for working families -- I'm here to announce my running mate, the next vice president of the United States of America, Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut," said Gore. "Together, we're going to take this ticket from Nashville, Tennessee, today, to Los Angeles, California, next week, and in the months and miles ahead, all the way across America to the White House this November."
Gore made the announcement at the historic War Memorial/Legislative Plaza located in downtown Nashville. In 1998, he gave his father's eulogy at the same site. Gore's parents met across the street at the old Andrew Jackson coffeehouse, which is no longer standing. In 1992, Gore held his victory rally in the same location. Al and Tipper Gore appeared together with Joe and Hadassah Lieberman. Each spoke after a program that included a performance by Jewel, a multi-award winning singer/songwriter.
"Forty years ago I was an 18-year-old who watched in awe as John F. Kennedy became the first Roman Catholic elected to be President. To me, it said a lot, about the courage and character of the American people," said Lieberman. "I think choosing me as his running mate says the same thing about the courage and character of Al Gore. In fact, you could call this ticket the American Dream ticket."
Born in Connecticut, Lieberman still lives in New Haven, Conn., with his wife, Hadassah. They have four children: Matthew, age 32; Rebecca, age 31; Ethan, age 24; and Hana, age 12. The Liebermans also have two grandchildren: Willie D. and 3-year-old Tennessee. Lieberman was first elected to the Connecticut State House in 1970, where he served as Majority Leader for six years. From 1982 to 1988, Lieberman was Connecticut's attorney general, where he defended consumers against unfair price-gouging by Big Oil companies.
In 1988, Lieberman was elected to the U.S. Senate. He was re-elected to his seat in 1994 with more than 67 percent of the vote. As a member of the Senate, Lieberman has served on the Armed Services, Environment and Public Works and Small Business Committees. He is also the ranking Democratic member of the Government Affairs Committee.
Gore and Lieberman formed a close relationship during their years together in the Senate. On his first Friday night in office in early 1989, Lieberman, an orthodox Jew, planned to sleep in the Senate gym in order to avoid driving on the Sabbath. Gore, then a senator, persuaded Lieberman to stay at his parents' nearby apartment. In accordance with the tenets of Orthodox Judaism, Gore turned the apartment lights on and off for Lieberman.
Both Gore and Lieberman have been fighting for working families throughout their careers as public servants. They will continue this fight in the White House:
FIGHTING AGAINST BIG OIL
* Serving as attorney general of Connecticut in 1986, Lieberman took on Big Oil after evidence of price-gouging came to his attention. He filed a lawsuit against Exxon Corp., Mobil Corp., Texaco Inc., and Sun Oil Co. -- accusing them of violating anti-trust laws by charging retail and wholesale customers different prices for gasoline. In Congress, Gore investigated and fought oil industry price-gouging. Both opposed off-shore oil drilling in environmentally sensitive areas.
* Gore and Lieberman would give families up to $6,000 to purchase more fuel-efficient cars, along with other tax breaks for the purchase of energy-efficient pick-up trucks, 18-wheelers, building equipment and homes. Fuel-efficient vehicles will reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil and help consumers save money at the pump.
FIGHTING FOR WELFARE REFORM
* Gore and Lieberman fought for the 1996 Welfare Reform Act that has cut welfare rolls in half and helped millions of Americans move from welfare to work.
* Gore and Lieberman will fight for a new generation of welfare reform to encourage more responsible fatherhood. They would increase the amount of child support that goes directly to children, help employ "dead-broke" dads and crack down on "deadbeat" dads.
FIGHTING FOR FISCAL DISCIPLINE
* Lieberman voted for the 1993 economic plan that cut deficits and laid the groundwork for the longest period of economic growth in the nation's history. Gore fought hard for this budget and cast the tie-breaking vote that passed it through the Senate.
* Gore and Lieberman would maintain fiscal discipline, balancing the budget and completely eliminating the national debt by 2012. They would use interest saved from debt reduction to protect Social Security and strengthen Medicare.
FIGHTING TO KEEP COMMUNITIES SAFE
* Gore and Lieberman fought for the 1994 Crime Bill and the COPS initiative that have helped bring crime down to its lowest level in 25 years.
* Gore and Lieberman would fight for a Victims' Bill of Rights and crack down on crime by putting 50,000 more police officers on the streets and hiring 10,000 more prosecutors in communities across the nation.
FIGHTING FOR A REAL PATIENT'S BILL OF RIGHTS
* Gore and Lieberman have each fought to expand access to quality health care and pass a real Patients' Bill of Rights.
* Gore and Lieberman would fight to expand access to quality health care to every child and to millions of adults by 2004. They would fight for a real prescription drug benefit under Medicare and a real Patients' Bill of Rights.
FIGHTING FOR CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
* Gore and Lieberman have both been leaders in the fight for campaign finance reform. Lieberman served as the ranking member of the Government Affairs Committee and helped expose the secret donors of "527" groups -- political organizations that kept their big donors hidden from the public.
* The McCain-Feingold bill to reform the campaign finance system would be the first bill Gore and Lieberman submit to Congress.
FIGHTING FOR A STRONG NATIONAL DEFENSE
* In 1991, Gore and Lieberman were two of only 10 Democratic senators to vote for use of force against Iraq.
* Gore and Lieberman would fight to strengthen the nation's military and increase pay and benefits for service men and women.
Cotton Ivy, a local humorist opened the program and introduced Ralph Reel, a World War II veteran who led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance. Bishop Frederick Talbot of Nashville gave the invocation. Choir High Praise from Nashville's Mt. Zion Baptist Church performed next. Cotton Ivy then introduced multi-award winning singer/songwriter Jewel, who performed two songs. Al and Tipper Gore walked on stage with Joe and Hadassah Lieberman. Tipper Gore gave opening remarks and introduced Hadassah Lieberman. Tipper Gore then introduced her husband, Al Gore. Al Gore gave remarks and introduced his running mate, Joe Lieberman.
Source: Al Gore 2000 Website
GORE 2000 LAUNCHES NEW WEB SITE
Karenna Gore Schiff Demonstrates New Site's Interactivity and Cutting-Edge Features
August 14, 2000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Los Angeles - From the podium at the Staples Center, Karenna Gore Schiff today announced the launch of AlGore.com. This new site stresses interactivity and facilitates virtual participation in the campaign. Schiff's announcement will be available to voters and press via the Internet. The web site offers voters the opportunity to learn about the values and vision of Al Gore and his running mate, Joe Lieberman. Visitors can participate in an "Interactive Town Hall" or study up on the most important issues facing working families.
"I hope that every voter across the country visits our new website -- www.algore.com," said Gore. "In one place they can find everything they need to know, not just about me and my running mate, Joe Lieberman, but also about the important issues in this campaign."
Schiff is the head of GoreNet, a network of young people working to help elect Al Gore and Joe Lieberman. She has been campaigning on her own and building a network of young people across the country to support her father.
"Information is crucial to voters when choosing a candidate," said Schiff. "That's why I am excited about the launch of AlGore.com. It gives visitors the opportunity to learn where my father and Joe Lieberman stand on the issues."
Ben Green directs Internet operations at Gore 2000. He helped design the innovative "Interactive Town Hall," where voters can submit questions and see responses from the candidates.
"Voters are beginning to focus on this election. AlGore.com provides an opportunity to participate in the campaign and make a decision," said Gore 2000 director of Internet operations Ben Green. "This new site sets the standard for Internet campaigning and demonstrates Al Gore's commitment to working families."
The new site is designed to serve a broad audience of Web users: supporters looking for information and opportunities to participate in the campaign; activists using the Internet as a means to mobilize voters; and undecided voters looking for more information on how Gore and Lieberman will fight for working families.
The site offers voters a broad range of Take Action opportunities, which allow supporters to participate actively in the campaign. Through these Take Action opportunities Web site visitors can: volunteer to participate in local campaign events; create custom Web pages with pictures and text to mail to friends; send links to Gore 2000 Web pages to friends; register to vote online; and join Women for Gore's "Winning the Difference" e-mail project.
The site's Interactive Town Hall allows Web-surfing voters to submit questions to Gore and Lieberman. Selected questions will be answered by Gore and Lieberman and posted on the Web site. On the site's Build Your Own Campaign page, Web visitors can contribute their views, sharing their passion about the issues facing working families.
Each of the fifty United States will have its own homepage that will feature issues and events important to that state. At the top of each Web page is a link to a Spanish translation, which features the same look and feel of the English language page.
The new website can be accessed via www.algore.com, www.algore2000.com, and www.gorelieberman.com.
Source: Al Gore 2000 Website
Remarks As Prepared For Delivery By Al Gore
Democratic National Conversation
Thursday, August 17, 2000
I speak tonight of gratitude, achievement, and high hopes for our country.
Tonight, I think first of those who helped get me here - starting with the people of Tennessee. Then, those who braved the first snows of Iowa and New Hampshire -- and all of you here, from all over this country, who have come with me into the warm sunlight of this great city.
While I can't thank each of you individually in words, I do so in my heart.
And I know you won't mind if I single out someone who has just spoken so eloquently, someone I've loved with my whole heart since the night of my high school senior prom -- my wife, Tipper. We've been lucky enough to find each other all over again at each new stage of our lives - and we just celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary.
I want to acknowledge with great pride our four children: Kristin, Sarah, and Albert;
Our oldest daughter Karenna and her husband Drew;
And the youngest member of our family, who a little over a year ago was born on the Fourth of July -- our grandson Wyatt.
I'm honored tonight by the support of a leader of high ideals and fundamental decency, who will be an important part of our country's future -- Senator Bill Bradley.
There's someone else who will shape that future -- a leader of character and courage. A defender of the environment, and working families --
The next Vice President of the United States, Joe Lieberman.
I picked him for one simple reason: he's the best person for the job.
For almost eight years now, I've been the partner of a leader who moved us out of the valley of recession and into the longest period of prosperity in American history. I say to you tonight: millions of Americans will live better lives for a long time to come because of the job that's been done by President Bill Clinton.
Instead of the biggest deficits in history, we now have the biggest surpluses. The highest home ownership ever. The lowest inflation in a generation.
Instead of losing jobs, we have 22 million new jobs.
Above all, our success comes from you, the people who have worked hard for your families.
Let's not forget that a few years ago, you were also working hard. But your hard work was undone by a government that didn't work, didn't put people first, and wasn't on your side.
Together, we changed things, to help unleash your potential, and innovation and investment in the private sector, the engine that drives our economic growth.
And our progress on the economy is a good chapter in our history.
But now we turn the page and write a new chapter. And that's what I want to speak about tonight.
This election is not an award for past performance.
I'm not asking you to vote for me on the basis of the economy we have.
Tonight, I ask for your support on the basis of the better, fairer, more prosperous America we can build together.
Together, let's make sure that our prosperity enriches not just the few, but all working families. Let's invest in health care, education, a secure retirement, and middle class tax cuts.
I'm happy that the stock market has boomed and so many businesses and new enterprises have done well. This country is richer and stronger.
But my focus is on working families - people trying to make house payments and car payments, working overtime to save for college and do right by their kids… Whether you're in a suburb, or an inner-city… Whether you raise crops or drive hogs and cattle on a farm, drive a big rig on the Interstate, or drive e-commerce on the Internet… Whether you're starting out to raise your own family, or getting ready to retire after a lifetime of hard work.
So often, powerful forces and powerful interests stand in your way, and the odds seemed stacked against you -- even as you do what's right for you and your family.
How and what we do for all of you - the people who pay the taxes, bear the burdens, and live the American dream -- that is the standard by which we should be judged.
And for all of our good times, I am not satisfied.
To all the families in America who have to struggle to afford the right education and the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs -
I want you to know this: I've taken on the powerful forces. And as President, I'll stand up to them, and I'll stand up for you.
To all the families who are struggling with things that money can't measure - like trying to find a little more time to spend with your children, or protecting your children from entertainment that you think glorifies violence and indecency -
I want you to know: I believe we must challenge a culture with too much meanness, and not enough meaning. And as President, I will stand with you for a goal that we share: to give more power back to the parents, to choose what your own children are exposed to, so you can pass on your family's basic lessons of responsibility and decency.
The power should be in your hands. The future should belong to everyone in this land.
We could squander this moment - but our country would be the poorer for it. Instead, let's lift our eyes, and see how wide the American horizon has become.
We're entering a new time -
We're electing a new President -
And I stand here tonight as my own man, and I want you to know me for who I truly am.
I grew up in a wonderful family. I have a lot to be thankful for. And the greatest gift my parents gave me was love. When I was a child, it never once occurred to me that the foundation upon which my security depended would ever shake.
And of all the lessons my parents taught me, the most powerful one was unspoken -- the way they loved one another.
My father respected my mother as an equal, if not more. She was his best friend, and in many ways, his conscience. And I learned from them the value of a true, loving partnership that lasts for life.
They simply couldn't imagine being without each other. And for 61 years, they were by each other's side.
My parents taught me that the real values in life aren't material but spiritual. They include faith and family, duty and honor, and trying to make the world a better place.
I finished college at a time when all that seemed to be in doubt, and our nation's spirit was being depleted. We saw the assassination of our best leaders. Appeals to racial backlash. And the first warning signs of Watergate.
I remember the conversations I had with Tipper back then - and the doubts we had about the Vietnam War.
But I enlisted in the Army because I knew if I didn't go, someone else in the small town of Carthage, Tennessee would have to go in my place.
I was an Army reporter in Vietnam. When I was there, I didn't do the most, or run the gravest danger. But I was proud to wear my country's uniform.
When I came home, running for office was the very last thing I ever thought I would do. I studied religion at Vanderbilt, and worked nights as a police reporter at the Nashville Tennessean. And I saw more of what could go wrong in America - not only on the police beat, but as an investigative reporter covering local government.
I also saw so much of what could go right - citizens lifting up local communities, family by family, block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood, in churches and charities, on school boards and City Councils.
And then, Tipper and I started our own family. And when our first daughter Karenna was born, I began to see the future through a fresh set of eyes. I know a lot of you have had that feeling, too.
And I decided that I could not turn away from service at home - any more than I could have turned away from service in Vietnam.
That's why I ran for Congress. In my first term, a family in Hardeman County, Tennessee wrote a letter and told how worried they were about toxic waste that had been dumped near their home. I held some of the first hearings on the issue. And ever since, I've been there in the fight against the big polluters.
Our children should not have to draw the breath of life in cities awash in pollution. When they come in from playing on a hot summer afternoon, every child in America, anywhere in America, ought to be able to turn on the faucet and get a glass of safe, clean drinking water.
On the issue of the environment, I've never given up, I've never backed down, and I never will.
And I say it again tonight: we must reverse the silent, rising tide of global warming.
In the Senate and as Vice President, I fought for welfare reform. Over and over again, I talked to folks who told me how they were trapped in the old welfare system. I saw what it did to families. So I fought to end welfare as we then knew it - to help those in trouble, but to insist on work and responsibility.
Others talked about welfare reform. We actually reformed welfare and set time limits. Instead of hand-outs, we gave people training to go from welfare to work. And we have cut the welfare rolls in half and moved millions into good jobs.
For almost 25 years now, I've been fighting for people. And for all that time, I've been listening to people - holding open meetings, in the places where they live and work.
And you know what? I've learned a lot. And if I'm your President, I'm going to keep on having open meetings all over this country. I'm going to go out to you, the people, because I want to stay in touch with your hopes; with the quiet, every-day heroism of hard-working Americans.
And because I've learned that the issues before us, the problems and the policies, all have names. And I don't mean the big fancy names that we put on programs and legislation. I'm talking about family names like Nystel, Johnson, Gutierrez, and Malone - people and families I've met in the last year, all across this country. And here's what they've told me:
I met Mildred Nystel in Waterloo, Iowa. Because of our welfare reform, she's left welfare and found a good job training electricians - and she's become a proud member of IBEW Local 288. Now she dreams of sending her daughter Irene to college.
Mildred Nystel is here with us tonight. And I say to her: I will fight for a targeted, affordable tax cut to help working families save and pay for college.
I met Jacqueline Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri. She worked for 35 years as a medical assistant, caring for others. Now she's 72 years old and needs prescription medicines to care for herself. She spends over half of her Social Security check - her only source of income - on her pills. So she either skips meals, or shops for bargains at a wholesale food store and buys macaroni and cheese dinners in bulk - and then has them at every meal.
I invited her here tonight. And Mrs. Johnson, I promise you once again: I will fight for a prescription drug benefit for all seniors under Medicare.
It's just wrong for seniors to have to choose between food and medicine while the big drug companies run up record profits.
I met George and Juanita Gutierrez in San Antonio, Texas. Their daughter Caterina has just started the 4th grade at Davy Crockett Elementary School. The school building is crumbling and overcrowded, with cracked walls and peeling plaster. Trailers cover the playground where the kids used to spend recess.
The Gutierrez family is here tonight. And I tell them again: I will fight to rebuild and modernize our crumbling schools, and reduce class size. We need to put safety, discipline, and character first in every classroom.
You know, education may be a local responsibility. But I believe it also has to be our number-one national priority. We can't stop until every school in America is a good place to get a good education.
And I will never forget a little boy named Ian Malone - who suffered from a medical mistake during childbirth, and needs full-time nursing care for several years. I met him and his parents in Seattle, near their home in Everett, Washington. Their HMO had told the Malones it would no longer pay for the nurse they needed, and then, told them they should consider giving Ian up for adoption.
That's when his mom and dad got really mad. They told their story in public, and the HMO was embarrassed. Because they fought for their baby , today Ian has the care he needs to stay alive. But no family in America should have to go on national television to save their child's life.
Dylan and Christine Malone are here with us tonight. Ian's here, too. And I say to them, and to all the families of America: I will fight for a real, enforceable Patients' Bill of Rights.
It's just wrong to have life and death medical decisions made by bean-counters at HMO's who don't have a license to practice medicine, and don't have a right to play God. It's time to take the medical decisions away from the HMO's and insurance companies - and give them back to the doctors, the nurses, and the health care professionals.
So this is not just an election between my opponent and me. It's about our people, our families, and our future - and whether forces standing in your way will keep you from having a better life.
To me, this election is about Mildred Nystel, Jacqueline Johnson, Caterina Gutierrez, Ian Malone.
It's about millions of Americans whose names we may never know - but whose needs and dreams must always be our calling.
And so here tonight, in the name of all the working families who are the strength and soul of America -- I accept your nomination for President of the United States.
I'm here to talk seriously about the issues. I believe people deserve to know specifically what a candidate proposes to do. I intend to tell you tonight. You ought to be able to know, and then judge for yourself.
If you entrust me with the Presidency, I will put our democracy back in your hands, and get all the special-interest money - all of it - out of our democracy, by enacting campaign finance reform. I feel so strongly about this, I promise you that campaign finance reform will be the very first bill that Joe Lieberman and I send to Congress.
Let others try to restore the old guard. We come to this convention as the change we wish to see in America.
And what are those changes?
At a time when most Americans will live to know even their great-grandchildren, we will save and strengthen Social Security and Medicare - not only for this generation, but for generations to come.
At a time of almost unimaginable medical breakthroughs, we will fight for affordable health care for all - so patients and ordinary people are not left powerless and broke. We will move toward universal health coverage, step by step, starting with all children. Let's get all children covered by the year 2004.
And let's move to the day when we end the stigma of mental illness, and treat it like every other illness, everywhere in this nation.
Within the next few years, scientists will identify the genes that cause every type of cancer. We need a national commitment equal to the promise of this unequalled moment. So we will double the federal investment in medical research. We will find new medicines and new cures - not just for cancer, but for everything from diabetes to HIV/AIDS.
At a time when there is more computer power in a Palm Pilot than in the spaceship that took Neil Armstrong to the moon, we will offer all our people lifelong learning and new skills for the higher-paying jobs of the future.
At a time when the amount of human knowledge is doubling every five years, we will do bold things to make our schools the best in the world. I will fight for the single greatest commitment to education since the G.I. Bill -
For revolutionary improvements in our schools. For higher standards and more accountability. To put a fully-qualified teacher in every classroom, test all new teachers, and give teachers the training and professional development they deserve. It's time to treat and reward teachers like the professionals they are.
It's not just about more money. It's about higher standards, accountability -- new ideas. But we can't do it without new resources. And that's why I will invest far more in our schools - in the long-run, a second-class education always costs more than a first-class education.
And I will not go along with any plan that would drain taxpayer money away from our public schools and give it to private schools in the form of vouchers.
This nation was a pioneer of universal public education. Now let's set a specific new goal for the first decade of the 21st Century: high-quality universal pre-school - available to every child, in every family, all across this country.
We also have to give middle-class families help in paying for college with tax-free college savings, and by making most college tuition tax-deductible. Open the doors of learning to all.
And all of this - all of this -- is the change we wish to see in America.
Not so long ago, a balanced budget seemed impossible. Now our budget surpluses make it possible to give a full range of targeted tax cuts to working families. Not just to help you save for college, but to pay for health insurance or child care. To reform the estate tax, so people can pass on a small business or a family farm. And to end the marriage penalty - the right way, the fair way -- because we shouldn't force couples to pay more in income taxes just because they're married.
But let me say it plainly: I will not go along with a huge tax cut for the wealthy at the expense of everyone else and wreck our good economy in the process.
Under the tax plan the other side has proposed, for every ten dollars that goes to the wealthiest one percent, middle class families would get one dime. And lower-income families would get one penny.
In fact, if you add it up, the average family would get about enough money to buy one extra Diet Coke a day.
About 62 cents in change. Let me tell you: that's not the kind of change I'm working for.
I'll fight for tax cuts that go to the right people - to the working families who have the toughest time paying taxes and saving for the future.
I'll fight for a new, tax-free way to help you save and build a bigger nest egg for your retirement. I'm talking about something extra that you can save and invest for yourself. Something that will supplement Social Security, not be subtracted from it.
But I will not go along with any proposal to strip one out of every six dollars from the Social Security trust fund and privatize the Social Security that you're counting on. That's Social Security minus. Our plan is Social Security plus.
We will balance the budget every year, and dedicate the budget surplus first to saving Social Security.
In the next four years, we will pay off all the national debt this nation accumulated in our first 200 years. This will put us on the path to completely eliminating the debt by 2012, keeping America prosperous far into the future.
But there's something at stake in this election that's even more important than economic progress. Simply put, it's our values; it's our responsibility to our loved ones, to our families.
And to me, family values means honoring our fathers and mothers, teaching our children well, caring for the sick, respecting one another -- giving people the power to achieve what they want for their families.
Putting both Social Security and Medicare in an iron-clad lock box where the politicians can't touch them -- to me, that kind of common sense is a family value.
Getting cigarettes out of the hands of kids before they get hooked is a family value. I will crack down on the marketing of tobacco to our children, no matter how hard the tobacco companies lobby, no matter how much they spend.
A new prescription drug benefit under Medicare for all our seniors - that's a family value. And let me tell you: I will fight for it, and the other side will not. They give in to the big drug companies. Their plan tells seniors to beg the HMO's and insurance companies for prescription drug coverage.
And that's the difference in this election. They're for the powerful, and we're for the people.
Big tobacco, big oil, the big polluters, the pharmaceutical companies, the HMO's. Sometimes you have to be willing to stand up and say no - so families can have a better life.
I know one thing about the job of the President. It is the only job in the Constitution that is charged with the responsibility of fighting for all the people. Not just the people of one state, or one district; not just the wealthy or the powerful -- all the people. Especially those who need a voice; those who need a champion; those who need to be lifted up, so they are never left behind.
So I say to you tonight: if you entrust me with the Presidency, I will fight for you.
There's one other word we've heard a lot of in this campaign, and that word is honor.
To me, honor is not just a word, but an obligation.
And you have my word: we will honor hard work by raising the minimum wage so that work always pays more than welfare.
We will honor families by expanding child care, and after-school care, and family and medical leave - so working parents have the help they need to care for their children -- because one of the most important jobs of all is raising our children.
And we'll support the right of parents to decide that one of them will stay home longer with their babies if that's what they believe is best for their families.
We will honor the ideal of equality by standing up for civil rights and defending affirmative action.
We will honor equal rights and fight for an equal day's pay for an equal day's work.
And let there be no doubt: I will protect and defend a woman's right to choose. The last thing this country needs is a Supreme Court that overturns Roe v. Wade.
We will remove all the old barriers -- so that those who are called disabled can develop all their abilities.
And we will also widen the circle of opportunity for all Americans, and enforce all our civil rights laws.
We will pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
And we will honor the memory of Matthew Shepard, Joseph Ileto, and James Byrd, whose families all joined us this week -- by passing a law against hate crimes.
We will honor the hard work of raising a family - by doing all we can to help parents protect their children. Parents deserve the simple security of knowing that their children are safe whether they're walking down the street, surfing the World Wide Web, or sitting behind a desk in school.
To make families safer, we passed the toughest crime bill in history, and we're putting 100,000 new community police on our streets. Crime has fallen in every major category for seven years in a row. But there's still too much danger and there's still too much fear.
So tonight I want to set another new, specific goal: to cut the crime rate year after year -- every single year throughout this decade.
That's why I'll fight to add another 50,000 new police - community police who help prevent crime by establishing real relationships between law enforcement and neighborhood residents - which, incidentally, is the opposite of racial profiling, which must be brought to an end.
I will fight for a crime victims' bill of rights, including a Constitutional amendment to make sure that victims, and not just criminals, are guaranteed rights in our justice system.
I'll fight to toughen penalties on those who misuse the Internet to prey on our children and violate our privacy. And I'll fight to make every school in this nation drug-free and gun-free.
I believe in the right of sportsmen and hunters and law-abiding citizens to own firearms. But I want mandatory background checks to keep guns away from criminals, and mandatory child safety locks to protect our children.
Tipper and I went out to Columbine High School after the tragedy there, and we embraced the families of the children who were lost. And I will never forget the words of the father who whispered into my ear, "Promise me that these children will not have died in vain."
All of us must join together to make that promise come true. Laws and programs by themselves will never be enough. All of us, and especially all parents need to take more responsibility. We need to change our hearts -- and make a commitment to our children and to one another.
I'm excited about America's prospects and full of hope for America's future. Our country has come a long way, and I've come a long way since that long ago time when I went to Vietnam.
I've never forgotten what I saw there -- and the bravery of so many young Americans.
The price of freedom is sometimes high, but I never believed that America should turn inward.
As a Senator, I broke with many in our party and voted to support the Gulf War when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait -- because I believed America's vital interests were at stake.
Early in my public service, I took up the issue of nuclear arms control and nuclear weapons -- because nothing is more fundamental than protecting our national security.
Now I want to lead America because I love America. I will keep America's defenses strong. I will make sure our armed forces continue to be the best-equipped, best-trained, and best-led in the entire world.
In the last century, this nation more than any other freed the world from fascism and communism. But a newly free world still has dangers and challenges, both old and new. We must always have the will to defend our enduring interests -- from Europe, to the Middle East, to Japan and Korea. We must strengthen our partnerships with Africa, Latin America, and the rest of the developing world.
We must welcome and promote truly free trade. But I say to you: it must be fair trade. We must set standards to end child labor, to prevent the exploitation of workers and the poisoning of the environment. Free trade can and must be -- and if I'm President, will be -- a way to lift everyone up, not bring anyone down to the lowest common denominator.
So those are the issues, and that's where I stand. But I also want to tell you just a little more about two of my greatest heroes, my father and my mother.
They did give me a good life. But like so many in America, they started out with almost nothing.
My father grew up in a small community named Possum Hollow in Middle Tennessee. When he was just eighteen, he went to work as a teacher in a one-room school.
Then the Great Depression came along and taught him a lesson that couldn't be found in any classroom. He told me and my sister often how he watched grown men, with wives and children they could neither feed nor clothe, on farms they could no longer pay for.
My father didn't know whether he could help those families -- but he believed he had to try. And never in the years to come - in Congress, and in the United States Senate -- did he lose sight of the reason he entered public service: to fight for the people, not the powerful.
My mother grew up in a poor farming community in northwest Tennessee. Her family ran a small country store in Cold Corner. A store that went bust during the Great Depression.
She worked her way through college, then got a room in Nashville at the YWCA and waited tables at an all-night coffee shop for 25-cent tips. She then went on to become one of the first women in history to graduate from Vanderbilt Law School.
As Tipper told you tonight, we lost my dad a year and a half ago. But we're so lucky that my mother Pauline continues to be part of our lives, every single day. She's here tonight.
Sometimes in this campaign, when I visit a school and see a hard-working teacher trying to change the world one child at a time -- I see the face of my father.
And I know that teaching our children well is not just the teacher's job; it's everyone's job. And it has to be our national mission.
I've shaken hands in diners and coffee shops all across this country. And sometimes, when I see a waitress working hard and thanking someone for a tip, I see the face of my mother. And I know: for that waitress carrying trays, or a construction worker in the winter cold, I will never agree to raise the retirement age to 70, or threaten the promise of Social Security.
I say to you tonight: we've got to win this election - because every hard-working American family deserves to open the door to their dream.
In our democracy, the future is not something that just happens to us; it is something we make for ourselves -- together.
So to the young people watching tonight, I say: this is your time to make new the life of our world. We need your help to rekindle the spirit of America.
And I ask all of you, my fellow citizens: from this city that marked both the end of America's journey westward and the beginning of the New Frontier, let us set out on a new journey to the best America.
A new journey on which we advance not by the turning of wheels, but by the turning of our minds; the reach of our vision; the daring grace of the human spirit.
Yes, we have our problems. But the United States of America is the best country ever created -- and still, as ever, the hope of humankind.
Yes, we're all imperfect. But as Americans we all share in the privilege and challenge of building a more perfect union.
I know my own imperfections. I know that sometimes people say I'm too serious, that I talk too much substance and policy. Maybe I've done that tonight.
But the Presidency is more than a popularity contest. It's a day-by-day fight for people. Sometimes, you have to choose to do what's difficult or unpopular. Sometimes, you have to be willing to spend your popularity in order to pick the hard right over the easy wrong.
There are big choices ahead, and our whole future is at stake. And I do have strong beliefs about it.
If you entrust me with the Presidency, I know I won't always be the most exciting politician.
But I pledge to you tonight: I will work for you every day and I will never let you down.
If we allow ourselves to believe, without reservation, that we can do what's right and be the better for it -- then the best America will become our America.
In this City of Angels, we can summon the better angels of our nature.
Do not rest where we are, or retreat. Do all we can to make America all it can become.
Thank you - God bless you - and God bless America
Source: Al Gore for President 2000 Web Site
Remarks By Chairman Bill Daley
Election Night, Nashville, Tennessee
I have some news to share with you tonight.
And let me say: I've been in politics for a long time. But there's never been a night like this one.
Just an hour or so ago, the TV networks called this race for Governor Bush.
It now appears that their call was premature.
I want to be very clear about this: according to information supplied by the Secretary of State of Florida, with 99.9 percent of the vote counted, there is a margin of only 1,200 votes out of millions cast - with about 5,000 votes left to be counted.
This is significant for a very important reason: under Florida State law, this triggers an automatic recount.
As everyone in America knows, this race has come down to the State of Florida.
And without being certain of the results in Florida, we simply cannot be certain of the results of this national election.
I want to add that Vice President Gore and Senator Lieberman are fully prepared to concede and support Governor George W. Bush if and when he is officially elected President.
But this race is still too close to call - and until the recount is concluded and the results in Florida become official, our campaign continues.
So I want to thank you all, on behalf of the Vice President, for waiting out here so late tonight - and we hope to have you all back here very soon.
11/9/00
Statement by Chairman William Daley
Secretary Christopher and I have been in Florida for 20 hours and I am here to report that what we have learned left us deeply troubled about the fairness of the election count that has been reported.
Most notably, it appears that more than 20,000 voters in Palm Beach County who in all likelihood thought they were voting for Al Gore had their votes counted as votes for Pat Buchanan or not counted at all. Because this disenfranchisement of these Floridians is so much larger than the reported gap between George Bush and Al Gore legally this requires the full attention of the courts in Florida and concerned citizens all around the country. More than 100 million Americans voted on Tuesday and more voted for Al Gore than George Bush. Here in Florida it also seems very likely that more voters went to the polls believing that they were voting for Al Gore than for George Bush. If the will of the people is to prevail Al Gore should be awarded a victory in Florida, and be our next President of the United States.
Let me focus on the problems with Palm Beach County.
There due to a confusing butter fly ballot, many voters who believed they were voting for Al Gore had their votes counted for Pat Bucanhan. No other explanation for his 3,400 vote total - a sum three times large than he drew in any other county - and ten times the number of registered reform party voters who voted - seems plausible. I am told that even Mr. Buchanan recognizes as much. Based on totals from other counties there seems every reason to believe that well over 2,000 of these votes were votes for Vice President Gore - more than enough to make him the winner here.
In addition, there were more than 19,000 ballots cast in Palm Beach county that were not tabulated at all because voters - faced with this confusing ballot - apparently punched two holes instead of one. And of course, this would have been more than enough to tip the balance our way. These logical conclusions, are reinforced by the phone calls faxes and other reports, from over a 1,000 residents of Palm Beach county that have poured in to us saying that they believe that they were the victims of this ballot confusion.
In response to this clear injustice, what does the Bush Campaign say? They totally dismiss the disenfranchisement of 1000's of Floridians, as being the usual sort of mistake made in elections. They site legal provisions about published ballots and technical notice. They put a demand for finality ahead of the pursuit of fairness. As for the substance of these responses, let me say, that they are in doubt. It remains unclear if the sample ballot published, really contained all the elements - including the alignment of the punched holes that the actual ballot reflected - more importantly, let me be clear about what is at stake here.
Technicalities should not determine the next President of the United States, the will of the people should. Demanding an end to the election is not the same as demanding that the person who the people want as president takes office.
Here is what we intend to do about this: today the appropriate Florida democratic officials will be requesting a hand count of the ballots, in palm beach county as well as three other counties - Vollusia, Dade, and Broward - where we have spotted oddities in the vote. Let's make sure that voters, not machines pick our President. In addition, today I am announcing that we will be working with voters from Florida to support a legal action to demand some redress for the disenfranchisement of more than 20,000 voters in Palm Beach County. We believe that, with some much at stake, steps should be taken to make sure that the people's choice becomes the President. In addition, we are still collecting accounts of other irregularities, voter intimidation and other oddities in other parts of the state they too will be part of the legal process. And, if substantiated inappropriate they too will be part of this legal action.
Let me address the concerns of those who say that these actions will delay the conclusion of this election or that we are seeking to drag things out. All we are seeking is this: that the candidate who the voters prefer become the President. That is what our constitutional principles demand. That is what true fidelity to our constitution suggests. That is what the American people deserve. Moreover, we will move this matter ahead as quickly as is possible though state law might allow us as much as three more weeks to present this legal challenge we expect to see it filed in the next few days. We do not want delay but what we want however, is democracy.
Finally, let me address some remarks to the Bush campaign. I believe that their actions to try to presumptively crown themselves the victors, to try to put in place a transition, run the rush of dividing the American people and creating a sense of confusion.
Let the legal system run its course. Let the true and accurate will of the people prevail. If at the end of that process, George Bush is the victor, we will respect that result.
But, we would expect the same adherence to the rule o flaw and the democratic process from the bush campaign. Bold claims not based on the will of the people endanger the orderly transition of power taking the time to ensure that the people's choice as our president is the best way to respect our democratic values and honor our constitution.
Remarks As Prepared For Delivery By Al Gore
December 13, 2000
Good evening.
Just moments ago, I spoke with George W. Bush and congratulated him on becoming the 43rd president of the United States, and I promised him that I wouldn't call him back this time.
I offered to meet with him as soon as possible so that we can start to heal the divisions of the campaign and the contest through which we just passed.
Almost a century and a half ago, Senator Stephen Douglas told Abraham Lincoln, who had just defeated him for the presidency, "Partisan feeling must yield to patriotism. I'm with you, Mr. President, and God bless you."
Well, in that same spirit, I say to President-elect Bush that what remains of partisan rancor must now be put aside, and may God bless his stewardship of this country.
Neither he nor I anticipated this long and difficult road. Certainly neither of us wanted it to happen. Yet it came, and now it has ended, resolved, as it must be resolved, through the honored institutions of our democracy.
Over the library of one of our great law schools is inscribed the motto, "Not under man but under God and law." That's the ruling principle of American freedom, the source of our democratic liberties. I've tried to make it my guide throughout this contest as it has guided America's deliberations of all the complex issues of the past five weeks.
Now the U.S. Supreme Court has spoken. Let there be no doubt, while I strongly disagree with the court's decision, I accept it. I accept the finality of this outcome which will be ratified next Monday in the Electoral College. And tonight, for the sake of our unity of the people and the strength of our democracy, I offer my concession.
I also accept my responsibility, which I will discharge unconditionally, to honor the new president elect and do everything possible to help him bring Americans together in fulfillment of the great vision that our Declaration of Independence defines and that our Constitution affirms and defends.
Let me say how grateful I am to all those who supported me and supported the cause for which we have fought.Tipper and I feel a deep gratitude to Joe and Hadassah Lieberman who brought passion and high purpose to our partnership and opened new doors, not just for our campaign but for our country.
This has been an extraordinary election. But in one of God's unforeseen paths, this belatedly broken impasse can point us all to a new common ground, for its very closeness can serve to remind us that we are one people with a shared history and a shared destiny.
Indeed, that history gives us many examples of contests as hotly debated, as fiercely fought, with their own challenges to the popular will.
Other disputes have dragged on for weeks before reaching resolution. And each time, both the victor and the vanquished have accepted the result peacefully and in the spirit of reconciliation.
So let it be with us.
I know that many of my supporters are disappointed. I am too. But our disappointment must be overcome by our love of country.
And I say to our fellow members of the world community, let no one see this contest as a sign of American weakness. The strength of American democracy is shown most clearly through the difficulties it can overcome.
Some have expressed concern that the unusual nature of this election might hamper the next president in the conduct of his office. I do not believe it need be so.
President-elect Bush inherits a nation whose citizens will be ready to assist him in the conduct of his large responsibilities.
I personally will be at his disposal, and I call on all Americans -- I particularly urge all who stood with us to unite behind our next president. This is America. Just as we fight hard when the stakes are high, we close ranks and come together when the contest is done.
And while there will be time enough to debate our continuing differences, now is the time to recognize that that which unites us is greater than that which divides us.
While we yet hold and do not yield our opposing beliefs, there is a higher duty than the one we owe to political party. This is America and we put country before party. We will stand together behind our new president.
As for what I'll do next, I don't know the answer to that one yet. Like many of you, I'm looking forward to spending the holidays with family and old friends. I know I'll spend time in Tennessee and mend some fences, literally and figuratively.
Some have asked whether I have any regrets and I do have one regret: that I didn't get the chance to stay and fight for the American people over the next four years, especially for those who need burdens lifted and barriers removed, especially for those who feel their voices have not been heard. I heard you and I will not forget.
I've seen America in this campaign and I like what I see. It's worth fighting for and that's a fight I'll never stop.
As for the battle that ends tonight, I do believe as my father once said, that no matter how hard the loss, defeat might serve as well as victory to shape the soul and let the glory out.
So for me this campaign ends as it began: with the love of Tipper and our family; with faith in God and in the country I have been so proud to serve, from Vietnam to the vice presidency; and with gratitude to our truly tireless campaign staff and volunteers, including all those who worked so hard in Florida for the last 36 days.
Now the political struggle is over and we turn again to the unending struggle for the common good of all Americans and for those multitudes around the world who look to us for leadership in the cause of freedom.
In the words of our great hymn, "America, America": "Let us crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea."
And now, my friends, in a phrase I once addressed to others, it's time for me to go.
Thank you and good night, and God bless America.