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| MAKING A RUN FOR IT | |
 June 17, 1999 
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In his hometown of Carthage, Tennessee, Vice President Al Gore officially kicked off his campaign for presidency. Following a background report, Jim Lehrer discusses Mr. Gore's presidential bid with James Brosnan of The Memphis Commercial- Appeal and Ceci Connolly of The Washington Post.
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JIM LEHRER: And to two political reporters who are covering the Gore campaign, James Brosnan of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, and Ceci Connolly of the Washington Post. Ceci Connolly, could it be that Al Gore and George W. Bush are already running in a head-to-head contest for President?
JIM LEHRER: You see it the same way? JAMES BROSNAN: I don't think -- they're not going so say -- the Gore people are not going to say they're going to take anything for granted, but I don't detect any real concern that in the end they're not going to beat Bill Bradley. JIM LEHRER: And is -- what's your reading of that? I mean, is that a correct reading of things? Is that a smart way to run the campaign at this point?
JIM LEHRER: Yes. You see it the same way, Ceci? CECI CONNOLLY: I think that's about right. So far, my sense of the Bradley campaign is that it's a bit stealthy. That's not to say that he isn't out there building the sort of grassroots support, developing some name ID, raising some money that, if an opportunity presents itself, he'll be ready to make with a move. JIM LEHRER: Yes. All right, now, Woody, then, Gore is doing two things -- he's trying to stay close to the president -- Clinton on accomplishments in the record and distance himself personally all at the same time? |
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| Distancing himself from the president. | |||||||||||
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JAMES BROSNAN: Distance himself personally, yes. And he's also charting out a new agenda. He is saying it's not just the economy, it's not only about prosperity. He's also going to take the Republicans on, on moral values, family values and those issues, as well. JIM LEHRER: And that is where he's saying, "I'm not Bill Clinton," is that right? JAMES BROSNAN: He's saying, "I'm not Bill Clinton," that's exactly righted. I'm a family man and I'm going to combat; I'm going to exert moral leadership in the White House. JIM LEHRER: What did you think, Ceci, of his strongly worded criticism of President Clinton, President Clinton's conduct with Monica Lewinsky, et cetera? He hadn't gone that far before, had he?
JIM LEHRER: So what's going on? JAMES BROSNAN: Well, he has to separate himself from President Clinton because most vice presidents have to establish themselves as their own candidates. Plus, the polls are showing there is a Clinton fatigue factor out there, and people don't want to just see a repeat of Bill Clinton in the White House. So he has to become his own person in the minds of the voters. JIM LEHRER: Does he not expose himself to questions from folks like you all, "Hey, wait a minute. Why didn't you do this while you were vice president? Why didn't do you this when the story first broke?"
JIM LEHRER: Now, when you said that he's not just running back to the issues here, he's not just running on the Clinton/Gore record; he has a new agenda. Describe that. JAMES BROSNAN: It's faith-based charities, it's pre-school for everyone, it's smaller classes for everyone, it's some of the economic incentives we heard today. And all of this is going to center around families in crisis. The new agenda is families in crisis, and that's going to be the theme of his campaign. JIM LEHRER: You read it the same way, Ceci, families in crisis? CECI CONNOLLY: Well, I think that that's certainly the way that the Gore team is framing this early opening of its campaign. It's very difficult to predict over the next 17 months which issues are going to dominate, how they're going to play out. But certainly in the wake of incidents such as Littleton and given their desire to contrast Al Gore with Bill Clinton personally, they see that as sort of the great opportunity, an opening for Gore. So certainly right now, that's what they want to be talking about and focusing on.
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| A question of style. | |||||||||||
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CECI CONNOLLY: Well, it's interesting, Jim. I mean I think we have to sort of keep this in perspective a little bit. When voters go to the polls to choose a president, I don't think they think of themselves as theater critics here. So while style is important, I think back to George Bush winning after Ronald Reagan, and he was certainly no Ronald Reagan. Al Gore is now Bill Clinton when it comes to performance and sort of political style. But what's important is for him to be -- come off as genuine, as credible, as connecting with individuals. The way that they try to do that with Gore is to take away the podium, take away his cue cards and get him up close to audiences so that it's more interactive. I'd say what we have seen of that in the last month or so is kind of a hit or miss. Sometimes it kind of works, and other times he still has that distant far-away, stiff kind of feel about him.
JAMES BROSNAN: Well, he has to be himself. I think he has to show that he can listen. Bill Clinton was a great listener. Sometimes Gore gets out there and he starts talking to somebody and they start saying something, and he acts like the smartest kid in class. He wants to answer the question before the teacher's even finished it. He has to really engage each voter along the way. JIM LEHRER: And you've been covering him a long time. And the cliché about Al Gore is that, well, up close and personal, he is very free-wheeling and much more relaxed than he is when he is in public. First, has that been your experience? JAMES BROSNAN: I don't think he's ever totally out of control, but he's a very witty person. He likes to kid around a lot. That doesn't always come across on television very well, but it does in person. JIM LEHRER: Yes. How would you grade what he's done the last couple of days in this particular area? JAMES BROSNAN: Well, I think he's been a very -- I think he made a very effective announcement speech and showed that he could do that. He's separated himself somewhat from the president, but we've got a long way to go. He's going to have to keep showing us over and over again on the trail. JIM LEHRER: What about the style thing? That's what I was referring to. JAMES BROSNAN: Well, I think the style of his speech was okay. I like the fact that he blew a kiss to his mother and he had all his family around him, which is really what Al Gore is all about. But he's never going to be a different type of person than he is. You're going to have to accept that he's a smart, decent family man who's maybe somewhat boring. JIM LEHRER: Somewhat boring, Ceci Connolly?
JIM LEHRER: Okay. Well, thank you both very much. As you pointed out, Ceci, we still have a long, long way to go. And as you pointed out as well, Woody. Thank you both very much. CECI CONNOLLY: Thank you. |
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CECI
CONNOLLY: Jim, it's remarkable. You know, I was out of the country for
a couple of weeks and I came back, and it felt a little bit like back
to the future. It felt more like September of 2000 to me these past
couple of weeks than June of 1999. It's as if these two think they've
already won their nominations and they're battling for the general election.
JAMES
BROSNAN: I think it's Gore's nomination to lose. He could do something
to stumble but I'm not sure there's anything Bill Bradley can do to
win. 
CECI
CONNOLLY: No, he absolutely had not. And it's been striking this week
because had it stands in such contrast to his comments over the past
year. Remember that the day that the House of Representatives voted
to impeach Bill Clinton, it was Al Gore who stood at that White House
pep rally and described Bill Clinton as going down in history as one
of the greatest presidents in history. That was a remarkable statement
under the circumstances, and I suppose that even more remarkable are
his comments this week. He has, for the first time, said that the incident
was upsetting to him. He's said that it was a waste, a waste of time.
He has said that it was inexcusable. He's used much more language and
expanded much more than previously to condemn Clinton in a way that
he had not. 
JAMES
BROSNAN: Well, sure he does and what he's going to say that, as vice
president, he had to be loyal, that he couldn't very well come out and
say the president should resign. It would look self-serving, it would
look like a palace coup. So he's going to say that he has to come forward
now and say what he thought and believed because now he is a candidate
for president. He is no longer really the Vice President; he is a candidate
for president.
JIM
LEHRER: What about the style problem he has, Ceci? He refers to it himself
-- the so-called wooden part of al Gore. How has he handled that the
last couple of days as he's gotten his campaign going? 
JIM
LEHRER: And, Woody, is that going to ever go away? Or should he even
try to take it away? 
CECI
CONNOLLY: Well, that's certainly what people are telling the pollsters
right now. And whether or not that's fair or unfair, that's certainly
a perception that Gore needs to deal with. I don't think boring will
necessarily be all bad. It's whether or not he seems comfortable with
himself and can be comfortable with average Americans who want to know
that he hears them, that he shares their concerns. You know, Jim, that
when you ask about the style question with Gore, there was an interesting
scene two times played out today -- first in New Hampshire and again
here in New York this afternoon. A small group of AIDS protesters have
been following him around now. They're upset over the availability of
drugs in Africa and feel that Gore has sided with the American drug
companies. But each time that these groups have begun chanting during
his appearances, he's gotten a little quicker and sharper with his response
and dare I say in Manchester this morning, he had almost a Clintonesque
moment in which he took their chanting and what was a potentially risky
situation for a politician and he turned it around and he seized it
and he said, "You know, I'm very concerned a out that issue. There
needs to be much more attention on AIDS in South Africa." And I
thought that that was wise. He seemed quick on his feet. And if he can
do that sort of thing, I don't think people will be spending so much
time discussing whether or not he's wooden.