DEMOCRATIC DEBATES

	February 22, 2000
	That presidential campaign -- on the Democratic side, Vice President Gore and former Senator Bradley debated last night at New York City's historic Apollo Theater. We have extended excerpts.

JIM LEHRER: The first question was, what they would do about racial profiling by police. BILL BRADLEY: I would issue an executive order that would eliminate racial profiling at the federal level. I would try to pass a law to get information gathered at local levels so that we can see how the police departments are acting. I would make sure that the Justice Department was involved. And I would say quite clearly that white Americans can no longer deny the plight of black Americans. (Applause) MODERATOR: Vice President Gore? AL GORE: If you entrust me with the presidency, the first Civil Rights Act of the 21st century will be a national law outlawing racial profiling. I think that we have to make certain that in this country not only will driving while black never be allowed to be a crime, but we just... we have to say that we are going to become one people, and prevent these incidents, partly by putting as much energy into education as we do into incarceration. (Cheers and applause) MODERATOR: 30 seconds. Each of you has 30 seconds. BILL BRADLEY: Last month in the debate in Iowa, when Al said the same thing, that he would issue an executive order, I said, "why doesn't he walk down the hall now and have President Clinton issue an executive order?" (Applause) AL GORE: First of all, President Clinton has issued a presidential directive under which the information is now being gathered that is necessarily for an executive order. Look, we have taken action, but, you know, racial profiling practically began in New Jersey, Senator Bradley. (Cheers and applause) MODERATOR: The next question, please, for Senator Bradley. QUESTIONER: What specific social, educational, legislative, and economic policies will you implement that will ensure historically marginalized communities, such as Harlem where we are at, will gain access to technology and resources essential to survival in this new information age? BILL BRADLEY: Well, one of the first things I would do is I would give 10,000 scholarships a year at $7,500 a year scholarship to people who after four years would agree to teach in an urban or rural school district in the areas of computer science, math, science, or foreign languages. We need teachers in our communities who understand these subjects and who have the equipment. And in terms of education, I think-- and you mentioned race in education-- I think it is important to note that in 1980, 1981, and 1979, there was an issue before the Congress that related to whether the... Whether the government would provide tax-exempt status to schools that racially discriminate. Al Gore supported those measures, and I would like to know today why. (Applause) MODERATOR: Mr. Vice President, one minute. AL GORE: Well, I made a speech last week on how to close the digital divide. I'll deal with this briefly and then respond to bill's false charge. I believe that we need to get computing centers in the community for children and for adults. (Applause) We need to finish connecting every classroom and library to the Internet. We need to get computers in the schools. We need to train the teachers. We cannot allow a digital divide to exacerbate the gap between rich and poor. Now, as for this false charge: Look, you have misrepresented that vote entirely, Senator Bradley. That was not about affirmative action. That was about quotas. It was 337 members of the Congress voted against that. You voted for the same way on final passage. BILL BRADLEY: Given Al's answer... I kind of expected his answer on his vote to preserve tax-exempt status for schools like Bob Jones that racially discriminate. So I have brought today a copy of all five of those votes. I've also brought today... (Cheers and applause) I've also brought today my statement in opposition, the congressional Black Caucus's statement of opposition, and Trent Lott's statement in support saying that this would go to Bob Jones University. I'd like to give it to each member of the panel and Bernie at the break, but I'd like you to have it now, Al. (Cheers and applause) AL GORE: May I respond now? First of all, this was a vote on quotas. I take it you're not in favor of quotas. Bob Jones University lost its tax exemption under the law that I supported. They still do not have a tax exemption. So that is a phony and scurrilous charge. (Applause) MODERATOR: Well, we have a question from the Internet for Senator Bradley, from Middleton, Maryland. Senator Bradley, can we limit the number of guns an individual can buy and allow only guns used for hunting? BILL BRADLEY: The answer is yes, we can limit the number of guns that people buy. In fact, I have offered the strongest gun control proposal of any presidential candidate in history. I want registration and licensing of all handguns. All handguns. (Applause) Al has been Bill Clinton's Vice President for seven years. He has done a good job as Vice President. But he was also a conservative congressman. And when he was a conservative Congressman, he voted with the NRA. And the head of the NRA said that he was the poster child or man of the year. So there are two differences here. (Applause) There are two differences. MODERATOR: Time, time. AL GORE: Senator Bradley, a couple of days ago your campaign said that you wanted to get some things off your chest. Well, since then you've made personal attack after personal attack. The problem is, these attacks don't solve any problems. They do divide us as Democrats. (Applause) They distract us from the real enemy, the right-wing extremist, Confederate- flag-waving Republicans who are trying to roll back the progress that we have made. (Applause) Now, the Clinton-Gore administration has passed the toughest gun control measures in the last 30 years. I cast the tie-breaking vote to close the gun show loophole. Where were you? You had left. You had left. (Cheers and applause) and on the very day... On the very day when I cast that tie-breaking vote, you were out speaking at a fund-raiser. So let's not kid ourselves. We've got a lot of work to do. (Audience reacts) MODERATOR: Time, time. Senator Bradley? BILL BRADLEY: Well, what you have seen is an elaborate what I call "Gore dance." (Applause) It is a dance to avoid facing up to your conservative record on guns. It is a dance that denies the fact that you do not support registration and licensing of all handguns, but you want to give the impression of that. So you say, "I am for licensing of all (unintelligible mumbling) handguns. I am for licensing of all (unintelligible mumbling) handguns."" (Cheers and applause) MODERATOR: Time, time. BILL BRADLEY: What does that mean? It means, I'm for licensing of all new handguns -- only new, not the 65 million that are out there. (Cheers and applause) AL GORE: Okay. By all means, Bill, get the negativity off your chest. But then when you get through, let's return to face the real problems that we are facing in this country. (Cheers and applause) QUESTIONER: Senator Bradley, clearly in delving ten and sometimes 20 years back into the Vice President's record you are trying to raise questions of his leadership and questions of his character. If you feel the need to raise those questions, don't you feel you have the responsibility to tell us what you think the answer is? (Applause) BILL BRADLEY: I have told you what I think the answer is: It is to nominate me as the Democratic nominee of this party. (Applause) that's what I told you. You know, me calling attention to the fact that he was a conservative Democrat before he was Bill Clinton's Vice President is simply truth-telling. It's simply telling people what the facts are. It's not embroidering the facts. And laying out much bolder proposals on healthcare and on education than the Vice President does is not embroidering anything, it's proposing a new future. AL GORE: That's not true either. Let me respond to this. You know, we have had basically the same length career in the Congress. And over the course of that time, I am proud that I have a better cope voting record measured by the support of working men and women and organized labor than Senator Bradley. I compiled that better record in a state in the South where it was not always that easy compared to New Jersey. I have... I am the one who has been endorsed by the leading pro-choice group. (Applause) I have been endorsed by organized labor. I have been endorsed by Senator Ted Kennedy and by virtually the entire congressional Black Caucus. Now, do you think that they all have such poor judgment, Senator Bradley? (Cheers and applause) BILL BRADLEY: What I think is they don't know your record as a conservative Democrat. (Audience reacts) They don't know that you voted five times over three years for a tax exemption for schools to discriminate on the basis of race. It's in the record. The Black Caucus stated so... MODERATOR: Time. BILL BRADLEY: It's there in the record. AL GORE: You know what? In my experience the Black Caucus is pretty savvy. They know a lot more than you think they know. (Cheers and applause)