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Jim Lehrer pumps Mark Shields and Paul Gigot for a preview of the third night in Chicago. This is Al Gore's big moment, with the floor all to himself: what will he say?
JIM LEHRER: And now some third night preview words from Shields & Gigot, syndicated columnist Mark Shields, "Wall Street Journal" columnist Paul Gigot. The point and purpose of this third night is what, Mark?
MARK SHIELDS, Syndicated Columnist: I think it remains, Jim, exactly what the point and purpose of the convention was--threefold--first of all, to put the last four years in a positive perspective for Bill Clinton and Al Gore, secondly, to lay out what the stakes are involved in 1996's election, and why the choice of the Republicans is not in the interest of the majority of voters, and finally to lay out an agenda for the future, the so-called vision thing. And I think that remains to be done.
JIM LEHRER: And that’s what Al Gore is going to have to start doing tonight, do you think?
MARK SHIELDS: I think Al Gore has to do one and two, or at least start on one and two.
JIM LEHRER: One and two.
MARK SHIELDS: That is, that is laying out--making the case for the last four years, putting those in perspective, and then laying out what the stakes are in 1996. It’s up to Bill Clinton. I think it’s a big burden he’s carrying to make the case for the future, why his election is important to Americans, and the vision.
JIM LEHRER: Yeah. Paul.
PAUL GIGOT, Wall Street Journal: Well, Al Gore gets a real privilege tonight. He gets a night really all to himself, something very rare for Vice Presidential nominees. Usually they share the stage with the presidential nominee, as Jack Kemp did with, with Bob Dole. In return, he’s got to, I think, make the case against or a good part of the case against Bob Dole, and then he has to also make the case for Bill Clinton in the first four years but in a more interesting, more passionate way than Evan Bayh did last night, keep people’s attention.
JIM LEHRER: Do you think that, that Al Gore might also have the task tonight of whipping up on the Republicans a little more directly than others have up till now?
MR. GIGOT: I think that’s part of the, part of it, and I think particularly Bob Dole. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to see him go after Bob Dole’s tax proposal, for example, and say why it’s something that is too risky and you can’t support.
JIM LEHRER: There is--there are things scheduled on the, on the agenda tonight in addition to Vice President Gore, where they’re going to talk specifically about the budget because that has not been--there haven’t been any hits on that budget plan, I mean, that economic, that big Dole economic plan that everybody was so down on, everybody meaning every Democrat.
MARK SHIELDS: No, there really haven’t been, and the first two nights have really been sort of risk free. I mean, they have been not that partisan. There have been very few moments at which you say, gee, they were harsh on the opposition. I’m dying, Jim, for the rhetorical device, I mean, stand up--I mean, both Bob Dole and Jack Kemp have not only denied they read their platform but at the same time have already separated themselves from the constitutional amendment on denying citizenship to children born in this country, of parents who are illegal aliens.
And I’m dying for someone to stand up and say, you know, let me read this to you, Mr. Dole, and that, I think, it would be a great rhetorical device, let me read you what’s in your platform and then contrast it with the Clinton record. I assume somebody will do that.
PAUL GIGOT: I’m dying for an argument. I mean, you know, what we’ve got here is the Democrats seem to think that just by saying the name Gingrich and combining it with extremism is a sufficient enough political case to make for the whole convention. I’d like to see a little more feisty fight, argument.
JIM LEHRER: Well, hang around. We’ll see what happens. All right. Thank you both very much.
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