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| THE FEMALE VOTE | |
 September 19, 2000  |
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Presidential candidates Al Gore and George W. Bush have both appeared on Oprah Winfrey's talk show, mainly to attract female voters. After this background report, Gwen Ifill leads a discussion of the campaigns' pitches to women.
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GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH: This is heaven, all kinds of babies to kiss.
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| Talking with Oprah | ||||||||||||||||||||
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OPRAH ANNOUNCER: Live in Chicago, Oprah GWEN IFILL: In an effort to reach women who watch daytime television, both candidates sat down with popular talk show host Oprah Winfrey. OPRAH WINFREY: Please welcome Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President of these United States, Al Gore. (Applause) GWEN IFILL: Campaign strategists say they want to use daytime television to reach voters who might not otherwise be paying close attention.
VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE: I'm for people, not the powerful. I've never been hesitant to stand up to powerful interests that don't necessarily have the American peoples' best interests at heart. I know something about the job as President. It's the only position filled by someone who has to fight for all the people, not just the well connected and the few. I want to keep our prosperity going, but make sure that it enriches not just a few, but all of our families. And I think that it's time to invest in education and health care and middle-class tax cuts and retirement security. OPRAH WINFREY: Education, meaning put the four-year-olds in pre-kindergarten and have that universal for everybody? VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE: My number one proposal is to have high quality universal preschool for every child in every family in every community across the country. (Applause) OPRAH WINFREY: Please welcome presidential candidate and the governor of Texas, George W. Bush. (Applause) GWEN IFILL: Today, it was George W. Bush's turn. WOMAN: As a 25-year-old African-American woman with no children and no money, I qualify for broke, but I'm not poor. How do I fit into your platform, and the other millions of Americans just like me? GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH: Well, you fit into my platform by having a country that says the American dream is available to you. In other words, first and foremost, it doesn't matter how you're raised, what your background is. If you work hard, you can realize the greatness of the country. I don't know what your education background is like, but my vision says that every child is going to be educated in America. I want the public school system to hold out the promise for every single, every single citizen, so that when they got to be 25 years old, you can realize your dreams. See, I see America as a land of dreams and hopes and opportunities. And again, I don't know your personal circumstances, but I don't want anything to hold you back. |
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| An emphasis on marriage, family | ||||||||||||||||||||
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GWEN IFILL: Both men emphasized their strong marriages, and their love for their children.
GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH: As a dad, as a husband, as a patriot, somebody who loves America. OPRAH WINFREY: One of our viewers has a question for you. Roll that. YOUNG WOMAN: Al, I noticed you're a little stiff sometimes. I just wonder what makes you happy, what puts a smile on your face, what gets you going, what do you enjoy? VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE: I didn't understand the part about being stiff sometimes. What gets me going is my family, Tipper, my kids, my grandson. GWEN IFILL: Recent public opinion surveys show Gore has made striking gains among women voters in recent weeks. Most women say they consider him more likeable than Bush. One component of that turnaround: Public reaction to this dramatic kiss at the Democratic National Convention. VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE: It was just the most natural thing in the world to me to express my feelings. OPRAH WINFREY: Would you say it was calculated? A lot of people said calculated. VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE: One of the reporters asked me afterwards, were you trying to send a message? (Laughter) And I said, "I was trying to send a message to Tipper." (Applause) GWEN IFILL: Bush put his sense of humor on display today as well. OPRAH WINFREY: Here's another viewer who e-mailed us with a question for you. Here it is. MAN: Governor Bush, what is the public's largest misconception of you? GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH: Probably that I'm running on my daddy's name; that, you know, if my name were George Jones, I'd be a country and western singer. GWEN IFILL: According to a new survey conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, women now favor Gore over Bush 50% percent to 37%, a 16- point increase for Gore just since July. |
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GWEN
IFILL: Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush are working overtime
to win the attention and the votes of women. On the campaign trail,
Gore is talking about second opinions for breast cancer, protections
for women in HMOs, child care. 
GWEN
IFILL: And Bush is taking on many of the same issues, visiting a maternity
ward yesterday, and proposing a $500-a-child tax credit. His speeches
this week focused on education, health care, retirement security. These
issues, polls show, strike a chord with women who are primary caregivers
for themselves, for their children, and for aging parents.
OPRAH
WINFREY: What difference is it going to make in our lives whether or
not I vote for you or Mr. Bush? Why should I vote for you? 
OPRAH
WINFREY: I want to know, how do you as George W. Bush define yours?