Politics

Bradley Takes Shot At GOP

February 8, 2000 / 11:23 AM EST / AP

Democrat Bill Bradley accused Republican rivals George W. Bush and John McCain of "bottom-fishing" for support by saying it is up to South Carolina's citizens whether to keep the Confederate flag flying over their Statehouse.

"That flag will come down," Bradley said Tuesday in a speech at historically black Benedict College.

Putting aside his disputes with Democratic rival Al Gore for a moment, Bradley said, "There's a big difference between the two parties. Al Gore and I say take the flag down."

Bush and McCain, on the other hand, are guilty of "bottom-fishing for votes from the most right-wing elements of the Republican Party," he said.

Bradley also criticized Bush for delivering a speech last week at Bob Jones University, a local college that he said has discriminated on the basis of race.

"That shows the new conservatism isn't much different from the old conservatism," Bradley said.

Gore, meanwhile, was campaigning in Florida, arguing in a state with a large senior citizen population that Bradley's health care proposal would harm the nursing home industry by easing standards.

Bradley had been in Florida on Monday while Gore was in New York seeking labor support.

"We need to move our collective humanity a few feet forward," Bradley said in Tampa, where he issued a staunch defense of affirmative action in a state where it is being ended.

Bradley criticized Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who has a plan to replace affirmative action in university admissions and the awarding of state contracts with increased outreach efforts and broader anti-discrimination laws.

"Let me be very clear, giving people opportunity, trusting them with responsibility and holding them accountable is not a preference," Bradley said. "It is the standard by which the march of progress is made in America."

"I will not yield to anyone who believes that affirmative action is no longer necessary," he said. "Yes, we have made progress, but we still have a long way to go."

At a union hall in New York on Monday, Gore criticized Bradley's campaign, saying his rival has been "running down the progress and achievements of the Democratic Party over the past seven years."

Gore at Lincoln Center, NYC.

He also took to the stage at Lincoln Center with the New York City Gay Men's Chorus to sing The Battle Hymn of the Republic and narrated Aaron Copland's Lincoln Portrait with the American Symphony Orchestra.

Stumping in New York City, Gore also warned that Bradley's health plan would cost New York more than any state in the country.

Bradley and Gore both are trying to assemble coalitions to form majorities in key primaries that begin March 7.

But analysts say it won't be easy for Bradle to push past deeply rooted connections Gore has made among core Democratic supporters. Polls show Gore with a big lead nationally over Bradley.