Gore's Focus: Maine-ly Education
Al Gore rolled off a borrowed sofa bed at 6 a.m. and into an 18-hour grit-to-glitz jumble of campaigning.
Before the Boston ferry ride, the wharf-side rally, and the million-dollar supper concert with James Taylor, the Democratic presidential nominee spent eight hours hustling around Lewiston High School's chalk-dusty classrooms, pushing his campaign proposals to make higher education more accessible and affordable.
With 55 days to the election, Gore's day began after four hours sleep at the home of Lewiston High teachers Don and Susan Jalbert. Twelve-year-old daughter Marissa lent him her study room for the night, N'Sync posters and all.
“Getting a diploma is not the end of an education, but just the beginning,” the vice president said at the school. “We need to make college education and skill training available for a lifetime.”
In his education debate with Republican rival George W. Bush, Gore hopes to prevail with proposals to make up to $10,000 in tuition expenses tax deductible and to offer a credit to people without enough income to benefit from the deduction.
Also included in the $170 billion additional federal spending that Gore has proposed for education over 10 years, is a 401(k)-styled system letting parents - and working professionals eyeing advanced degrees - a tax-free, inflation-protected nest egg for tuition.
Teaching an hour-long American history class under the gaze of news cameras, Gore anxiously - but with no flubs - helped students with questions on everything from voting age changes to an Elvis letter on patriotism.
“I'm glad I picked one I happened to know,” he quipped, taking a question on how vice presidents were selected in pre-Electoral College days.
In another classroom, Gore, fatigue etched around his eyes, took a desk under a picture labeled “Prehistoric Man.”
He put a rambling, wistful twist on his proposal for “a national expectation” that schools bring parents in at the beginning of each school year to sign agreements on discipline standards and encourage involvement in the life of the school.
“Once the word goes out in the neighborhood, 'Well you know, you're supposed to come.' Then, you know, across the backyard fence, 'Are you going? Well, yeah.' Then everybody starts to at least focus on whether or not they should be more involved. So I'd like to really get that to be a new American practice,” Gore said.
His lunch, a cheeseburger and bottled water on a plastic tray pushed along the cafeteria line, looked little like the dinner awaiting him in Boston, where he and singer-songwriter Taylor were collecting $1 million for the Democratic National Committee.
It was the second of three powerhouse concerts Gore was using to raise more than $7 million this week for the party. At Tuesday night's $800,000 gala outside Philadelphia, Gorand wife Tipper joined Sister Sledge, Cher and Luther Vandross in singing disco's “We Are Family.”
At a pre-dinner rally Wednesday in Boston's Christopher Columbus park, Gore was making a grand entrance by ferry. After dinner, a 53-mile drive to Bedford, N.H., and a rally timed for the 11 o'clock news stood between him and his hotel bed.
Things were homier if rushed at the start of the day. After rising early for hot-from-the-oven blueberry scones, Gore gave the Jalberts and their son, Nathan, a lift to school in his armored SUV.
They were seen off by Marissa, who goes to another school. She ran barefoot to the driveway with the caffeinated fortification Gore asked her to fetch: Diet Coke.