Politics

In Search Of Contrast

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

January 17, 2000 / 1:50 PM EST / CBS

Ahead of next week's Iowa caucuses, both Vice President Gore and former Senator Bradley need to win over undecided Democrats - and show them why, in this good-time economy, people should bother to vote for either of them.

On Monday, both got the chance to showcase their progressive ideas on racial harmony. If they voiced similar themes, then, observers say, at least they were both in their element at the Black and Brown Forum, an event designed to give minority Iowans a chance to ask the candidates about race.

"Here are two very experienced politicians when it comes to race relations. These are leaders for whom this issue is second nature," Boston Globe political observer Tom Oliphant told the CBS News Early Show Tuesday. "We see each man at his best here and that was the point for them in this debate."

Coming at the end of Martin Luther King Day, and in the midst of a controversy about the Confederate flag in South Carolina, the forum gave each candidate a chance to preach to the choir, reports CBSNews.com's Sarah Morton. They were also afforded the chance to hammer their Republican counterparts, many of whom have waffled on issues of race.

Al Gore, Race-Baiter
The vice president uses a time-honored strategy of scaring voters under the big tent

Monday night, Gore and Bradley took only questions connected in some way with race. On 13 of 17 questions, the two candidates fundamentally agreed. On three more, they substantially agreed while differing on details. The evening was punctuated with remarks like: "I agree with Al on that," and "I don't disagree with anything Bill said on that."

The one question that generated some pyrotechnics between the two came in the contentious area of racial profiling. Initially, it appeared the two would be in agreement in this area, with both saying they were absolutely against it. Gore and Badley both added that, as president, they'd sign an executive order ending the practice. That was safe and garnered cheers. But then Bradley challenged Gore for an explanation as to why such an order hasn't been signed in the Clinton Administration.

"We have a president now," said Bradley. "You serve with him. I want you to walk down that hallway, walk into his office, and say, 'Sign this executive order today.'" That was met with perhaps the most enthusiastic burst of applause all evening.

Gore returned nicely, playing off President Clinton's enormous popularity among African-Americans; a popularity that has translated into a 63 percent to 20 percent lead for Gore over Bradley among African-Americans.

"I don't think President Bill Clinton needs a lecture from Bill Bradley about how to stand up and fight for African-Americans and Latinos in this country," Gore shot back. The audience loved that too.

On the scene in Iowa, CBS News correspondent Bob Fuss observes that, while the fight for minority votes won't make much difference in the Iowa Caucuses next Monday or even in New Hampshire a week later, black and Latino voters can be critical in some of the big democratic primaries to follow. Florida, California, and New York especially have strong minority voices. Early support on issues of racial harmony are seen as key ahead of bigger primaries to come.

To that end, the evening also featured strong pronouncements from the candidates in favor of affirmative action, cautious acceptance of the Reverend Al Sharpton's political gravity in New York, and high-flown statements about their qualifications for leading a diverse nation.