VICE PRESIDENT GORE And GOVERNOR BUSH Tell What They Would Do For Blacks

Ebony, Nov, 2000

THE first national election of the 21st century is the most important election (so far) of the 21st century and will almost certainly determine the shape of race relations in the United States for most, if not all, of this century. The composition of the Supreme Court and crucial federal courts, the widening gap between the haves and have-nots, the rising wave of hate crimes and racial profiling--all of these and other issues of life-and-death importance to African-Americans will be on the table when Americans go to the polls on November 7. It is critically important, therefore, for African-Americans to weigh the positions of the two presidential candidates and GO OUT AND VOTE! Toward that end, the editors of EBONY asked the two major presidential candidates to respond to 12 questions of vital concern to Black America. Both candidates were given the same set of questions, and both responded with answers that offer the campaign's first and perhaps only real debate on racial issues.

EBONY: Are you, optimistic or pessimistic about the future of race relations in America?

VICE PRESIDENT GORE: I am optimistic about the opportunities that lie before us. Mine is an optimism tempered by the knowledge borne of a hard history and a long struggle. I believe we can move forward. I want to work for an America where we banish discrimination and hatred not just from our laws, but from our hearts as well. I know that obstacles remain, and that is why as President, I would continue to work for tolerance, both through dialogue and through law. I believe that Americans are good people, and that collectively, we can build a future in which we recognize and respect each other's differences, and the strength that they bring to our nation.

GOVERNOR BUSH: I am an optimist, and I am especially optimistic about the prospect of the continued improvement of race relations in America. Unfortunately racism in America, despite all our progress, still exists. For my party, there's no escaping the reality that the Party of Lincoln has not always carried the "Mantle of Lincoln." Recognizing and confronting our history is important. Transcending our history is essential. We are not limited by what we have done or left undone. We are limited only by what we are willing to do. Our nation must make a new commitment to equality and upward mobility for all our citizens.

The purpose of our prosperity is to ensure that the American Dream touches every willing heart. We cannot afford to have an America segregated by class, by race or by aspiration. America must close the gap of hope between communities of prosperity and communities of poverty.

EBONY: The rise of White supremacist organizations and the persistence of hate crimes are evidence that racism and racial tension remain alive in America. As president, what would you do to help eradicate racism and heal the deep wounds left in its wake?

GOVERNOR BUSH: I do not tolerate prejudice or bigotry against any group. In 1997 I signed legislation to clarify and strengthen Texas' hate crime law. The best way to protect the innocent is the swift and sure punishment of all criminals. All violent crime is hate crime, and federal hate crime laws should be vigorously enforced. I also believe that the federal government should provide financial assistance to local jurisdictions that lack resources to adequately prosecute violent hate crimes. Those who practice intimidation and violence will have a determined enemy if I am elected President of the United States.

In Texas, there's a cemetery not far from the campus of Prairie View A&M University, one of Texas' historically black colleges and universities. It is hallowed ground. Not just because it is the final resting place for slaves who once worked the land, but because it is, as one student put it, "a reminder of how far we have come." We have come far as a society. We are not the same nation that buried the dreams and potential of so many men and women long before we buried their bodies. We are a better nation, a more generous nation, but we still are not the nation we could be or should be. We aspire to be a nation with no limits on what can be accomplished, with vast frontiers of opportunity. I want us to be a nation where the American Dream touches every willing heart, where justice and opportunity are joined, and where the people prize compassion and reconciliation and brave acts of decency.

VICE PRESIDENT GORE: Hate-crimes legislation must be toughened to protect all Americans. Crimes of hatred and ignorance are crimes against the very spirit of our nation. The Clinton-Gore administration passed the 1994 Crime Bill, which included the Hate Crimes Sentencing Enhancement Act, which increased the crackdown on hate crimes by about one-third. As President, I would urge Congress to pass the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which would permit the prosecution of these crimes under federal law. I believe we must continue both legal vigilance, and the dialogue that we have engaged in so far to end these acts of brutal intolerance.