Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Gore Says He Feels Mood Shifting Toward Democrats

Gore, in his second campaign stop in Arizona this year, said Arizona voters no longer are tightly bound by party affiliation but rather "make a careful judgment based on policies and proposals."

And Republican extremists are helping convince increasing numbers of voters to back Clinton, Gore added during Tuesday's visit that included a Democratic Party fund-raiser.

Recent polls have shown Clinton in a dead heat with the likely Republican nominee, Senate Majority leader Bob Dole of Kansas. A Behavior Research Center survey released last week also said Clinton's job ratings continue to rise in Arizona.

In 1992, when Clinton made no special push in Arizona, he lost the state by only 2 percentage points to then-President George Bush in a three-way race that included independent candidate Ross Perot.

"We believe we can and will carry Arizona, and we will be campaigning very hard here," Gore said.

Gore also attacked the Republican freshmen in Congress, centering on Arizona Rep. J.D. Hayworth.

Gore said the "V-chip," an electronic device that would enable parents to block violent and sexual TV programs, would have been "one of the most important breakthroughs for protecting families and promoting traditional values that we've had since the dawn of the television age."

And Hayworth led opposition to an amendment to a telecommunications bill that would have required installing the chip in all new TV sets, Gore pointed out.

Hayworth read a satiric list of consequences of approving the bill, including "provides jobs for unemployed federal bureaucrats."

Steve Owens, who once served as a director of Gore's Tennessee Senate office and played a major role in the Gore-Clinton campaign, is running against Hayworth. Owens also is a former chairman of the state Democratic Party.

Earlier Tuesday, Gore spoke at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas, where he suggested posting stations' public records on the Internet to make it easier for parents to get information about programs aired by their local stations.

He went on to New Mexico, where he fielded questions from a gathering of 5th-graders.

"Is it hard being the vice president?" a 10-year-old named Philip asked Gore.

"Umm, right now it is," said Gore.

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