Senator Albert Gore, Sr.: Tennessee Maverick

Epilogue

EPILOGUE EVEN AFTER HIS DEATH , Senator Gore continued to exert influence on American political life through his son. Rep. Bob Clement (D-TN) recalled that Gore had told him: "Bob, I want to live to see the day when my son is elected president of the United States." "He really fought hard to stay alive," Clement noted.1 Had he lived two more years, he would have enjoyed the scene on August 17, 2000, at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. With the party faithful watching, Al Gore entered the hall. Amid popping flashbulbs, the glare of thousands of lights, and the backdrop of red, white, and blue, he made his way to the platform. There, he greeted Tipper with a passionate kiss and proceeded to the microphone. In his acceptance address, his father's presence was obvious. Al paid tribute to his parents several times, noting Pauline's presence in the crowd. "I grew up in a wonderful family. I have a lot to be thankful for. And the greatest gift my parents gave me was love." He emphasized that his family foundation gave him security and that the example of sixty-one years of marriage was a model for everyone. "My parents taught me that the real values in life aren't material but spiritual. They include faith and family, duty and honor . . . and trying to make the world a better place."2 One section of his speech focused exclusively on his father. Al talked about the man from Possum Hollow who became a teacher in a one-room schoolroom when only eighteen. Noting that his father always talked with him and Nancy about seeing the ravages on families during the Great Depression, Gore stressed: "My father didn't know whether he could help those families, but he believed he had to try. And never in the years to come, in Congress and in the United States Senate, did he lose sight of the reason he entered public service: to fight for the people, not the powerful."3 Throughout the speech, echoes of Albert Gore resonated in his son's voice.4 He praised public education, called for investment in health care, promoted campaign finance reform, and pushed for middle-class tax cuts. He attacked the powerful corporations, roaring, "Big tobacco, big oil, big polluters, the pharmaceutical companies, the HMOs—sometimes you have to be willing to stand up 271 and sayno, so families can have a better life." In concluding he stressed that "in this City of Angels, we can summon the better angels of our nature. Do not rest where we are or retreat, do all we can to make America all it can become."5 After the convention, Gore hit the campaign trail. The fall campaign was especially tough. Gore's advantages included a strong economy and some successes during Clinton's second term. Still, he faced a significant number of obstacles . President Clinton's ethical lapses had created animosity toward the Democrats, especially among the middle class. His opponent, George W. Bush, had a massive campaign war chest that dwarfed the money available to Gore. The Republicans also were extremely aggressive in their attacks, even focusing on Albert Gore and his relationship with Armand Hammer and votes against the Civil Rights Act of ipd^..6 Furthermore, Gore had his own challenges of showing his warm and giving private side and contrasting that with his cautious and stiff public persona. He ran neck-and-neck with the Texas governor right through election day. Throughout the campaign, Pauline remained active. Emmett Edwards, a member of Gore's Tennessee campaign election staff, told how Pauline made significant efforts to mobilize African Americans in Memphis. She gathered names, addresses, and phone numbers so that staffers could invite important members of the community, especially ministers, to luncheons and other gatherings . He characterized the eighty-nine-year-old as possessing such a "positive attitude" and an ability to "wave the flag." Every time he talked to her, he walked away with a new exuberance and energy to push harder and further for the vice president.7 On election day, the results poured in from across the country. Gore won the popular vote by more than 500,000 votes and only needed one electoral vote to take the presidency. But voting irregularities in Florida threw the election into disarray. In the state run by Governor Jeb Bush, brother of Gore's opponent , a challenge had occurred. While exit polls showed...