Gore’s Class Act Gives Him a Post-Convention Lead
September 28, 2000
Convention bounce? Al Gore has been shot out of his Clinton-imposed obscurity like a man out of a cannon. In this circus, he’s no longer the side show. He’s hurtled to the lead or near lead in almost all major polls, erasing a deficit that was as much as 14 points in Bush’s favor. One poll (ABC/Washington Post) now puts Gore ahead by as much as 5 points.
People had predicted some kind of post-convention movement. That’s normal, but this was a raging leap, more than the traditional after-spurt. And somewhere there must be a political strategist trying to bottle whatever it was that made Gore look like an Asian American doing a power-slam over Shaquille O’Neal.
Fans of obscure pre-season basketball magazines, the kind that feature Dick Vitale and hail the likes of Chicago State in the Mid-Continent Conference, know that Gore’s feat is more than the result of training in some springy clod-hoppers that improve vertical leap.
And this should concern all Asian Americans.
Gore did it by carving out a new center for centrists. And guess what? Ethnicity doesn’t mean what it used to mean.
It was all orchestrated at the convention. After almost eight years of deferral, of being the Ed McMahon for the Clinton administration, every one wondered if Gore could stand on his own two feet, in his own spotlight, and register a blip on voters’ radar.
Most were prepared to see Clinton the sequel. “It’s the Economy Stupid: Part II.”
Surprise.
Beginning with the lip smacking he gave his wife, Tipper, Gore was his own man. Imagine that-a man who dares to kiss his wife of over 20 years. But guess what? When he set his tongue for talking, Gore didn’t go to the center to the acknowledged sweet spot of politics. He took sides.
And the new definition is an Al “for the people.” Al, “The Working Man.”
He’s not G.W.’s silver spoon. Gore’s pick-axe and shovel.
“This election is not an award for past performance,” Gore said. “I’m not asking you to vote for me on the basis of the economy we have. “Tonight, I ask for your support on the basis of the better, fairer, more prosperous America we can build together …
“Let’s make sure that our prosperity enriches not just the few, but all working families. Let’s invest in health care, education, a secure retirement and middle-class tax cuts.”
Gore went on: “So often, powerful forces and interests stand in your way, and the odds seemed stacked against you—even as you do what’s right for you and your family … That’s the difference in this election,” Gore said. “They’re for the powerful, and we’re for the people.”
I wonder how all those big corporate donors felt right about then? Do you think one of those protesters outside the Staples Center got to the Tele-E-Prompter guys and switched the speech? By comparison, Clinton on the convention’s first day was typically “New Democrat,” which is to say, somewhat Republican. He even adopted a phrase from the republicans by asking the question: “Are you better off now than you were eight years ago?”
Clinton presumed an all-inclusive yes. But if you answered, “just barely,” Gore stood for you. It’s the class battle: rich vs. poor. Gore strategists are reportedly targeting a new kind of swing voter: the non-college educated, working white female who’s making ends meet, but just barely.
It’s not the relaxed soccer mom of the past, the presentable cover-girl, latte in hand, driving the mini-van. It’s the harried soccer mom trying to figure out how she’s going to get her three kids to three different practices—and piano lessons. And wondering how she’s going to pay for all that and braces.
To the degree that’s us, we’ll be the focus of the rest of the campaign.
Sure, affirmative action, and the need for a hate crimes law comes up in stump speeches. Gore even mentioned Joseph Ileto, the Filipino American postal worker killed by the accused racist Buford Furrow, Jr. a year ago this month. That will win him some Filipino American voters.
But what Gore has done is not-so subtly make election 2000 politics color-blind. In an election where Latino voters had been called the “new soccer moms,” we’re now in a generic pile, lead by the non-college educated white female.
It also signifies a major shift that civil rights activists have been fighting for the last decade. Is it all about race or class? If class wins out and race isn’t nearly as important anymore, expect our issues to go through a major change, from affirmative action on down. Dr. King’s utopian vision may have been for color-blindness, but class has always seemed to offer only short-term remedies. When activists honored the anniversary of Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech last weekend in Washington, the issue was racial profiling. If class offers remedy and solution, then why do blacks and browns driving Mercedes attract equal suspicion by police? Class has its limitations.
But for Gore’s purposes, it’s perfect. It gives him a new center, and it lumps all us troubled souls into the hierarchy of dollars and cents. He doesn’t have to pay too close attention to any of us “ethnics.” Besides he has us all. The latest Field Poll in California showed Gore with a 40 point lead over Bush among Latinos, a 70 point lead among African Americans, and a small 7 point lead among Asian Americans. For years the complaint has been that we’ve been taken for granted. Will that be even more prevalent now? Just one of those things to ponder about. When “class” is king, it creates a subtle but noticeable shift in America’s identity politics. It’s not about the color of your skin anymore. It’s about the size of your wallet.
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