The First Gore-Bush Debate

Commission On Presidential Debates ^ | October 3, 2000 | None

[A.Hun]

MODERATOR: And now the first question as determined by a flip of a coin, it goes to Vice President Gore. Vice President Gore, you have questioned whether Governor Bush has the experience to be President of the United States. What exactly do you mean?

[A.Hun]

Reality check!

[NittanyLion]

GORE: We both use similar language to reach an exactly opposite outcome. I don't favor a litmus test, but I know that there are ways to assess how a potential justice interprets the Constitution. And in my view, the Constitution ought to be interpreted as a document that grows with our country and our history. And I believe, for example, that there is a right of privacy in the Fourth Amendment. And when the phrase a strict constructionist is used and when the names of Scalia and Thomas are used as the benchmarks for who would be appointed, those are code words, and nobody should mistake this, for saying the governor would appoint people who would overturn Roe v. Wade. It's very clear to me. I would appoint people that have a philosophy that I think will be quite likely would uphold Roe v. Wade.

Looks like poor ole' Al got himself worried over nothing.

[HHKrepublican_2]

I am being from west texas?

[Cboldt]

*bump*

[inquest]

The vice president and I have a disagreement about the use of troops. He believes in nation building. I would be very careful about using our troops as nation builders. I believe the role of the military is to fight and win war and therefore prevent war from happening in the first place.

Reality check, indeed.

[RWR8189]

I still love this:

BUSH: Look, this is a man who has great numbers. He talks about numbers. I'm beginning to think not only did he invent the Internet, but he invented the calculator. It's fuzzy math.

[Andy from Beaverton]

GORE: Now, I think we should be reluctant to get involved in someplace in a foreign country. But if our national security is at stake, if we have allies, if we've tried every other course, if we're sure military action will succeed, and if the costs are proportionate to the benefits, we should get involved. Now, just because we don't want to get involved everywhere doesn't mean we should back off anywhere it comes up. I disagree with the proposal that maybe only when oil supplies are at stake that our national security is at risk. I think that there are situations like in Bosnia or Kosovo where there's a genocide, where our national security is at stake there.

HA! Genocide in KosovO? We're still looking for the mass graves Mr. Gore. Where was our national security at risk in the Blakans???
Wrong war, wrong place, wrong enemy!

[savedbygrace]

As far as I can tell from searching high and low, Gore is the first one to use the phrase "in the mold of Scalia" WRT Bush's promised USSC nominations, using the phrase in a negative way.

President Bush instead promised to nominate sctrict constructionists. He also has praised both Scalia and Thomas. But I haven't found any instances where President Bush, even as Texas governor, used that phrase.

[A.Hun]

I thought it would be appropriate to remind people of exactly what George Bush said he would do, and what he has done.

[Siena Dreaming]

I remember Clinton claiming that hundreds of thousands were in mass graves.

I think every number that Clinton ever cited was inflated.

[Ol' Sparky]

On "Meet the Press" in 1999, the future President Bush said that the justices he most admired were Scalia and Thomas. Bush referred to Scalia during one of the nationally-televised debates as his favorite Supreme Court judge, and the kind he would nominate during his presidential tenure.

During a campaign speech, candidate Bush was very clear on the type of judge he would nominate if given the chance: "I'm going to name strict constructionists." Speaking with reporters after the speech, Bush defined a strict constructionist as a judge who "doesn't use the opportunity of the Constitution to pass legislation or legislate from the bench."

"That's going to be a big difference between my opponent and me," he said in a debate against Gore. "I don't believe in liberal, activist judges."

Someone that supports affirmative action, is linked to radical feminists Gloria Steinem and supports Title IX doesn't fulfill that promise.

[jess35]

Looks like poor ole' Al got himself worried over nothing.

And your evidence of this is.......?

[A.Hun]

Someone that supports affirmative action, is linked to radical feminists Gloria Steinem and supports Title IX doesn't fulfill that promise

Voltage spike today?

[halley]

very funny

[dead]

What about Dingell Norwood?

[A.Hun]

I had forgotten completely about it. Thanks.

[A.Hun]

Geez, what a disaster in the making that was!!

[HarleyLady27]

What are we doing reviewing algore? Wasn't this like 6 YEARS AGO?????

[A.Hun]

A lot of the things said on this forum the last week have been taken out of context.

I thought it might serve some purpose in reminding people how screwed up this nation was in 2000, and the fact that GWB has just about done exactly what he said he would do.

I am 48 years old, and I have never seen a President with that track record.

Read the whole thing through. Truly a blast from the past.

[ntnychik]

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