Gore on 20/20 tonight with Baba Wawa...mentions VP protests in 2000! WTG freepers!!

Excerpt from Barbara Walters interview with Al Gore and family, which airs tonight on 20/20 at 10:00 p.m. ET/9:00 p.m. CT (check your local listings).

The following exchanges, while sure to interest Note readers and historians, actually won't be part of tonight's 20/20 broadcast, so you can read them only here and now:

WALTERS: I'm not sure that people realize that while you were in the residence of the Vice President [during the Florida recount] there were crowds of people outside screaming at you. What was that all about?

AL GORE: Well, this was the Republican response to what was happening during that 36-day period, and they organized busloads of people that came and stood outside the house all day and all night screaming at the top of their lungs.

TIPPER GORE: Things like that, yes, and, and sometimes … things that we don't want to say on your program, and, some people saw that they were buses from "churches," but it was organized. The one thing that, that they did mainly was reach the bedrooms of our children, and Albert was still in school locally, and trying to study, so we rearranged, you know, they … kids moved to a different part of the house, and I was trying to think of a way that we could kind of laugh about this since obviously it was out of our control, there wasn't anything anybody could do so I got all the boom boxes in the house and … I remember sort of what the government did with Noriega … I thought we'd try that, and I aimed them at, toward, you know, where the crowd …

TIPPER GORE: … And I put nature sounds on and turned it all the way up. And at least the kids laughed.

AL GORE: There were a few, more than a few who supported us and were offended by the organized chanting round the clock who came out on the other street corner during the day to express their support with signs, and … You know, emotions were running high throughout the country and it was just an unprecedented time.

KARENNA GORE: Well, when we were in the Vice President's house during the recount, it was it was very intense. And one of the things I remember is that there was a … an organized effort by, I don't know whether it was the RNC or it was … it was right-wing groups, it was definitely Bush-campaign-oriented effort to bus in people to have a sort of siege at the Vice President's house, and, so, they were all lining there, screaming, and it was kind of an assortment of groups. I mean, some of them were anti, um, were anti-abortion groups, and some of them were pro-gun groups, and some of them … they all had their different signs. But they were all screaming, "Get out of Cheney's house," the whole time. And I just remember being there next to my dad, because I went for a run, and I ran back through them, and I was very upset when I came into the house. And my whole attitude was, like, "We've got to fight back harder. And where are our crowds?" And my dad, I'll never forget his response. He said, "We have to do what's best for the country, and it is not good for the country to have this kind of divisiveness. And he was on the phone, really calling off the dogs. There were people who wanted to fan the … the flames of the racial issue and have real unrest. And he was on the phone asking them not to, because of what was best for the country not because of what was best for him politically. And that's really who he is.

KRISTEN GORE: The crowds that were screaming outside our house, you know, "Get out of Cheney's house." And other things … of that nature, were really upsetting. It was difficult … It was just very … upsetting that someone would … yell those things at us. It felt … we felt sort of like … trapped in this … you know, little house with all these people yelling mean things. It's no fun. You know, whether you're a child of the person who they're directed at, or anyone else. It … it wasn't a good situation.

KRISTEN GORE: I was scared that the truth was not going to come out. That's what I was.

I get a real kick out of the bus thing. When abner and I went down to Massachusetts Ave, we were in a LeBaron Convertible, not a bus. Parking was difficult that day, not because of busses, I never saw one, but individual cars. These weren't extra Embassy cars, this was a weekend. These were private citizens, parking half a mile or more down and walking, bringing hand made signs, scrawled out that morning or the night before. How do I know? I asked them.

As we came up Massachusetts Avenue, a place I had never been, we approached a bend in the road and there were the supporters of Bush/Cheney, 150-200 yards of them. We got there fairly early, around 10 or so and saw no busses coming up the road. I did see Clinton in a prison outfit, does that count?

We also made signs in a sign shop and traded people shiny new signs for the hand made ones. One of the guys from the Norweigen Embassy begged us for a Sore/Loserman one for his office. He wasn't bussed either. Emphatic, excited, but not bussed.

We were there till almost sundown. During the day, my friend held the Cheaties sign for every foriegn camera you can imagine. No, not US. French, German, Japanese. I know because they would introduce themselves to him. He stood the corner the entire day, still no busses dropping off people.

I wandered through the crowd, talking to everybody I could. The kind of small talk that brings people together, since they didn't meet on a bus. "Hi, What brought you here?", "Is this what you expected?", that type of thing. People came from VA, MD, DE, PA. Nobody by bus, all independent singles, couples and families with kids. Is a Voyager or Astro Van a bus?

Here's the reply that really stuck with me. I asked why this one couple came out. They said, of course this is paraphrased "We feel so helpless. We have been watching the fiasco on TV and just don't know what else to do. Nobody hears how we really feel. The news reports the opinion as they think it is, and it isn't ours. We felt so helpless last night, we couldn't take it anymore and then heard about this going on. So we made signs, got in our car at 4:30 this morning (guess busses don't run that early), left PITTSBURG, and here we are. Now we feel like we are at least being heard and we are not alone." THAT'S RIGHT, PITTSBURG!! They told me they had never done anything like this, they were just so frustrated.

Oh, by the way, my friend with the Cheaties sign. He always laughed at abner and what she does. That was his same feeling that same night before and had to come with us, not in a bus.

About 3:30 pm, CNN reported from the news tent on the opposite corner (so they had a really good view) that the masses on both sides of the road were the same, about 50 people. Somebody went over to the press tent and complained. A guy from CNN said, "Sorry". I don't think he was. Gore supporters did number about 30 people, a four fold increase from the morning. The Bush side had now extended to about 400 yards down the road, took a right at the intersection and 50 yards down the side street. Not in single file fashion. The depth at the corner was at points 7-8 people deep. In all fairness, our side only doubled in size to around 400 plus people from when we arrived. So,percentage wise, the Gore side creamed us! And, in fairness, I never saw a bus for the Gore, either. Again, no busses!

As we left, with the sun setting, we put the top down to our non-bus and waved goodbye to the other side for a job well done. They flipped us off. I read later a group of supporters on that same corner assaulted a young boy, like twelve or thirteen years old, walking through the group with his family when he expressed his feelings. You know, it's about the children.....

As we drove away, we passed no busses.

"The Times They Are A'Changin'"
(To be sung to Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'")

Come gather round, Sheeple...in office and home...
And admit that corruption in DeeCee has grown!!
Then, demand that Slick's TREASON shall not be condoned!!
WE MUST FIGHT!! The Nation's worth savin'!!
Country, better stop sleepin' or yer souls Left will own...
Folks, the times they are a'changin'...

Come, blow-dried twit Networks who tyrannize with your "spin"...
EX-Prez'dent has spied...WE MUST NOW INDICT HIM!!
And CONVICT Bill's goons...then WE'LL IMPRISON SLICK!!
Yes, Limbaugh's sellin' TRUTH 'bout Slick's TREASON!!
Left's poltroons, y'know, we'll be FReepin' the Net!!
Press, the times they are a'changin'...

Come Senators, Congressmen, please heed our call...
Please stand up fer Justice...please tear down Slick's walls!!
Folks, watch how you vote...'cuz we're watchin' y'all!!
Battle fer hearts and minds rages...
We'll soon FReep yer meetings and shatter yer walls...
Pols, the times they are a'changin'...

Come mothers and fathers throughout the Land...
Look in yer kids' eyes...they are yer Scottish Clan...
Yer sons and yer daughters...look to you, MAKE YER STAND!!!
Left's Cold War has moved to this Nation!!
Please get out and help us...AIN'T PATRIOTISM GRAND?!!
Parents, the times they are a'changin'...

(Excellent harp jammin')

The line has been drawn...foundation's been cast!!
WE'LL GIT T-Mack NOW...THEN IMPRISON SLICK LAST!!
Welcome Prez'dent Bush...Ashcroft, get off yer A$$...
New World Order is rapidly fadin'!!
And the People's Power'll be returned at last...
Ohhh, the times they are a'changin'!!

FReegards...MUD

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