[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 5 (Monday, January 31, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H70-H71]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES SHOULD RAISE CAMPAIGNS TO HIGHER LEVEL OF 
                              TRUTHFULNESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Scarborough) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SCARBOROUGH. Mr. Speaker, I know many Americans and also an awful 
lot of people in Washington, D.C., are focusing intently on what is 
going on in New Hampshire, not only tonight but over the past several 
weeks. We are obviously in the midst of a presidential primary season. 
It is very exciting to watch the democratic process playing itself out 
seeing who is going to be elected the next President of this great 
republic.
  It has not been too surprising to see the differences between the 
Republican and the Democratic Party. The Republicans obviously have 
five or six conservative candidates whose fight mainly centers around 
who wants to cut taxes more, who wants to cut the size and scope of 
this mammoth bureaucracy, who wants to spend less and promote greater 
freedoms for individuals across the country.
  Likewise, it is not a surprise that the Democratic primary has been 
consumed by battles, a left-wing battle for those swinging wildly for 
the most extreme elements of the Democratic left, whether it be in Iowa 
or New Hampshire.
  They are fighting for bigger government. They are fighting for higher 
taxes, fighting for Federal funding of abortion on demand, not only 
here but also across the globe, and they are also fighting for 
socializing medicine, the same schemes that were rejected in 1994 by 
Americans.
  Now, that is also not a surprise to most observers. But what is 
surprising, I think, to many observers have been the exploits of the 
Democratic front runner, Albert Gore. I say it is surprising because he 
has shown a remarkable disregard for telling the truth in his campaign 
battle against Senator Bradley.
  In the USA Today today, Walter Shapiro, who is a regular columnist 
who writes ``Hype and Glory,'' wrote this:
  ``To tell the truth, Al Gore is having trouble out there. There he 
goes again. Al Gore simply can't help himself. With his veracity 
challenged by Bill Bradley and questioned in recent news stories, Gore 
might have been expected to use his major campaign event Sunday to end 
the final weekend before the New Hampshire primary on a high note. 
Instead, the Vice President, stretching truth as if he were competing 
in a taffy pull, went after Bradley with the kind of rhetorical 
overkill that made . . . Ted Kennedy standing next to Gore seem like 
Caspar Milquetoast.''
  ``Speaking to both passionate supporters and still-wavering undecided 
voters, Gore dispensed with any pretense of subtlety in his new super-
hero role . . . Gore used the word `fight' . . . 44 times in roughly a 
20-minute speech . . . But what was the most stunning about the Gore 
speech was not the Rocky imagery, but unabashed and unashamed 
mendacity.''
  Shapiro goes on to say, ``Remember, Gore is the same candidate who 
insisted in Wednesday night's debate that, `There has never been a time 
in this campaign that I have said something that I know to be untrue.' 
'' Shapiro went on to say either Gore, ``in both his Gingrich and 
abortion comments, enjoys a very permissive definition of `untrue' or 
else his judgment is highly suspect if he actually believes his own 
over-the-top claims.''
  And I am quoting still from Shapiro in USA Today: ``The Boston Globe 
disclosed Friday that during Gore's stuttering presidential campaign in 
1988, his press secretary . . . warned the candidate in a memo, `Your 
main pitfall is exaggeration.' This character flaw, this relentless 
willingness to prevaricate and demonize his opponents, might have been 
barely excusable in a young Senator making a premature run for the 
White House. But,'' in the words of Shapiro, ``it is deeply troubling 
in a senior statesman who has served two terms as Vice President.''
  Walter Shapiro concludes by talking about how Bill Bradley has been 
trying to elevate the Democratic primary, whether one agrees with some 
of the most liberal tenets in his platform or not. ``But if politics is 
ever again to become a higher moral calling than, say, commodities 
trading or running a talent agency in Hollywood, then candidates must 
be held responsible for the tenor and the truthfulness of their 
campaigns. And that means you, Mr. Vice President.''
  Mr. Speaker, I have got to say, I was struck not only by the timing 
of this article, because I was absolutely

[[Page H71]]

stunned yesterday when Al Gore, campaigning in New Hampshire, 
criticized Bill Bradley for injecting Willie Horton into the New 
Hampshire primary, when all Mr. Bradley was saying was that it was Mr. 
Gore and not George Bush who injected Willie Horton into the campaign 
in 1988. And so then the Vice President turns around and attacks Bill 
Bradley for telling the American people who first introduced Americans 
to Willie Horton.
  Likewise, he criticized Mr. Bradley for hurting the pro-choice 
movement for pointing out the fact that Mr. Gore has been 
extraordinarily inconsistent on the issue of pro-choice. I certainly 
hope that he and all other candidates, Republicans and Democrats, can 
raise this campaign to a higher level.

                          ____________________