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Gore, Bradley spar over negative ads, health care in Manchester debate

By Ian Christopher McCaleb

January 27, 2000
Web posted at: 12:30 a.m. EST (0530 GMT)

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (CNN) -- Vice President Al Gore and former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley squared off Wednesday night in this snow-draped New Hampshire city, exchanging sharp barbs over the nature of their political advertisements, and over the characterizations of their competing proposals for universal health care.

The two took the stage at Manchester's WMUR TV broadcast center half an hour after the five remaining GOP candidates completed their earlier sparring match, to cap an unusual evening of stacked, pre-primary debates.

New Hampshire primary

New Hampshire's long anticipated first-in-the-nation presidential primary takes place this coming Tuesday.

But what a difference 30 minutes can make. Where the Republican debate was fraught with outbursts, snide sniping and some not-so-subtle critical innuendo, Gore and Bradley's one-hour under the hot glare of television studio spotlights was relatively calm, and their exchanges did not often stray from key issues.

Calm, however, doesn't necessarily mean not combative. Gore and Bradley traded sharp words over their advertising strategies, with Bradley saying outright that Gore has "lied" numerous times during their campaign for the Democratic nomination, and Gore responding that he has never engaged in any personal attacks against the former senator.

Bradley repeatedly slammed Gore for mischaracterizing the scope and effect of his proposal for universal health insurance, saying Gore's efforts to convince seniors that their prescriptions would be not be covered, and to convince Medicaid patients that they would lose their benefits, were "simply untrue."

The two issues have been inextricably intertwined for weeks, as the two engaged in several debates in Iowa and in the Granite State.

While Gore denied ever engaging in any intentionally negative advertising, he stuck to his point of attack on the Bradley health plan.

Gore
Vice President Al Gore  

"Change the plan," Gore said. "Don't shoot the messenger. Solve the problem."

"Nothing I have said in this campaign has been mean-spirited," Gore said. "Some people confuse free-spirited debate with negativity."

The effect of the Gore ads, Bradley insisted, was that they portrayed him as uncaring about the plight of the poor, the uninsured and current Medicaid patients. Bradley countered Gore, as he has in previous candidate forums, by saying that Medicaid would be replaced by a new coverage system whose percentage of assistance would be "weighted" based on the areas in which its recipients lived.

Gore, Bradley insisted, was instead paying lip service to the notion of universal healthcare.

"I'm not going to (put forward) a health plan that is not going to give the people of New Hampshire access to a variety of health plans," Bradley said, before addressing Gore head-on: "You've said tonight that you're for universal health insurance. Nothing in your plan would get us there.

"I was the first in this campaign to present a comprehensive health plan," Gore replied, again touting his endorsement by Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy.

"Senator Kennedy looked at both plans and said that mine was clearly the best to advance the concept of universal health care," Gore said.

The ghost of Willie Horton

The exchanges over negative ads grew considerably more testy when Gore mentioned the Bradley campaign's involvement in the production of a flyer that documented Gore's criticism during a 1988 campaign appearance of a Massachusetts prison furlough program that resulted in the temporary release of the infamous felon Willie Horton, who committed rape and murder while on leave.

Gore, who never mentioned Horton by name during that appearance, was criticizing then-Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, who was also running for the 1988 Democratic nomination. Dukakis was destroyed by Vice President George Bush in the general election. Bush had seized upon the Horton story, and used it to great effect against Dukakis.

The Bradley flyer was withdrawn quickly, and this campaign issued an apology.

"Sen. Bradley was the only one forced to offer an apology during this campaign. He brought Willie Horton into this campaign," Gore said.

Bradley
Former Sen. Bill Bradley  

"That flyer was immediately repudiated. When it comes to negative advertising, that flyer was like a gnat compared to an elephant. You're the elephant of negative advertising," Bradley said to Gore.

Bradley stayed in attack mode for the rest of the evening.

He slammed Gore's congressional voting record on abortion-related issues, saying Gore voted "pro-life" 84 percent of the time when he was in the House and the Senate.

"People evolve, but you should not go around saying you believe in a woman's right to choose," Bradley said.

"I have always believed in a woman's right to choose, and as president, I will work to protect a womanÕs right to choose," Gore replied.

Gore said as president, he would found a "fresh, new" administration, when asked about incidence of "Clinton fatigue" among members of the voting public.

"People are tired of this discussion of the president's personal mistake," Gore said, but adding, "I think he has been a great president."

And, in an odd turn, Bradley was asked by a panel moderator if he had ever "cried in victory or defeat" during his years with the National Basketball Association's New York Knicks.

He responded that he had never cried in basketball, but the plight one New Hampshire mother struggling with health care costs brought tears to his eyes last week.

"Elbows and blows are exchanged in basketball," Bradley said, "but that is part of the game. Politics is different. Politics is something that should be higher."

VIDEO
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VideoDemocratic presidential debate - Part 3
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VideoDemocratic presidential debate - Part 4
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ELECTION 2000

Presidential campaign moves to New Hampshire (1-25-00)

Tracking poll: McCain, Gore remain on top in New Hampshire (1-25-00)

Aides: Hatch to quit GOP presidential race (1-25-00)

Precinct 38 Republicans debate who's 'electable' (1-25-00)

Iowa Democrats in Precinct 38 reflect larger Gore-Bradley contest (1-25-00)

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