Democrat Debate in Des Moines, Iowa: on Civil Rights
Al Gore:
Confederate flag divides-remove it, but no boycott
Q: Do you support the NAACP’s boycott of of South Carolina until the Confederate flag is removed from their Statehouse? A: The Confederate battle flag divides America. It stands as a hurtful symbol to millions because it recalls the pain of slavery. It
should be removed from the SC State Capitol building & from any government institution so as to make them welcoming to all. I do not think a president should ever boycott an individual state [but] we need to bring the Confederate flag down.
Source: Democrat Debate in Des Moines, Iowa
Al Gore:
Ban racial profiling by Executive Order
Q: In Oneonta, NY, an elderly white woman was attacked in her home. She only saw one of his hands. The police went and questioned every single African-American man in town, old, young, middle aged, bald. Comments? A: On the first day of a Gore
presidency, I would issue an executive order to ban racial profiling. And the first civil rights bill introduced from the White House of the year 2001 would be a bill outlawing racial profiling. There’s a lot of pain out there in this country on the
part of Latinos and Asian-Americans who feel as if they have been singled out unfairly and sometimes in a very harsh way because of the way they look. That is unacceptable. We need more community police officers, more contacts between officers walking
the beat and the leaders in each community. And we need more diverse police departments with African-Americans and Latinos and others represented fully on the police force so the police force understands the community well.
Source: Democrat Debate in Des Moines, Iowa
Al Gore:
Latinos considered for Supreme Court, but no pledge
Q: Will you take a pledge that you will appoint a Hispanic to the Supreme Court? A: I’m going to avoid listing names of people to appoint, because I’m not going to get ahead of myself. I’m fighting to get the Democratic nomination. [However], If I am
entrusted with the presidency, I will make appointments and nominations that fully reflect the diversity of our country to the Supreme Court as well as to the Cabinet, and that includes Latinos, yes.
Source: Democrat Debate in Des Moines, Iowa
Al Gore:
Review disenfranchisement of felons but keep concept
Q: The 14th Amendment allows the states to disenfranchise convicted felons. As a result, 1.4 million African-American males are unable to vote. Comments? A: The principle that convicted felons do not have a right to vote is an old one. The definition of
what kind of crimes automatically fall in the category that triggers that exclusion from the franchise could well benefit from a fresh review. [But I support] the established principle heinous crimes should result in a disenfranchisement.
Source: Democrat Debate in Des Moines, Iowa
Al Gore:
Civil rights and affirmative action on top of agenda
Q: How important would Civil Rights laws be in your administration? A: I believe that we need vigorous enforcement of the civil rights laws.. Bring our people together with affirmative action, civil rights enforcement
and with leadership to put civil rights right at the top of our national agenda.
Source: Democrat Debate in Des Moines, Iowa
Al Gore:
More minorities in government to reflect America
Q: Will you appoint minorities to high offices? A: We have been one of the most successful administrations in history, bringing about the strongest economy in history, not in spite of diversity, but because of diversity. I will seek to break that record
not only because it’s fair & right to have a government that looks like America, but because it is the best way to have a government that works well for America, that understands the challenges and sees the opportunities in every single community.
Source: Democrat Debate in Des Moines, Iowa
Al Gore:
Expand laws for gays but don’t re-open Civil Rights Act
Q: How will Senator Bradley’s proposal to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include gay and lesbian Americans impact the civil rights of racial, religious and other minorities?
GORE: The leaders of civil rights groups & most gay and lesbian rights
groups believe that it is not wise to open up the 1964 Civil Rights Bill in the Republican congress to a process that could lead to it being seriously damaged and even lost. Virtually all of them have followed the leadership of Congressman Barney Frank
in supporting the employment nondiscrimination act as a way to get right to the heart of the problem.
BRADLEY: When there is discrimination, you address it with the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
would I send such a piece of legislation to the congress if I’d thought the 1964 Civil Rights Act was going to be opened up? Absolutely not.
Source: Democrat Debate in Des Moines, Iowa
Al Gore:
Ideas & ideals bind different races together
We are bound together, not by any common ethnicity or race or language or national origin. We are bound together by a set of ideas and ideals. Even our founders underestimated the spiritual power of the words they gave us. Otherwise they would have
freed their slaves and given women the right to vote as well as African-Americans and Latinos. But in our generation we have been privileged to stand on their shoulders and expand the circle of human dignity.
Source: Democrat Debate in Des Moines, Iowa
Bill Bradley:
Include gays in Civil Rights Act
Q: How will Senator Bradley’s proposal to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include gay and lesbian Americans impact the civil rights of racial, religious and other minorities?
GORE: The leaders of civil rights groups & most gay and lesbian rights
groups believe that it is not wise to open up the 1964 Civil Rights Bill in the Republican congress to a process that could lead to it being seriously damaged and even lost. Virtually all of them have followed the leadership of Congressman Barney Frank
in supporting the employment nondiscrimination act as a way to get right to the heart of the problem.
BRADLEY: When there is discrimination, you address it with the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
would I send such a piece of legislation to the congress if I’d thought the 1964 Civil Rights Act was going to be opened up? Absolutely not.
Source: (X-ref from Gore) Democrat Debate in Des Moines, Iowa
Bill Bradley:
Pull down Confederate flag immediately
Q: Do you support the NAACP’s boycott of of South Carolina until the Confederate flag is removed from their Statehouse? A: I’d pull it down today. I think it should be withdrawn absolutely. I think it’s an offense to our common humanity and it is not the
future of this country. If we’re going to make progress on race in America, we have to change the conditions of discrimination and poverty and we have to change our hearts so that we can bring everybody along as our brother or sister.
Source: Democrat Debate in Des Moines, Iowa
Bill Bradley:
Affirmative action battles subtle racism
Q: Where do you rank affirmative action when it comes to any one you might have the chance to nominate to sit on the Supreme Court? A: I could never appoint anybody to the Supreme Court that I thought might turn the clock back on civil rights. I
think of affirmative action & how overblown the criticism is. It’s the best of what America is. I think that we’ve made progress. But I think now things are a little more subtle. It’s not the school door being shut.
It’s not the overt prohibition of going into a hotel. What it is now is you can’t go to a bank and get a loan. [It’s] the digital divide; [and it’s] doctors who won’t accept
Medicaid payments. There’s a long way to go and until we get to that day we still need affirmative action.
Source: Democrat Debate in Des Moines, Iowa
Bill Bradley:
End racial profiling by Executive Order
Q: In Oneonta, NY, an elderly white woman was attacked in her home. She only saw one of his hands. The police went and questioned every single African-American man in town, old, young, middle aged, bald. Comments? A: I do not agree with it. We all know
what driving while black is. This is breathing while black.... Racial profiling is particularly pernicious because we’re talking about people who pay their taxes, work hard, abide by the rules and they are plucked out because of our inability to see
beneath skin color or eye shape or ethnicity in this country and stopped on a regular basis. If I were president, I would put an executive order in immediately that would end racial profiling in the federal government. I would work to get local
police departments to keep data to be able to demonstrate that there was racial profiling. And then I’d sic the Justice Department after them to make sure they were going to abide by the law in which no racial profiling.
Source: Democrat Debate in Des Moines, Iowa
Bill Bradley:
Latinos should be on Supreme Court, but no commitment
Q: Will you take a pledge that you will appoint a Hispanic to the Supreme Court? A: One of the most exciting things taking place is the tremendous burgeoning, enthusiasm and optimism and confidence in Latino America, because they see that their futures
can be realized through the political system of this country. That means that they should be appointed at the highest levels of our government and that includes the Supreme Court. No commitment today, but commitment that there are many who could.
Source: Democrat Debate in Des Moines, Iowa
Bill Bradley:
Rescind disenfranchisement if released felons keep straight
Q: The 14th Amendment allows the states to disenfranchise convicted felons. As a result, 1.4 million African-American males are unable to vote. Comments? A: There’s not question there’s unequal justice & that a generation of young African-American
males are ending up in prison, in large part for nonviolent, first-time drug offenses. If someone is in on a nonviolent offense is able to go straight for 2 or 3 years, that person ought to be able to wipe his record clean and start the day anew.
Source: Democrat Debate in Des Moines, Iowa
Bill Bradley:
Diversity creates the best Administration
Q: Will you appoint minorities to high offices? A: Absolutely. [My] administration will reflect the diversity of the country for one common-sense reason, because that would be the best administration. I have always had advisers at the highest level who
were African-American, who were Latino, who were Asian-Americans. I did that because I thought that made me a better leader. And besides, there are a lot of people out there with a great talent that need to be given that chance to serve their country.
Source: Democrat Debate in Des Moines, Iowa
Bill Bradley:
I’ve seen racism, and it must end
I made my living for 10 years paying professional basketball, traveling with a predominantly African-American group around the country. one of the things I learned is how much I will never know about what it is to be African-American in this country.
But I saw some things that offended me. And I want people to know that I see things but you feel them. And discrimination is still there, racism is still there. And because I know and I see, I might not know as well as you, but I do know it has to end.
Source: Democrat Debate in Des Moines, Iowa
The above quotations are from Democrat Debate in Des Moines IA, Jan. 17, 2000.
Click here for definitions & background information on Civil Rights.
Click here for more quotes by Al Gore on Civil Rights.
Click here for more quotes by Bill Bradley on Civil Rights.
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