Kerrey lends support i
Former N.J senator’s presidential hopes get lift
By Brian Carlson
Staff writer
OMAHA - Bill Bradley’s long
shot campaign to steal the 2000
Democratic presidential nomination
from Vice President A1 Gore got a
boost Monday with an endorsement
by Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb.
Bradley, a former three-term sen
ator from New Jersey, joined Kerrey
in Omaha for an early-morning boat
ride up the Missouri River, then
flipped pancakes with Kerrey at a
political event at Plumbers Hall.
Kerrey told the crowded hall his
endorsement was based on his friend
ship with the former Senate colleague
and his confidence in Bradley’s abili
ty to lead on important issues from
Russia to race relations.
Bradley welcomed Kerrey’s
endorsement, noting that the senator’s
support could help him in neighbor
ing Iowa, site of the first presidential
caucuses early next year.
“Bob Kerrey will be a central per
son in everything I do because of the
kind of person he is and the kind of
leader he is,” Bradley said. “That’s
r"1 11 —
wny uns is a very Dig day tor tnis
campaign.”
In 1992, Kerrey accompanied
Bradley on a trip to die former Soviet
Union to survey the economic and
environmental conditions left by 70
years of communist rale. Kerrey said
he was impressed by Bradley’s under
standing of the issues facing the new
Russia.
On other issues such as children’s
health, breast cancer treatment avail
ability and race relations, Bradley has
proven that he has the intelligence
and integrity to lead, Kerrey said.
“That is why I’m taking the step
this morning to endorse Bill
Bradley’s candidacy for president of
the United States,” he said, receiving
enthusiastic applause from the crowd
of Democratic Party supporters.
But Kerrey, often a critic of the
Clinton administration, said he was
not endorsing Bradley to spite Gore.
“I’m not here as a consequence of
my dislike for Vice President Gore,”
he said. “This is a difficult choice for
me. But my difficulty is a blessing in
my judgment. I believe the
Democratic Party will have two out
standing candidates from which to
choose.
At a press conference later,
Kerrey said while Gore also would
make a strong leader, he favored
Bradley’s vision for the country.
“It’s not so much the kind of
leader, it’s the issues he wants to lead
on,” he said.
Bradley, who had a 10-year, hall
of-fame career in the NBA with the
New York Knickerbockers, touched
on several issues in Omaha, laying
out a broad vision while holding back
on specific proposals for now.
A weekend string of racially moti
vated shootings in Illinois that left
two dead and seven wounded shows
that the country still must work to
bridge its racial divide, Bradley said.
“There is no room for hate in
America,” he said.
Bradley said a goal of improved
race relations would be a centerpiece
of his presidency.
“If I‘m president, in order to
please the boss, the one thing you’ll
have to show is how in your life, your
business and your community, you
have promoted racial harmony,” he
said. “I would try to deal with this
issue not just on a legislative level,
■
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Page 8 i Daily Nebraskan Summer Edition ■ Thursday, July 8,1999
«
It’s not so much the
t
kind of leader,
it’s the issues
he wants to
lead on.”
Sen. Bob Kerrey
. D-Neb.
but on a spiritual level.”
Bradley said he wanted to search
for ways to expand health care cover
age to the 44 million Americans who
now lack health insurance.
He also said he would like to pre
side over “a country at peace, with
growing respect for countries around
die world, with protection of the nat
ural environment and a growing
economy that takes everybody in this
country along with it”
One issue that pitted Kerrey and
Bradley on opposite sides during
their days in the Senate was federal
subsidies for ethanol. As a New
Jersey senator, Bradley opposed
ethanol support, arguing it was eco
nomically inefficient and against his
state’s interests.
Now that he is a presidential can
didate, Bradley said he has changed
his view. He said ethanol support
should continue now because it pro
vides much-needed help for farmers
caught in an agriculture crisis.
Kerrey considered a presidential
bid of his own, but he announced last
December he would not run. He said
Monday he did not regret that deci
sion.
The senator did not rule out the
possibility of being Bradley’s running
mate, but he said that would be
unlikely. It would be difficult to run
for re-election to the Senate in
Nebraska while seeking the vice pres
idency at the same time, he said.
“I would not say it’s impossible,
but boy, it feels awfully close to it,” he
said.
Bradley said Kerrey would be
well qualified to be vice president,
but he said he would worry first about
securing the nomination.
Later Monday, Kerrey accompa
nied Bradley to Des Moines for
another political event.
“It doesn’t get any better than
this,” Bradley said of Kerrey’?
endorsement.
Rahzel \#
“Make the Music 2000”
MCA Records
Grade: C+
Most people know Rahzel as that guy in The Roots who can make those
funky sounds with his mouth. With the release of “Make the Music 2000,”
Rahzel looks to prove he’s the best human beat box today.
Since Rahzel’s calling is to lay down some nice beats and crazy sounds on
tracks, he has enlisted some famous vocalists on “Make the Music 2000.”
Former A Tribe Called Quest member Q-Tip, The Roots bandmate Black
Thought and Erykah Badu all lend their friend a hand on his first solo effort.
The album opens with a live track, “Make Music 2000.” On the song,
Rahzel is simply amazing. He lays down the beats, scratches and other sound
effects with his voice, and sometimes it seems that a human shouldn’t be able
to make such sounds.
However, Rahzel isn’t some token freak show who can make some' cool
noises which could ruin a nice flowing track. For many songs on “Make the
Music 2000,” Rahzel is the track. Without some of his consistent groundwork,
many of the songs are wouldn’t be very memorable.
The best songs are “To The Beat” featuring Q-Tip and “Night Riders”
with Slick Rick. The use of talented rappers such as these two in conjuction
with Rahzel is the reason someone would buy this record, and these songs are
the class of the album.
Another solid track is “All I Know.” Pete Rock raps while Rahzel adds a
nicely choppy chorus. Unfortunately, Pete Rock saw the song as a way to get
back at the members of De La Soul, who cracked on him in their latest release,
“Stakes is High.”
De La Soul was originally slotted to appear on the record but was left off.
Maybe the classic rap act decided it didn’t want to be the first group to get
attacked on an album in which it performs.
It is unfortunate, because De La Soul could have added some more raps
instead of some of the R&B that brings the record down. Rahzel looks to cross
more genres than he does with The Roots, but songs such as “I Can’t Stop”
and “Sugar Sista” feature so many poor R&B interludes that the entire track
is ruined.
This doesn’t pertain to Erykah Badu’s soulful song “Southern Girl.” The
track is the sole R&B that works.
In all, the album is a nice collage of Rahzel and friends showing what they
can do. The major problem is the record fits together like a collage, with some
pieces that certainly seem out of place.
—PatrifkMiner
