Gore, Bradley tout policy of racial change
DEMOCRATS from page 1
would be attached to the health care
they get,” he said.
Gore said that reminded him of “a
guy whose feet are on a block of ice,
and his head is in the oven, and on a
weighted average, he’d be comfort
able.”
The evening’s sharpest exchange
came on the issue of racial profiling,
when police use race and other charac
teristics as a basis to stop and question
people.
When Gore said that as president
he would order an end to racial profil
ing, Bradley challenged the vice presi
dent.
“We have a president now, and you
serve him,” he said. “I want you to walk
down the hall, walk into his office and
say, ‘Sign that executive order.’”
Through loud applause from the
audience, Gore, who has rarely men
tioned President Clinton during the
campaign, responded.
“I don’t think Bill Clinton needs a
lecture from Bill Bradley on how to
stand up for African-Americans and
Latinos,” he said to an equally positive
response.
Gore also said that while in the
Senate, Bradley failed to help the
mayor of a New Jersey city who sought
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federal action against racial profiling.
Bradley and Gore agreed on a num
ber of issues. Both stated their strong
support for affirmative action pro
grams, agreed to appoint many minori
ties and women to cabinet positions
and other government jobs and called
for South Carolina to stop flying the
Confederate flag atop its Statehouse.
Both candidates sought to show
their past accomplishments demon
strated a commitment to civil rights.
Bradley, who played basketball for
10 seasons with the NBA’s New York
Knicks, said his experiences with black
teammates had taught him respect and
tolerance.
“I learned more from them than
they ever learned from me,” said
Bradley, who spoke to reporters after
the debate along with legendary
Boston Celtic Bill Russell. “I learned
there were many things I would never
know about what it’s like to be an
African-American.”
He condemned the recent com
ments by Atlanta Braves relief pitcher
John Rocker, who made critical public
remarks about minorities, women and
gays. Rocker should be suspended or
fired, Bradley said.
Gore also condemned Rocker’s
remarks but said he was encouraged by
Rocker’s recent meeting with Hall-of
Famer Hank Aaron and former Atlanta
Mayor Andrew Young, both of whom
are black.
“If he has more meetings like this,
he’s going to be on the road toward the
forgiveness he eventually needs to
receive,” he said. “Part of Martin
Luther King Jr.’s message was to love
your enemies and plant the seeds of
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^ We have a long way to go, and until
we get to that day, we still need
affirmative action.
reconciliation in your heart.”
As for his record, Gore took credit
for supporting affirmative action and
proposing a comprehensive education
plan to save failing schools. He also
said school voucher programs would
hurt public schools, and he criticized
Bradley for his support of vouchers
while in the Senate.
Bradley said he supported experi
mentation with vouchers while in the
Senate but no longer supports the idea.
The candidates disagreed about the
use of the 1964 Civil Rights Act to
expand civil rights for gays.
Gore supports expanding those
rights, but he favors using legislation
separate from the Civil Rights Act. If
the act were open for debate in the
Republican-controlled Congress, he
said, crucial provisions protecting civil
rights for minorities could be altered, or
even lost.
Bradley disagreed, saying the Civil
Rights Act should be used to protect the
civil rights of gays. He added, however,
that he would not send the act to
Congress if it appeared its original pur
poses would be altered.
As for Supreme Court appoint
ments, Gore said he would appoint
judges like Thurgood Marshall, who
believed the Constitution is a “living
Bill Bradley
Democratic presidential candidate
and breathing” document. Bradley said
he would appoint no justice who would
“roll back die clock on civil rights.”
Bradley and Gore also agreed that
the criminal justice system discrimi
nates against minorities.
Bradley said the sentencing gap
between crack and cocaine offenders
should be narrowed. Gore said law
enforcement and sentencing should be
reviewed to ensure fairness.
Bradley said the country has made
progress on racial issues, but more
remains to be done.
He said the country must improve
economic opportunities for minorities
and women, and people must change
their hearts.
“We have a long way to go, and
until we get to that day, we still need
affirmative action,” he said.
“Everything I do as president will be
aimed toward bringing that day about.”
Likewise Gore stressed that
improved race relations will require
presidential leadership to improve the
social and economic prospects of all
citizens.
“We must have a president who is
willing to break down barriers and
unlock the economic potential of all
people.”
NU continues refusal
of gay partner benefits
BENEFITS from page 1
Officials from the University of
Iowa in Iowa City could not be
reached for comment; officials at
Iowa State in Ames and the
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
said their domestic partner benefits
plans have worked well.
Gary Wiggins, manager of staff
benefits at Iowa State, said his uni
versity has been offering domestic
partner benefits to gay faculty and
staff members for more than seven
years.
“Originally, there was some con
troversy from people in the commu
nity,” he said. “People were worried
the university would lose a lot of
money, but we’ve seen no big losses.
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“They’re no different from mar
ried couples. This really is a pretty
low-key situation.”
Gay faculty and staff members
wishing to receive benefits for their
partners must sign agreements with
the university, stating they are part
ners. They must also show some kind
of joint financial bond, Wiggins said.
“They need to show us that their
names are on a common rent state
ment or loan,” he said. “They can
also make their partner the benefi
ciary of their life insurance. Any
financial record that indicates that
the two people have been together for
at least six months to a year works.”
Wiggins said only five of Iowa
State’s 6,470 employees take advan
tage of domestic partner benefits, -
which include full medical and den
tal coverage.
“It’s really gone quite smoothly,”
he said.
•The University of Minnesota
requires domestic partners sign a
form stating they are partners, said
Mary Alice Beevor, benefits special
ist for the university.
“We feel that that is enough,” she
said. “If anyone would lie about their
domestic partnership, then we’d go
after them for insurance fraud, and
that’s a pretty big deal.”
Minnesota requires the employ
ees’ partners to find their own insur
ance, then they are reimbursed by the
university.
Nearly 150 employees have
signed the form that entitles them to
domestic partner benefits, but only
42 have taken advantage of the plan,
Beevor said.
Adams said NU’s benefits board
has looked at its peers’ domestic
partner benefits plans, but she said
until Nebraska’s Legislature budges,
the board will not.
“It’s a pretty closed case,” she
said. “But if the following of the
Vermont case picks up, maybe the
board will be more open-minded.
“I wouldn’t count on it, though.”
..... *