Clintons Meet Up With Gores for Symbolic Passing of Torch

MONROE, Mich. —  Bill Clinton and Al Gore began their long, emotional goodbye Tuesday, opening a final chapter of a complex and extraordinary White House partnership marked by proud achievements but strained by the president’s sex scandal.

As the president symbolically passed the torch to his vice president here before an estimated 10,000 supporters, Campaign 2000 focused, perhaps for the last time, on the past as much as the future.

In unusually brief remarks, Clinton cited a litany of his administration’s accomplishments and lavishly praised the vice president, as he did in his speech on the opening night of the Democratic nominating convention in Los Angeles Monday.

“Every good thing in the last eight years, Al Gore was at the heart of it. He has been a leader for the new economy, a leader for welfare reform, a leader for education, a leader for lowering the crime rate,” the president said.

“The things that have happened in the last eight years, the good things, are nothing compared to the good things that can happen in the next eight years--nothing,” Clinton added.

He called Gore “my partner and friend . . . [who] understands where we are, where we’re going and how it will affect ordinary citizens more than any other public figure in this country over the last 20 years.”

For his part, Gore lauded his boss for having “worked hard to get this economy right” and then vowed:

“I’m not going to let the other side wreck it and take it away from us. We’re going to keep the prosperity going!”

Gore also thanked Clinton “for giving me a chance to serve my country . . . by working to help strengthen your hand.”

Under a broiling sun on a steamy Midwestern afternoon in this Detroit suburb, neither Clinton nor Gore spoke for long. Both men, joined by their wives, wore dark suits.

As Gore took the podium, he doffed his jacket and casually flung it to the floor.

When the vice president was done speaking, the Clintons and the Gores exchanged numerous hugs, kisses and back-slaps amid a shower of confetti.

Then, almost imperceptibly at first, the president and first lady began to recede from center stage. Suddenly, they were joined by daughter Chelsea, whose appearance elicited a roar from the crowd in front.

Holding hands, the Clintons slowly made their exit from the stage, heading into the nearby Monroe County Courthouse. For once, the president passed up the chance to shake hands with admirers gathered along the security rope lines. He simply waved--and smiled a wan, rueful smile.

Alone in the spotlight, the Gores turned their backs on the crowd and watched the Clintons walk off stage and enter the courthouse. As with many in the crowd, the Gores waved to the Clintons.

After the Clintons disappeared, the Gores climbed down from the stage and began working the rope lines.

The Gore campaign chose Monroe as site of the public handoff because it is emblematic of the economic resurgence many working-class communities enjoyed in the past eight years.

In that time, Monroe County’s unemployment rate dropped from 8.8% to 2.2%, while the median household income rose from $39,671 to $49,068--above the national average.

Amid the celebratory ambience here, left unsaid was a wistful sense--shared privately by many top aides to both Clinton and Gore--of what might have been, had Clinton’s impeachment controversy not sapped the administration’s energy for 14 months.

The array of unfinished business now forms the foundation of Gore’s campaign agenda.

“America’s done well, but I tell you, you ain’t seen nothing yet! We’re going forward to even better times,” Gore said.

He then recited his priorities: Social Security and Medicare reform, medical insurance for all children by 2004, a patients’ bill of rights, prescription drug coverage for seniors, a targeted middle-class tax cut and education reform.

“I know that we’ve got a hard-fought race ahead of us,” the vice president conceded. But he also seemed to draw energy and hope from the boisterous crowd.

“When I look out at this wonderful crowd and feel the enthusiasm from all of you, and look into the far reaches of these blocks and as many people as can possibly fit into this area, I know we’re going to win.”

In the course of the campaign, said White House Chief of Staff John Podesta, Clinton intends to be “out there,” speaking for Gore and meeting with key Democratic constituencies, while also raising money.

“He will do whatever the Gore-Lieberman team thinks would be helpful,” Podesta said. “But it’s their call. It’s their strategic decision, and ultimately we’ll look for them to call the plays.”

Shortly after leaving the Loranger Square rally here, Clinton stopped his motorcade at a McDonald’s, one of his favorite fast-food outlets during his days as Arkansas governor.

There the president ordered a chicken sandwich.

“If I’m going to be a citizen again, I’m going to have to start getting used to it,” Clinton joked.

Gore is due to arrive in Los Angeles this afternoon. He is scheduled to speak to the convention Thursday night.

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Times staff writer James Gerstenzang contributed to this story.

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Crime

Crime will be discussed by panelists at the Democratic National Convention tonight, providing a forum for Democrats to look at key issues affecting Americans, including guns, victims rights and hate crimes. Here is a look at some policy proposals from the Democratic and Republican parties.

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DEMOCRATS

* Vice President Al Gore supports federal funding to put 50,000 more police officers on the streets.

* He supports the death penalty for heinous crimes and strong enforcement of tough penalties for violent crimes.

* He has called for mandatory drug testing in state and local prisons and would expand drug-treatment programs within the institutions, spending $500 million in annual matching state grants to support the programs. Parolees who fail periodic drug tests would be returned to prison.

* Gore supports a Victims’ Rights Amendment to the Constitution that would allow crime victims to be heard at sentencing hearings, the right to be notified of trials and be notified when a prisoner is about to be released.

* He backs passage of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act that would expand the definition of hate crimes and allow for federal prosecution.

* Gore wants tougher gang and gun laws, including increased penalties for gun-related crimes.

* He would expand background checks, ban “Saturday night special” handguns and raise the age for handgun possession from 18 to 21.

* He opposes loosening existing limits on concealed weapons and would ban concealed weapons from houses of worship.

* Gore would require photo licensing for handgun purchases and would require background checks for all guns sold at gun shows.

* He supports child-safety locks on guns.

REPUBLICANS

* Texas Gov. George W. Bush supports the death penalty. Texas leads the nation in the number of executions.

* He advocates stronger penalties and longer prison terms for violent

criminals and tough laws for domestic violence, juvenile offenders and sex offenders.

* Bush also supports a Victims’ Rights Amendment to the Constitution.

* He believes that all violent crime could be defined as a form of hate crime, that determining a person’s motives is difficult and existing laws should be equally applied across the board.

* Bush backs stronger enforcement of existing gun laws, increasing the age for handgun possession from 18 to 21 and requiring instant background checks at gun shows, but opposes mandatory gun registration.

* He supports voluntary efforts to equip handguns with child safety trigger locks. He says that if Congress passes mandatory trigger-lock legislation, he would sign it.

* As governor, he signed legislation allowing Texas citizens to be licensed to carry concealed weapons.

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Sources: Candidates’ campaigns; Times research; Associated Press

Researched by NONA YATES/Los Angeles Times

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The Great State of . . .

With enough delegates pledged to Al Gore via the primaries, the roll call is pomp and circumstance as the Democratic presidential nomination takes its preordained course. A simple majority of 2,170 (of 4,339) delegates are needed to win the nomination.