Gore lends support, won’t reveal presidential plans

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

Al Gore made a trip to Warren County Saturday to give his support to congressional candidate Lincoln Davis, pictured at left. (Duane Sherrill photo)

Amongst the chants of “re-elect Gore” from a throng of supporters, former Vice President Al Gore went on the offensive Saturday, saying the Bush administration has lied to the people.

Gore, who introduced himself as the person who “used to be the next president of the United States,” made his comments outside the steel worker’s union hall in Morrison. He was there to endorse congressional candidate Lincoln Davis who is running neck-and-neck in the polls against Democratic opponent Fran Marcum. However, Gore did not hesitate to criticize the man who beat him less than two years ago in the most controversial election in presidential history.

“They have L-I-E-D about the future liability they have put on the shoulders of the taxpayers,” Gore said, referring to President George W. Bush’s economic policies. “They are just like Enron. They’ve taken money from the people and given it to those at the top. They don’t care about the people. Before this is over, we’ll have a bigger deficit than we did after the first Bush was there.”

Gore noted the economic policies have left the country in its worst downturn since 1929.

“I don’t want to tell you I told you so, but I’ve got an unused lock box for sale if anybody is interested,” Gore added, noting the Bush administration has raided Social Security. “They say it’s just a scare tactic. Well, it’s not. It’s real.”

Gore, who said he is considering another run for the White House in 2004, said he is backing Davis for Congress because he believes he can make a difference in the House, a body which Gore hopes will go Democrat during the upcoming election.

“I can vouch for him,” Gore said of Davis. “Fran Marcum is a nice person and I think well of her, but I support Lincoln.”

Davis, a Fentress County native, said the Democrats need to take back government, beginning with Congress, in 2002.

With the backdrop of the union hall, Davis pointed to the high unemployment rate, noting governmental policies have allowed many jobs to go overseas.

“We traded our jobs away here,” Davis said. “We’re losing our jobs every day. We’re becoming de-industrialized.”

Davis said he plans to go on the offensive by making sure government negotiates good policies which benefit the working people, thereby ensuring more jobs.