PUSH hears from Gore

Vice President Al Gore was greeted by a friendly audience Saturdayas he addressed the Rainbow; PUSH Coalition convention, touching onthemes popular with the organization founded by his longtime friend,the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Gore promised to continue affirmative action and push for anational hate crimes bill, a patients bill of rights and a higherminimum wage.

But the vice president stopped short of directly answering achallenge from his campaign opponent, Bill Bradley, who told the sameconvention days earlier that Gore should help put an immediate stopto racial profiling by police departments.

Gore has said halting racial profiling would be one of the firstacts of his presidency, but Bradley said Gore should encouragePresident Clinton now to end the practice.

During a speech that drew several standing ovations, Gore recalledhis late father's civil rights record as a Tennessee senator, andlauded the achievements of the Clinton administration: more Cabinetpositions for minorities, the largest four-year drop in African-American poverty in 25 years, and increased home ownership amongAfrican Americans.

"I want to work with you to close the opportunity gaps. I want towork with you for an America where we don't tolerate a single crimeof hate and where police don't target the innocent," Gore said.

"Those who say we're a color-blind society, what community arethey looking at?" he asked.

Gore bashed the Republican tax "scheme" where "the wealthiest 1percent get more money than the bottom 60 percent."

Proposing to raise the hourly minimum wage by a dollar and workfor paycheck equity between men and women, Gore said, "I don't wantmy grandchildren and yours to grow up in an America where an African-American family earns one-tenth of the salary of a white family."

Gore also stressed the importance of improving higher education toregain a competitive edge in the United States.

"Sixty percent of businesses can't find Americans with sufficienteducation and skills to fill jobs in areas of high technology," hesaid. "We have a problem that should be viewed as an opportunity."

Jackson refrained from making any endorsement and said Bradley andGore "are testing messages to see what works. But the people need tohear from them. If they speak and their message penetrates andresonates, they'll begin to create the kind of interest they need tocreate."

Gore's spokesman, Chris Lehane, said the vice president plans to"work extremely hard to earn the support of Reverend Jackson. He hasbeen an articulate, eloquent spokesperson and a leader for thosepeople in this country that've been left behind. It's a group thatwe think is absolutely important."