The Presidential Election

iVillage presents

November 19, 1999

Presidential candidate Al Gore and Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman answer questions about a variety of topics that have become focus points in the race for the Presidency, including health care, education, and taxes. Find out where the Vice President stands on this important issues.

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Nancy Evans: Hello, I'm Nancy Evans, and I am thrilled to welcome you to iVillage's very first Town Hall Tuesday. Today we will be joined by Vice President Al Gore. You notice I said, "we?" That's because this is your Town, with your questions. It's the middle of November, and a year from now we will have elected a new President. That's not as far away as it seems, and in the meantime, a couple of things can't be ignored. First, us--women. We are a majority of this country's population, and a majority of its voters. It can only be to a candidate's advantage to listen and more important, to pay attention to what we have to say. The second thing is the Internet. Today we have this amazing tool that really lets democracy do what it's supposed to do. Our founding fathers--I don't think there were any mothers there--all had to show up at a meeting house in Philadelphia. Today, on iVillage, we can all be present, whether we're snowbound in Minnesota, on a beach in Malibu or in an office in Manhattan. Vice President Gore has been an avid proponent of the Internet since way back. Our new site, Election 2000 at iVillage.com, has been a long time coming. When we opened iVillage four years ago, we dreamed of being a place where women could make a difference in the political process. Today, there are over seven million women visiting iVillage.com every month. Now we can really make a difference. How lucky we are to live in this time. Mr. Vice President, we're so happy to have you here. How do you think the Internet will play a role in the process?

Al Gore: I think it's going to revolutionize the political process. First of all, let me thank you for having me here on iVillage. I have been surfing your website, and looking at Election 2000, one of the features on your website. I'm glad to be here with Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman. I'm anxious to use the Internet to reach out to the people of this country…to use it to have a dialogue, to hear the questions the people connected to iVillage have.

Nancy Evans: First question--Mary of Clearwater, FL met you seven years ago when you were running for Vice President. She had a daughter with a brain tumor, who was covered by disability as a child. Now she faces health insurance problems. How can she get her insured?

Al Gore: Yes, and I think that Mary, as she knows, asked me about her daughter in person when I was in Clearwater. I put out a health care plan, which you can find in detail at algore.com, that will completely cover every child in America before the end of this presidential term. It will also save Medicaid, which is the primary source of insurance for people with disabilities. One of the biggest issues in the Democratic campaign is health care. One of the reasons is because Senator Bradley, who I like and respect, put out a plan that eliminates Medicaid. His plan puts out such a low amount that it can't possibly replace Medicaid. Disabled Americans and persons with HIV/AIDS, really depend on Medicaid. Women depend on Medicaid more than men. If Republicans proposed eliminating Medicaid, Democrats would be up in arms. Mary's question highlights why we need to keep Medicaid.

Nancy Evans: Ann from Kokomo, IN mentions George Bush's educational reform plans. What is your opinion of schools not making the grade? Give the money to the parents, or to the schools?

Al Gore: I think we need revolutionary improvements in our public schools; not incremental, but revolutionary. We are in an information age. This very discussion illustrates that sixty percent of our businesses in America have positions that pay well that they can't fill because there are Americans who don't have the education they need to attain to fill those jobs. George W. Bush has proposed vouchers, which I think is a terrible idea. Private schools should not receive public school funding while public schools are starved for cash. We need to set new standards and recruit new teachers, including African-American, Latino and Asian teachers. We need million new teachers. It won't happen if we have vouchers. I have disagreed with Bradley and Bush both on this issue. Bradley voted for vouchers every single time they were put in front of him. We need to beef up our commitment to resources and attention.

Nancy Evans: One question that came up time and time again is how to raise salaries of teachers. They aren't getting good enough salaries, yet we say they are important as doctors, etc. How do we get them up?

Al Gore: The American people will support higher teacher salaries if the proposals come as part of a package that also brings about revolutionary improvements in their schools. The package includes smaller classes, greater use of innovative technologies, testing for new teachers, and rigorous peer evaluation. If you look at the history of this issue, some of the older women who are connected to this webpage and are listening to this discussion will remember a time when, in many parts of America, teaching and nursing were the only two professions considered okay for women to enter if they were to leave the home. That was outrageous, of course. However, the job valuation when women came out to work didn't change over the years. A percentage of the talented, brightest people in the country were reserved for those jobs. That isn't the way it is anymore. Since school boards and hospitals make monetary decisions, they are slow to go with supply and demand. We should be valuing and treating and rewarding teachers and nurses as professionals.

Nancy Evans: In one of our parenting sites, lots of parents are talking about home schooling they've decided to teach them at home. Laura in Honolulu has been teaching hers for two years now. Would you encourage that if they can't get what they want from their schools?

Al Gore: I have not attempted home schooling myself. Tipper and I have sent all four of our children to public schools, and then to private schools. But we have friends who have had great success with home schooling. When I first encountered that issue, I had doubts about it. I had seen great successes when people know what they are getting into, prepare for the experience carefully, and structure their lives to make the commitment necessary for home schooling. I hesitate to recommend it generically. It depends on the circumstances of each family. If mom and dad have researched it, and feel they have the resources, I know it's been successful for a large number of families.

Nancy Evans: Moving back to a health question, Tiffany of Texas asks why insurance companies don't cover birth control?

Al Gore: That's a question that I hear often. The news stories about insurance companies covering Viagra immediately rang a bell for millions of women who have long wondered why contraception is not covered by many insurance plans. I think they should cover contraception. I thought to make sure the Federal Government plans cover contraception for our employees. I respect religious beliefs, which are against it, and they can opt out of such coverage. For the vast majority of women who would like to have that option, health insurance should provide that option. The discrimination on the basis of gender is highlighted by this question.

Nancy Evans: Along with thousands of questions coming in from America's women, they are sending support and suggestions to you. Laura of California says--Be yourself! It's easier than trying to invent the 'new you.' Show people the real person behind the image. We like the real Al Gore!

Al Gore: Thank you!

Nancy Evans: From Jennifer of Williamsburg, VA--In middle income families, taxes take away a considerable amount from each family. Do you plan relief for middle income families? How so?

Al Gore: I have proposed targeted, affordable, tax cuts for middle income families, focused on helping with the expenses of a college education for children, defraying the expenses for long-term care for the millions who are carrying the burden of an elderly parent or a disabled child. Tax cuts for the preservation of open space and the environment, for access to health care, for child care and after- school care. These are the kinds of priorities I think our tax cuts should be focused on. I don't support the risky Republican scheme for blowing the entire surplus, which will put our economy in jeopardy. Targeted tax cuts for those that need them represent what I support. I also support the elimination of the marriage penalty, in a way that will help lower income families that receive the earned income tax credit as well.

Nancy Evans: From Rachel in Miami Beach--With the increased need for daycare, what about training programs that would allow a percentage or welfare mothers to train, thus sustaining a base?

Al Gore: I think that's a great idea. Secretary Herman and I have worked on the Welfare to Work program, and I personally know many women formerly on welfare who have good jobs in child care. I have proposed, with President Clinton, a billion dollar proposal for this issue. It's part of my campaign. In order to help parents balance work and family, we must have high quality daycare, after- school care, and preschool, so that our children have enriching experiences. Working parents have enough stress already.

Nancy Evans: Tara asks--What are your views of current Internet stalking laws? How would you enforce or change them?

Al Gore: I have proposed changes in the laws to make them tougher and stronger, because there are loopholes in the current laws. If a stalker uses the telephone for stalking, they face particular and certain penalties that unfortunately don't apply to the Internet. I think they should. I've seen many cases, some horrifying. We should act to protect privacy and victims and potential victims of stalkers, no matter what means they use.

Nancy Evans: Once you're in office, how will you use the Internet to stay in touch with people? You've always visited with your constituents personally as Vice-President. Could you do one of these meetings with every state each week?

Al Gore: I would like to have regular Town Hall meetings on the Internet, as President without picking a specific frequency right now. After all, I'm concentrating on winning the election, and winning the Democratic nomination in order to get into the general election. But with the help of the American People, I would want to have regular Town Hall and open meetings as President. The Internet gives us a brand new capacity for connecting with the American people, which I would want to use often.

Nancy Evans: You've given us an historic moment here today at iVillage, and we want to thank you for being here with us.

Al Gore: Let me thank you, and all of those who have asked questions, including those who asked questions we didn't have time to answer. I'd be happy to follow up with others who have questions to put through to me, either through iVillage, or through my website, algore.com. I will be prepared to answer questions on any question there. I'm a big fan of iVillage, and thanks for having me on today. You are all in for a treat, because Alexis Herman is taking over right now, and I'm one of her biggest fans!

Nancy Evans: Thank you, Vice-President Gore! Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman is the 23rd Labor Secretary of the United States and the first African American to serve in this position. She is also the fourth woman to serve as Secretary in the agency's 84-year history She has worked side by side with Vice President Al Gore for two and a half years, and she is here to answer many more of your questions.

Alexis Herman: We are doing a lot to support women in small businesses. The Vice President in particular has been a real champion.

Nancy Evans: How would you support women in small businesses?

Alexis Herman: In making sure that the Small Business Administration had a three-fold increase in giving women loans over the last year alone, women are the fastest growing sector of the small business community and the biggest generator of jobs today. We need to foster their development.

Nancy Evans: A good question, What is being done for folks over who are being bounced out of their jobs?

Alexis Herman: There are three things that are being done, primarily for folks over fifty, who are being downsized, etc. First, the Vice President has put a real emphasis on lifelong learning. We are providing a tax credit for older workers to go back and get the education and training they need. Secondly, we are increasing training support and training that leads to real jobs for people who are being dislocated from their jobs today. We have increased three fold the amount of support to training workers who lose their job through no fault of their own. Thirdly, we are trying to identify, before they happen, exactly when workers will be dislocated or relocated, so they will have training and support they need for new jobs and opportunities.

Nancy Evans: A question from Iowa--A woman has three daughters, and is concerned about opportunities for women. What are you doing to move women ahead in the workforce?

Alexis Herman: Educating young girls today in schools for all of the job opportunities that are available to them. We've made progress, like our Schools to Work program, where girls go to work while in school to expose them to new opportunities in the work place today. We continue to fund job training programs for non- traditional jobs for women today. There are 420 job categories we recognize today. Women are concentrated in only 40 of them. We have a long way to go.

Nancy Evans: Meghan asks--Should the minimum wage should be raised? Will it happen soon?

Alexis Herman: I definitely believe that the minimum wage should be raised. This is an issue of particular importance to women. Two- thirds of minimum wage workers in this country are women. The Vice President and the President are aggressively supporting an increase on the minimum wage. Women need to speak up on this issue. They need to let their voices be heard. When we raise the minimum wage, it's enough for a woman to buy groceries for seven months for a family of four.

Nancy Evans: Daisy asks--Why do you believe women should support Vice-President Gore?

Alexis Herman: I believe that women should support Vice President Gore for a LOT of reasons. He has a clear vision of where he wants to take this country in the new millennium. His vision includes not just women being part of the process, but all of the issues that we care about that impact women's lives are at the top of the agenda for the Vice President--whether it's about his health care, saving Medicaid, or saving Social Security. Women first have to worry about retirement years, women live longer than men do. The Vice President knows we have a lot to do in order to get equal pay for equal work. This is not just rhetoric. He believes very strongly in women having the right to choose. So many issues that Al Gore didn't just arrive at these issues; Vice President Gore has a long, long history of being on the front lines fighting for issues that women care about. I believe we should support someone who's been there, not just for now, but throughout the years.

Nancy Evans: A follow-up question about minimum wage--Do you think cutting taxes to fund the minimum wage would be a good idea?

Alexis Herman: I don't necessarily believe we have to cut taxes to fund the minimum wage. I think the present proposals that the Vice President and President are including have tax cuts for businesses that have on-site child care. They want tax cuts for businesses that hire disabled workers. The kinds of tax cuts that support working families would be appropriate as part of our proposal to pass the minimum wage.

Nancy Evans: Trudy asks--What specific programs do you propose to address the balancing act of working parents?

Alexis Herman: You know, whenever I hear that question, and I hear it a lot, I think that using the word balance is too kind a word. We are too stretched for quality time. I'm very proud of the fact that the Vice President is proposing that we expand the Family and Medical Leave Act, so we can cover more families to meet those demands. Right now you can take off time from work for sick time or for an aging relative. But you need time off to visit the teacher at school. You need other opportunities to be involved in your child's life. Expanding the act would do that. The proposal to invest more in child care and after-school care will help to relieve many of the stresses that women have today of raising a family and working today.

Nancy Evans: A follow-up question on child care programs--Is Vice-President Gore talking about child care programs that address both middle-class families, along with lower income families?

Alexis Herman: Yes, the Vice President's proposals on child care include both. It's not just for mothers in the labor force, but he believes that stay-at-home moms should be able to benefit from the proposals that he has put forth in his child care initiatives.

Nancy Evans: How would stay-at-home mothers take advantage of a program like that?

Alexis Herman: If the Vice President's proposal was to be enacted, when states get block grants for child care support, stay at home moms would be eligible for those same block grants, and it could come back to them as tax credits.

Nancy Evans: Robin in Los Angeles asks--Enterprise zones don't go far enough in aiding minority-owned businesses. The cost of insurance is so high, for one. How can you help these businesses?

Alexis Herman: Well, you're absolutely right. I can tell you that the cost of insurance is just one of the many costs that go into owning and operating a small business today. The Vice President has been the champion of empowerment zones, of enterprise zones, of bringing opportunities to under-served communities, to help the businesses and the communities to flourish and grow. He wants to add funds to these empowerment and enterprise zones for businesses that relocate there. He is looking into tax credits and tax relief for businesses willing to move to those communities.

Nancy Evans: April asks--What is the best advice you would give to a woman looking to start her own business?

Alexis Herman: Oh, I think, believe in yourself, and don't give up on your dreams. If you really want to do it, know you can achieve it, you can do it. There may be a lot of stumbling blocks along the way. Turn them into stepping stones of opportunity. You need a clear plan, a clear vision, of what it is you want to do. You need to identify other businesses that might be similar to yours, learn from how they did it, both the opportunities and the mistakes. It's important to know that you need three things in place. First, you need a clear plan. Second, you need to make sure you've got resources, that you've got capital, for at least the first six to twelve months. Thirdly, you need to be sure of your potential markets. Where is your opportunity, where is your market?

Nancy Evans: If you could tell Vice-President Gore three women's initiatives that are must-do, what would they be?

Alexis Herman: I have told him, by the way! Three initiatives we must do--We must fight hard for his child care proposal. This will benefit working families, and not just women. He's got a great proposal. Secondly, what he's proposing on the health care front, we as women especially, need greater options in health care. And not only are we the greater recipients of Medicaid, but when we look at all the issues today in terms of women needing access, especially more than men do. when we look at many of the issues involved in simply who HAS coverage today, we know that women disproportionately and that children are not covered. And so we need that continuity of care often times more than men do. The third thing is that we have to do more to enforce the equal pay laws that are on the books. It's one thing to open up the doors. Women are reaching unprecedented heights today. We have to be sure that women have the opportunity to compete on a level playing field, that is commensurate with their male counterparts, so strengthening equal pay laws is a top priority for all women today.

Nancy Evans: In addition to the issues, how would you tell Vice- President Gore to 'connect' to America's women?

Alexis Herman: You know, you mentioned someone earlier who gave advice to the Vice President. They said, 'just be yourself.' And I would say that over and over and over again. Al Gore is someone who "gets it." He's a smart man. We don't have to educate him on these issues. We just need him to communicate his thoughts and vision on these issues. Once he does this, I have never seen him not connect with anyone. He is one of the greatest individuals I have ever had the opportunity to work with. He's committed to getting the job done, no matter what it takes.

Nancy Evans: From Matty in South Bend, IL--Everyone seems to be getting a tax break except working single women. How can we help them out?

Alexis Herman: I think that we can better help working single women, quite frankly, by doing what the Vice President has proposed--by looking at overall tax cuts that benefit working families and working people in this country. To the extent that we can implement many of the tax proposals that the Vice President has proposed, single women would disproportionately benefit from his proposals.

Nancy Evans: What percentage of cabinet members are women and minorities? How do you think Vice-President Gore, if he becomes President, would change this?

Alexis Herman: One of the great things about working with him is that he has been a champion for the placement of women in cabinet offices in this administration. I wouldn't be Secretary of Labor if he hadn't encouraged me. We have the largest number of women in this cabinet in history--Aida Alvarez, Charlene Barshefsky. I am privileged to serve as Secretary of Labor. Donna Shalala. As far as minorities--Bill Richardson and Aida Alvarez.

Nancy Evans: Nancy in New York City asks--Unemployment is at dramatically low levels. Has poverty been reduced at a comparable rate?

Alexis Herman: Poverty has not been reduced at a comparable rate, but the poverty levels are historically lowest. The rates of unemployment is the lowest we've had in thirty years in this country. The same is true for poverty rates, in nearly the same amount of time.

Nancy Evans: Beverly in Orlando, FL asks if there are female business persons who you would recommend as role models for young women?

Alexis Herman: Oh yes, there are many, many female entrepreneurs today that I would recommend as role models. There is an organization called the National Association of Women Business Owners. I would encourage anyone who wants to find out about these women to get in touch with this organization. In many offices in this country, the Small Business Administration has advocates in their offices to help women today, not just to identify role models, but to help women make their plans as well.

Nancy Evans: Debbie of Tennessee asks--How do you propose to remedy the problem of a lack of Social Security benefits for the 'Generation X' population?

Alexis Herman: Well, the President and the Vice President have proposed several alternatives to make sure that we're going to protect Social Security for future generations. We are making sure that we are going to protect the budget surplus and make Social Security the first priority as we consider the various proposals. Protecting the budget surplus has been and should be the first priority in that debate. I believe, as does the Vice President, that generally we need to promote a savings message. Social Security is only one leg of a three legged stool. We also need to talk about pension investment and personal savings. So, broadening the savings message beyond Social Security is very important. Social Security will only provide about 60 to 65 percent of what you will need in your retirement years. We also have to do more to expand pension opportunities for women, so they get the pension coverage they will need in the future.

Nancy Evans: Secretary Herman, this is the last question, from Hillary in Madison, NJ, any guess when we will elect the first woman President?

Alexis Herman: I believe that we will see a woman President in our lifetime. I say that because of the leadership of our President and Vice President. They have opened the doors for women in this administration and they made it possible for us to be not just at the table, but at the head of the table in shaping the policies of this country. Nothing in my view, as we head into the new millennium, will women not be able to achieve. We will break the glass ceiling, including the Oval Office.

Nancy Evans: Now that Vice-President Gore has helped put a women like you at the head of the table, will we see YOU as Vice- President of the United States?

Alexis Herman: I must tell you, I think with all due respect to the Vice President and the President, that I already have the best job in this country. I love being the Secretary of Labor and knowing, day-in and day-out, that I make a difference for working families in this country.

Nancy Evans: Thank you, Secretary Herman. I'm happy you're in the job you are in now. We hope that in the new millenium you will see bigger jobs ahead of you. I thank the women of iVillage who came to attend today. I want to thank Vice-President Gore for being here when we opened our doors at iVillage four years ago, and that he returned to be with us today. Remember, iVillage is here every day, helping women find solutions. I'm Nancy Evans. Good evening!

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