As Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, approached a crowd at a morning rally here Sunday, residents grasped Tipper’s hand as eagerly as her husband’s.
As she started speaking, someone yelled, “Happy birthday, Tipper!” in recognition of her 52nd birthday Saturday. Another supporter hoisted a sign reading “Win one for the Tipper.”
As Gore continues his four-day boat trip down the Mississippi River, his family is playing an increasingly visible role on the campaign trail.
Tipper Gore, who did not appear with the vice president often during the primary season, has been frequently at his side in recent days. His daughter Karenna, 27, who has taken a major role as liaison to younger voters, also regularly appears at campaign events, occasionally with her husband, Andrew Schiff.
Another daughter, Kristin, 23, gave one of her first major speeches at the Democratic National Convention and appears poised to play a larger role. The younger Gore children, Sarah, 21, and Albert, 17, are much less visible so far.
There are signs that the frequent sight of the Gore family is making an impression with some voters, helping soften Gore’s sometimes stiff image.
“Especially with all the negativity [President] Clinton has gotten, it shows the Gore family’s security and unity,” said Debra Kilgore, 50, who attended the Moline rally.
“I am impressed that he involves his kids and involves his daughter,” added Amir Arbisser, 51, a children’s ophthalmologist from Davenport, Iowa. “He seems to really listen to her, and it’s brought a different dimension to the campaign.”
On the third day of his boat trip down the Mississippi that wraps up Monday, Gore was in high spirits and visibly more relaxed amid evidence that the presidential race is changing.
A CNN-USA Today poll, which several days ago showed Gore trailing by 17 points, reported Sunday that voters were evenly split.It is one of several recent polls suggesting that Gore has closed the gap with Republican rival Texas Gov. George Bush after trailing for months.
Gore spokesman Chris Lehane added, “We’re taking all polls the way we did several weeks ago–with a studied nonchalance. But clearly there is movement going on in this race.”
Sunday was officially the third day of Gore’s ride down the Mississippi, but he did not board his boat, instead taking a bus to Moline and three Iowa communities–Muscatine, Burlington and Keokuk. He also stopped by the firehouse in the tiny community of Montpelier, Iowa.
If the boat ride is ultimately seen as a turning point in the Gore campaign, as Clinton’s bus ride was in 1992, part of the credit may go to Gore’s family.
Karenna has mingled with reporters and stood beside her father as he waved to crowds on the shore. Tipper has served as a warm-up act for Gore, introducing her husband as “the man I love” and “the next president of the United States.”
Along the trail, the Gores are openly affectionate. As Gore spoke with reporters on the boat’s deck Saturday, an aide appeared with a mug of hot water and honey for his sore throat. “What’s this? Did my wife send it?” he demanded with mock exasperation. Told she did, Gore took a sip and said with gentle sarcasm, “Oh, that’s much better.”
Saturday was Tipper’s 52nd birthday, and the campaign made much of this. At one point in the boat ride, a crowd of several hundred gathered on the shore. Gore grabbed a bullhorn and urged them to sing “Happy Birthday” to Tipper, which they did. When a band burst into song after Gore’s speech in Clinton, the vice president and Tipper began dancing onstage.
The campaign hopes such scenes help soften Gore’s image and humanize him. Many believe Gore performs better when his family is around and he can interact with Tipper and Karenna. To some degree, this family image helps offset the image of the Bush family.
Because Bush’s father is a former president and his brother is governor of Florida, the family is inherently visible. The Texas governor often talks about his wife, Laura, and his nephew George P. Bush, is helping rally the youth vote, much as Karenna does for Gore.
In the past, Gore has been criticized for exploiting his family for political purposes. At the 1992 Democratic convention, Gore told how his son was seriously injured in an accident and described how that affected him. At the 1996 convention, the vice president spoke emotionally of his sister’s death from lung cancer in explaining his battle against tobacco.
These days the Gore family is involved in a lower-key way, mostly by being seen on the campaign trail and making brief comments. That visibility makes a silent point–that Gore is not Clinton.
“It shows he’s family-oriented, and that’s what most voters are,” said Jarrett Daugherty, an 18-year-old from East Moline. “Tipper will make a good first lady. She looks more outgoing and enthusiastic than Hillary [Rodham Clinton].”
Gore talks about his family at virtually every campaign stop, noting that he and Tipper have been married for 30 years and inevitably mentioning that his grandson Wyatt was born a year ago on the 4th of July.
At the Moline rally, Gore reinforced this solid image with a line attempting to seize on his plodding persona and turn it to his advantage.
“If you entrust me with the presidency, I know I won’t always be the most exciting politician,” Gore said. “But I’ll work hard for you every day.”
