Democrats Al Gore and Bill Bradley last night agreed that Amadou Diallo’s shooting death was “an outrage,” but blasted each other at a heated Harlem debate for failing to do enough to stop racial profiling.
It was an all-out slugfest from the start when the Rev. Al Sharpton — who got to ask the first question — asked how they’d end racial profiling and cited Diallo as proof that many “live in fear of both cops and robbers.”
“I would issue an order that would end racial profiling at the federal level,” said Bradley, who then demanded to know why Gore hasn’t “made it happen in the last 7 ½ years” by getting President Clinton to do so.
Gore shot back: “Racial profiling practically began in New Jersey, Sen. Bradley” — and charged that the former Garden State senator did nothing to stop the practice where cops single out suspects by race.
Gore’s jab drew roars of approval from the often raucous crowd of 1,000 at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre in a debate where Bradley was on the attack but the crowd was more with Gore, who showed a lively and at times Clintonesque oratorical style.
Sharpton — still officially neutral in the race — called it “a draw” but said: “It was the most combative debate so far.”
Blacks will play a key role in the March 7 multistate Democratic primaries across the nation — from New York to California — where Bradley must notch some wins if his campaign is to continue.
It was the first Democratic debate since Gore narrowly won New Hampshire’s Feb. 1 primary and came at a time when Bradley is trying to jump-start his campaign by attacking Gore as a conservative in disguise.
He claimed the veep does the “Gore dance” which he described as “a dance to avoid facing up to your conservative record” on issues like guns. Now pro gun-control, Gore once voted with the gun lobby.
Rather than directly respond, Gore said sarcastically and dismissively: “By all means, Bill, get the negativity off your chest.”
Over and over, Bradley accused Gore of voting five times to back tax exemptions for racially biased schools like Bob Jones University — the school where Republican George W. Bush made a controversial stop.
Brandishing a sheaf of papers to document those votes, Bradley shoved them at Gore and said: “I’d like you to have it now, Al” — but Gore refused to take them.
Instead, Gore angrily contended that it really was “a vote on quotas” and accused Bradley of making “a phony and scurrilous charge.”
Bradley shot back: “You have to face up to this if you’re going to be a strong leader.
But Gore broke in, drawing some boos when he said: “You’re sounding a little desperate because you’re trying to build yourself up by tearing everybody else down.”
The veep seemed uneasy when Time magazine’s Tamala Edwards noted that most blacks back school vouchers and asked why Gore opposes them when he and his own kids all went to posh private schools.
She asked if Gore felt there were no Washington public schools “good enough for your child” and Gore insisted: “All of my children have gone to both public schools and private schools.”
The veep, under fire over his role in the Democratic funny-money mess and illegal Buddhist temple fund-raiser, accused Bradley of trying to revive a special prosecutor to probe Democrats.
“Sen. Bradley, you must be the only Democrat in America who misses Ken Starr,” sniped Gore.
Bradley said he’s not seeking a special prober.