April 15, 1999

Gore interacts with Internet users on campaign site

By Tom Cronin
CyberCaucus2000 News Service
Drake University

Vice President Al Gore, candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination and one of the nation's most noteworthy political supporters of the Internet, unveiled his interactive Campaign 2000 Web site April 6.

"I plan to make Internet communication an important part of my campaign for president," Gore said on his campaign site, AlGore2000.com. Gore coined the term "information superhighway" 17 years ago and said in a CNN interview in March that as a member of Congress, "I took the initiative in creating the Internet," - a statement for which he took plenty of heat from opponents.

Gore's campaign site includes the following interactive features: an "interactive town hall" for visitors to ask questions, occasional live chat sessions, surveys about issues in America, a registration area for campaign information via e-mail, an area to send photos and videos and opportunities to change or add to the design of Gore's site.

Other (less interactive) features of the site include information about Gore's family, transcripts of his speeches, Gore's views on American political issues and news regarding his bid for the presidency.

Gore held his first live chat session on his Web site April 8, answering questions at a computer terminal in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Gore said he plans on holding similar chat sessions on a regular basis. Click here to read the transcript of his April 8 chat discussion.

"I ... plan to hold real-time, interactive meetings such as this one on a regular basis, because I want this to be your campaign - shaped by your ideas," Gore said.

In his chat discussion, Gore addressed issues including child care, space exploration, health care and his position on the conflict in Kosovo.

Gore addressed some different issues on the Town Hall section of his campaign site. As of April 15, Gore answered questions at the "town hall" regarding the environment, reinventing government, the nation's youth and education.

Although the issues most central to Gore's campaign are the economy, reinventing government, lifelong education, the environment, crime and health care, Gore's campaign site focuses on issues central to the site's visitors - especially children.

"... I want young people to be at the very heart of this campaign - helping to shape the ideas and policies I will run on, and also helping to summon the kind of activism and engagement we need to build a better future," Gore said.

Like all campaign sites, however, Gore's centers on one major theme: changing the nation to create a "safer, stronger, more livable" future for the children of the 21st century.

"I want you to vote for me to be president because I believe I can lead this country into a much brighter future for all the children of the 21st century - with a strong and growing economy, with revolutionary changes to improve our schools, with a cleaner environment, with strong families and livable communities and with America leading the entire world toward higher levels of freedom and prosperity," Gore said during a chat session.