Tipper Gore Packs House in Solo Campaign Debut

Nearly 1,000 supporters of the Democratic presidential ticket turned out Monday in one of Orange County’s most concentrated Republican communities for a rally with Mary Elizabeth (Tipper) Gore, wife of the Democratic vice presidential nominee.

The audience of senior citizens packed the largest auditorium in the gated retirement community of Leisure World, where Republican-registered voters outnumber Democrats nearly 2 to 1.

“I know we can do better,” Gore said. “It’s not that Vice President Dan Quayle and President Bush are bad people; they’re not. It’s just that things are not working well for them, and they just have a different philosophical approach.

“We’re working for a change in approach,” she said.

It was the first solo speaking tour of the campaign for Tipper Gore, who attended a registration drive in Fresno earlier Monday.

The wife of Sen. Al Gore of Tennessee has spent much of the last month on the campaign trail with him, including all four of the Democratic bus tours. But except for a brief speech in New York on family issues, she has stayed just outside the campaign spotlight.

Campaign officials said Monday that she will probably attend more events on her own, but none has been scheduled. She was planning to return home later this week to help her four children prepare for the start of the school year.

Gore, 44, received hearty cheers from the audience when she promoted the Democratic plan for a national health care program. She said health care is among the most vital family services government can provide.

As an example, she related her own family’s experience when her youngest son was struck by a car and nearly killed. Gore said Tennessee granted her husband more than a month away from his job to be with his family during its crisis.

But she chastised the Republican Administration for vetoing the Family Medical Leave Act, which would require employers to provide emergency leave to workers.

“We needed that; we needed him to be there,” she said. “In intensive care, we were sharing the room with other parents who were . . . worried about getting a day of vacation or getting a relative to come in and be with their child. It was hard, and that’s not right.”

She noted that the Family Medical Leave Act also included a provision recognizing family members caring for an elderly relative. “That is, in my opinion, really and truly valuing families in a very specific way,” Gore said.

Gore continued with more stories about her family.

She said it was a year ago this month that she and her husband talked about whether he should launch a second campaign for the White House after his unsuccessful bid in 1988. Largely because of her son’s tragedy, Gore said, the couple decided against the idea.

“So it was very unexpected when Bill Clinton called one day,” she said. Gore recalled her son’s reaction to the news that his father had been selected as candidate for vice president: “I never thought I would get to meet Bill Clinton.”

Local Democratic officials said that they organized Monday’s event with barely 48 hours’ notice and that most were pleased, yet surprised, by the large turnout. They also emphasized the attendance of several Republican voters who have switched their support from the Republican Party. One sign in the audience read, “Republicans for Clinton/Gore.”

Unlike people in other areas of the country, however, several of the elderly residents said the economy is not the driving issue for Leisure World’s relatively affluent and retired population of about 20,000 people. Instead, they cited other social issues, such as health care.

“I think it’s education, health and the right wing taking over the Republican Party,” said Lillian Firestone, a Leisure World resident who said she has been a Republican voter for more than 30 years. “This year, we’ve got to be counted.”

* ON THE ATTACK: Al Gore says the President has turned his back on the environment. A8