Copyright 2000 The Washington Post
The Washington
Post
February 3, 2000, Thursday, Final Edition
SECTION: A SECTION; Pg. A14
LENGTH: 444 words
HEADLINE:
Gore Rushes to Hill Abortion Vote
BYLINE: Lois Romano;
Helen Dewar, Washington Post Staff Writers
DATELINE:
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 2
BODY:
Hours after
declaring victory in New Hampshire, Vice President Gore abruptly abandoned his
campaign plans in New York this morning to rush back to the Capitol for a
potentially tie-breaking Senate vote on a controversial abortion measure.
But Senate Republicans--angered and embarrassed last year when Gore
broke a tie in favor of Democrats to pass a measure requiring background checks
for sales at gun shows--maneuvered to avoid another high-profile vote by Gore on
an issue that figures prominently in the presidential campaign.
Sponsored by Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), today's amendment to a
major bankruptcy bill would prevent violent demonstrators at
abortion clinics from filing for bankruptcy in
order to avoid fines or judgments against them. After Schumer announced that
Gore was on his way back to Washington for the vote, Sen. Charles E. Grassley
(R-Iowa) referred to the whole scene as "theater." In the end, Republican
leaders recommended that Republicans vote for the amendment to deny Gore and the
Democrats an opportunity to gain political mileage.
Gore ended up doing
little more than announcing the measure's passage, 80-17, with one senator
voting present.
Gore told reporters earlier that Schumer, Senate
Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) and Sen. Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) had
all requested he return for the vote, which came at a time when Gore's
commitment to abortion rights has been under fire by rival Bill Bradley.
"Clinic violence is an offense to our democracy," Gore said. "It's an
offense to the American spirit. We cannot allow this kind of violence,
deprivation of rights."
Campaign chairman Tony Coelho, speaking to
reporters in New York, said, "To a great extent, what this shows is his
commitment to choice and the women's movement, that he's willing to . . .
redirect down to Washington to make sure, in case there is a 50-50 vote. . . . I
think you folks would be writing about it aggressively if it was 50-50 and he
wasn't there."
So sudden was Gore's change of plans that the vice
president was forced to fly commercially because the Air Force II crew was
federally required to rest for a requisite number hours before flying again;
Gore had arrived in New York from New Hampshire at around 1 a.m. today.
In an unusual turn of events, Gore's campaign press plane proceeded
without Gore to Columbus, where Gore rejoined the operation later in the day.
This symbolic, two-day coast-to-coast swing is designed to show that Gore is
ready to come out of New Hampshire and win support nationally--from New York to
California.
Romano reported from Columbus, Dewar from
Washington.
LOAD-DATE: February 03, 2000
