Vice President Gore takes General Conference To Church

A Presidential candidate came to address the 46th General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and instead of pure political patter, a little church broke out.

Vice President Gore often has been portrayed as stiff and dull, but Tuesday night in the Convention Center in Cincinnati, he was anything but. Vice President Gore was funny, insightful and towards the end, he sounded like he had a little A.M.E. preacher in him as he launched into a cadence most preachers would recognize and stopped just short of going into a whoop.

Gore's speech was not one full of flash but no subsance. He quickly moved thorugh a laundry list of issues that all in attendence both could understand and emphasize with.

Gore was invited to the Conference by Bishop Vinton Anderson. Bishop Anderson, however, yielded the floor to Bishop Brookins, when it came time to introduce the Presidential candidate and current Vice President. Bishop Brookins' Episcopal District encompasses Gore's home state of Tennessee.

It only took a second to realize that Bishop Brookins has had a long standing relationship with Gore. He waxed enthusiastic, eloquently and elongatedly in his praise of Gore. It surprised nobody when Bishop Brookins supported Gore as an individual but he said church policy was not to endorse candidates as Bishops.

Gore wasted little time following his introduction by Bishop Brookins with aa little humor.

Bishop Brookins has been a close friend to the entire Gore family for so many years," Gore started. "The introduction lets you know why I enjoy Bishop Brookins' preaching, he gets to the point, then he elaborates on the point and then he drives the point home and if you don't get, he will bring the point back up for you."

Gore explained that Cincinnati held a significant place in the history of the Underground Railroad. It was felt if you could make it to Cincinnati, you were just about home free. The final obstacle was crossing the Ohio River. Gore said a beacom from the top of a building in Cincinnati was the sign it was safe to cross the river. He said the beacon shone from the top of an A.M.E. Church.

Gore addressed the African delegates at the Conference. He pledged he would address the AIDS/HIV problem in Africa if he was elected President. He said it was a matter of research and of medicine that was affordable as well as some behavior modification.

The Vice President called being at the Conference a homecoming, remind the gathering that he and President Clinton began their first term in office with a worship service atY Metropolitan A.M.E. Church before their inaugeration.

He also said during the course of his nearly hour-long speech and recollection, that two prior Democratic Presidential candidates also spoke before A.M.E. General Conferences and both of them won the elecion. "And you thought I would miss this," Gore quipped.

Issues Gore touched on included education, affordable health care, the strengthening of social security, saving Medicare and protecting it. Other Gore proposed initiatives included getting a Hate Crimes bill passed and enforced, his encouragement of the audience to participate in the current Census project, and attempt to change the economic balance, so black families would be able to underwrite other black enterprises.

Gore concluded his presentation by taking the energy level up a few notches and brought the talk home like an experience preacher, leading the crowd in a familiar call and response that both the candidate and his audience seemed extremely comfortable with.

Throughout the night, you could just sense the humanity and warmth of Gore. He know longer was in the mold that many had cast him into , instead, he came across as a confident candidate, well poised to get the Vice removed from the front of his title.