Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 23, 1994 TAG: 9408230086
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DWAYNE YANCEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Gore will speak at a rally and attend a fund-raiser in Roanoke on Sept.30, Robb campaign staffers told the Roanoke Times & World-News on Monday.
Details of Gore's visit won't be worked out for another week or so, they said.
Ironically, confirmation of Gore's appearance came just a day after Robb tried to downplay his ties to the administration, declaring in Richmond, "I'm not going to wrap myself in anybody else's garments."
Robb's three opponents all have tried to depict Robb as a "Clinton clone," hardly a term of endearment in a state where Clinton's approval rating stands at less than 40 percent.
A spokesman for Republican Oliver North said Monday there's little difference between an appearance by Clinton - which Robb has said is unlikely to happen - and one by Gore.
"Clinton would probably inspire people to throw vegetables; Gore would probably inspire great sleepiness," said North spokesman Dan McLagan. "It's not that Clinton is personally unpopular in Virginia. In Virginia, it's gone beyond the personal stage to policy. His policies are too liberal for most Virginians, and Gore has been an enthusiastic supporter of Clinton's policies."
But one Democrat in Western Virginia who had caught wind of Gore's impending visit drew a sharp distinction between Clinton and Gore.
"Unlike the president, I think the vice president is still a pretty popular guy," said Del. Ward Armstrong, D-Martinsville. "He doesn't carry the same baggage as the president.
"It's amazing. When you heard bad things said about Clinton, I almost never heard Al Gore's name in the same breath.
"The main reason is, Bill Clinton has been involved in so many scandals - the Whitewater business, Gennifer Flowers, Paula Jones. But Al Gore, he's pretty squeaky clean. Most of what I've heard about the president has to do with his personal life and not the job he's actually doing. He's taken on some tough issues. If Clinton had not had the other scandals, ... that would clear up 60 percent of his problems."
Armstrong's mostly rural district of conservative, blue-collar voters is just the sort of constituency on which Robb has counted in the past and which North has tried to target this summer. With that in mind, Armstrong sees Gore's visit as a plus for Robb in his area.
"I think a lot of people would turn out to meet the vice president," he said.
Robb staffers said Monday they weren't prepared to comment on why Roanoke was selected as the site of Gore's campaign appearance.
However, they're hoping that the former Tennessee senator tugs at regional loyalties in Western Virginia. During his own bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988, Gore's strongest showing in Virginia came west of the Blue Ridge.
Robb isn't the only Virginia Democrat that Gore will be trying to help during his visit.
Before arriving in Roanoke, Gore will stop in Charlottesville to make an appearance with Rep. L.F. Payne, D-Nelson County, who faces a re-election challenge from Republican George Landrith.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB