2000 Democratic National Convention

The 2000 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention for the Democratic Party. The convention nominated Vice President Al Gore for President and Senator Joe Lieberman from Connecticut for Vice President. The convention was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California from August 14 to August 17, 2000. Gore accepted the presidential nomination on August 17, the final night of the convention. This was the second Democratic National Convention hosted by Los Angeles, the first being in 1960.

Site selection

The Staples Center was the site of the 2000 Democratic National Convention

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) initially invited 28 cities to bid for the convention. Nine cities submitted proposals, seven of which (Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New Orleans and Philadelphia) were visited by the DNC. Philadelphia withdrew its bid after being selected as the host of the 2000 Republican National Convention. Boston, Denver and Los Angeles were named as finalists. On March 15, 1999, the DNC announced Los Angeles as the site of the convention.^[1]

Convention

Notable speakers

The keynote speaker of the convention was Representative Harold Ford of Tennessee. Ford, who at 30 was at the time the youngest member of Congress, directed his speech towards younger voters, saying, "I also stand here representing a new generation, a generation committed to those ideals and inspired by an unshakable confidence in our future."^[2]

The highlight of the first night of the convention was a speech given by President Bill Clinton. Clinton noted his administration's accomplishments and praised Gore, saying that "You gave me that chance to turn those ideas and values into action, after I made one of the best decisions of my life: asking Al Gore to be my partner."^[3]

Other notable speakers included Gore's opponent for the Democratic nomination, Senator Bill Bradley, First Lady Hillary Clinton, Senators Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, Former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, and the Reverend Jesse Jackson.

Gore acceptance speech

Gore's acceptance speech focused on the future saying, "We're entering a new time, we're electing a new president, and I stand here tonight as my own man. I want you to know me for who I truly am." He mentioned President Clinton only once near the beginning of the speech. The speech was focused on issues: "I'm here to talk seriously about the issues. I believe people deserve to know specifically what a candidate proposes to do. I intend to tell you tonight. You ought to be able to know, and then judge for yourself."^[4]

Lieberman's acceptance speech

Vice-presidential nominee Lieberman invoked the spirit of John F. Kennedy in his speech, saying: "Tonight, I believe that the next frontier isn't just in front of us, but inside of us--to overcome the differences that are still between us, to break down the barriers that remain and to help every American claim the possibilities of their own lives."^[5]

Voting results

On the day before the convention started Bill Bradley released his delegates and directed them to vote for Gore. The votes of Bradley's delegates that declined to vote for Gore were registered as abstentions.

Actor Tommy Lee Jones, Gore's roommate in college, officially nominated the Vice President. Gore was nominated unanimously, and Senator Joe Lieberman was nominated as the party's candidate for Vice President by voice vote. During the roll-call vote for president, Florida's delegation was given the honor of putting Gore over-the-top as the official nominee.

Protests

Large scale, sometimes violent protests took place outside of the Staples Center as well as throughout downtown Los Angeles. Protest groups ranged from pro-life supporters, to homeless activists, to anti-globalization protestors, and anarchists. Out of increased fear after the surprise mass-protests at the 1999 "Battle for Seattle" WTO protests, media coverage and LAPD concern were heightened for the event.

Concerns were further raised when violent riots also broke out after the Los Angeles Lakers won the 2000 National Basketball Association Championship only a few months before the convention. Originally, a "Protest Zone" was designated a city block away from the Staples Center, but a court order forced the zone moved immediately adjacent to the arena, in a parking lot.

The protests became violent during the first evening of the convention, and many different protests, some orderly, some violent, took place over the full four days of the convention. There were numerous arrests, injuries and property damage, but the protests were less than originally feared. The band Rage Against The Machine played outside the convention showing its disdain of the policies being promoted inside the building.

After the convention

In November, Al Gore narrowly lost to Texas Governor George W. Bush in the general election having won the popular vote but losing the electoral vote in a decision handed down more than a month after the election by the Supreme Court.

References

External links

• Democratic Party Platform of 2000 at The American Presidency Project
• Gore Acceptance Speech at The American Presidency Project

Al Gore
45th Vice President of the United States (1993–2001) U.S. Senator from Tennessee (1985–1993) U.S. Representative from Tennessee (1977–1985) Born (1948-03-31)March 31, 1948
Politics	Electoral history Atari Democrat United States Senate elections, 1984 1990 Prevention of Genocide Act of 1988 1988 presidential campaign 1992 Democratic National Convention 1992 presidential election Vice Presidency 2000 presidential campaign Bush v. Gore
Environment	Global Marshall Plan Environmental activism Alliance for Climate Protection An Inconvenient Truth (film) "I Need to Wake Up" Live Earth
Technology	Role in information technology High Performance Computing Act of 1991 National Information Infrastructure Information superhighway The Superhighway Summit 24 Hours in Cyberspace NetDay Digital Earth Current TV
Recognition	Awards and honors
Books	Earth in the Balance An Inconvenient Truth The Assault on Reason Our Choice
Family	Tipper Gore (wife, separated) Karenna Gore (daughter) Kristin Gore (daughter) Albert Gore Sr. (father) Pauline LaFon Gore (mother)