[applause] and retired feiss admiral james stockdale, the Vice President ial nominee to independent candidate ross perot. Now the ground rules for tonights debate each candidate will have two minutes for an Opening Statement. I will present the issues to be discussed. For each topic, candidates will have one minute and 15 seconds to respond, followed by a fiveminute discussion in which they can ask questions of each other if they so choose. The order of response has been determined by a drawing, and we will rotate with each topic. At the end of the debate, each two minutesll have for a closing statement. Our radio and tv audience should know the candidates were given an equal allocation of auditorium space for their supporters, so i would like to ask the audience in the theater to refrain from applause or partisan demonstration once the debate is under way because it takes attention away from the candidates. With that plea from your lets turn first to senator gore for his Opening Statement. Senator gore its great to be here in atlanta where america will be showcased to the world when the 1996 olympics are put on here. It is appropriate because in a real sense, our discussion this evening will be about what kind of nation we want to be four years from now. It is also a pleasure to be with my two opponents this evening. Admiral stockdale, may i say it is a special honor to share this stage with you . Those of us who served in vietnam looked at you like a National Hero even before you one the congressional medal of honor. Mr. Vice president dan, if i may it was 16 years ago that you and i went to congress on the very first day together. I will make you a deal this evening if you dont try to compare george bush to harry truman, i wont compare you to jack kennedy. The last time someone compare themselves to jet kennedy . Remember what they said . Gore harry truman assumed the presidency when Franklin Roosevelt died here in georgia. Only one of the many occasions thrust a vices president into office, but our real discussion will be about change. Bill clinton and i stand for change because we do not believe our nation can stand for more years of what we have had under george bush and dan quayle. When the recession came, they were like a deer caught in headlights, paralyzed into in action, blinded to the suffering people who were unemployed. We have a Health Insurance crisis, substandard education. It is time for a change. Bill clinton and i want to get our country moving forward again, put our people back to work, and create a Bright Future for the United States of america. Mr. Bruno the next statement will be from Vice President quayle. Vice president quayle thank you for reminding me of my in the 1988 debate. Bill clinton will raise your taxes, increased spending, make government bigger. Jobs will be lost. Second, bill clinton does not have the strength, nor the character to be president of the United States. Agendas. Ok at the president bush wants to hold the line on taxes. Bill clinton once to raise taxes. President bush is for a balanced budget amendment. Bill clinton is against it. We want to reform the head care system the Health Care System. Bill clinton once to empower government. We want to empower people. In st. Louis, missouri of this year, bill clinton said this, america is the mockery of the world. He is wrong. In the next few years, there will be an International Crisis. I cannot tell you where it will be or the circumstances, that it will happen. We need a president that has the integrity to handle the crisis. The president has the integrity and the character. The choice is yours. You need to have a president you can trust. Can you really trust bill clinton . Hal admiral stockdale, your Opening Statement please . Vice admiral stockdale who am i . Why am i here . Im not a politician. Everybody knows that. Do not expect me to use the language of a washington insider. 37 years in the navy and only one of them in washington, and now, im an academic. The centerpiece of my life was the vietnam war. I was there the day it started. I led the first bombing raid against north vietnam. I was there the day it ended, and i was there for everything in between. 10 years in vietnam. Aerial combat and torture. I know things about the vietnam war better than anyone in the world. I know some things about the vietnam war that are than anyone in the world. I know how governments how american governments can be courageous and how they can be cowards. That is one thing im an expert on. I was a leader of the underground american pilots that were shot down in north vietnam. You should know that the american character displayed in those dungeons by those feynman fine men was a thing of beauty. I look back on those years as a beginning of wisdom. Learning everything a man can learn about vulnerabilities and strength that are ours as americans. Why am i here tonight . I am here because i have in my brain and in my heart what it takes to lead america through tough times. Hal thank you, admiral. I thought since you are running for Vice President. We ought to Start Talking about the vice presidency itself. The Vice President resigns over resides over the senate. He cast a deciding vote in case of a tie. Your role really does your role is really determined by the assignment you are given by the president. If the president is unable to serve or dies in office, the Vice President automatically becomes president. That has happened five times in this century. The proposition i put on the table for you to discuss if this what role of each of you like to play as Vice President . What areas interest you . What are your qualifications to serve as president , if necessary . We will start with Vice President quayle. I suppose you tell us the role you did play in the first term and what you would like to do in the second. Vice president quayle qualifications, i have been there hal. I have done the job. I have been tested. Senator gore referred to as being elected to congress together in 1976. I have done the job, and i have done many things as Vice President. Even as Vice President , you never know what exactly your role is going to be from time to time. Let me give you an example of when i was tested under fire. President bush was flying to malta in 1989 to meet with president gorbachev. It was their first meeting. A coup broke out in the philippines. I did go to the situation room, a symbol the president advisers, i made a recommendation to the president , and the president made a decision. The coup was suppressed, democracy was reinstated. I have been there. I will to you one of the things that qualifies you to be president. You have to stand up for what you believe in. Nobody has ever criticized me for not having strong beliefs. Hal admiral stockdale . Vice admiral stockdale my association with candidate perot is a close one. He has granted me total autonomy. I do not take advantage of it, but i am sure that he would make me a partner in decisions in making decisions about the way to handle health care and get this economy back on its feet again. I have not had the experiences of these gentlemen. I know i have his trust. I intend to act in a way to keep that situation a lot. Alive. Thank you. Hal senator gore. Senator gore bill clinton and i understand cooperation and partnership. If we are elected, we will Work Together to put our country on the right side again. The experience that Vice President quayle is talking about includes the worst employment numbers since the great recession. Unemployment is up. Personal income is down. Bankruptcies are of. Housing starts are down. How long can we continue with trickledown economics when the record of failure is so abundantly clear . Discussions of the vice presidency tend to focus on crisis is in which the Vice President is thrust into the oval office. Indeed, one third of the Vice President s that have served have moved into the white house. The teamwork and partnership before hand hopefully the situation never happens, but how you Work Together never happens. The way we Work Together in the campaign is one example. In response to Vice President quayle, he spoke about malta in the philippines. George bush has concentrated on every other country in the world. When are you going to start worrying about our people here in the United States of america . [applause] hal again, i will ask the audience not to applause. It takes the time away from the candidates. Now i will allow time for discussion. Vice president quayle we have a plan to create new jobs. That was not the question though. The question was qualifications. Teamwork and Partnership May be fine in compromise. Congress. However, when you are president of the United States, or when you are Vice President and you have to fill in the night of the crisis in the philippines, you have to make decisions and make up your mind. Bill clinton running for president of the United States said this about the persian gulf war. He said, had i been in the senate, i would have voted with the majority, but i agreed with the argument of the minority. You cannot have it both ways. You have to make a decision. You cannot sit there in an International Crisis and say, on the one hand this is ok, and on the other hand this is ok. President bush has been tested, he has the experience, he has the integrity to be our president for the next term. Hal admiral stockdale, it is your turn to respond. Vice admiral stockdale ive that this is was desk without this was an open thing, and people could jump in whenever they want i thought this was an open thing, and people could jump in whenever they want to. Senator gore im happy to jump in any time. Hal i wanted to allow admiral stockdale some time. Senator gore i will let you guys figure out some things here. However, i won an answer to my question about when you are going to start worrying about the American People. We have been listening to trickledown economics for about 12 years now. You will still support trickledown to the very last drop. That point of concentrating on every other country in the world as opposed to the people of our country right here at home when george bush took baker out of the state department and put him in charge of the campaign and made him chief of staff in the white house, mr. Baker said that for these last four years george bush was working on the problems of the rest of the world. In the next four years, he would target america. We really appreciate that, but bill clinton and i will target america from day one. We will not wait for years before we concentrate on the problems in this country. He went on to say that it is really amazing what george bush can do when he concentrates. It is time we have a president like bill clinton who can concentrate and work on the problems of real people in this country. Our country has been troubled. We simply cannot continue with this philosophy of giving huge tax cuts to the very wealthy, raising taxes on middle income families, and then waiting for it to work. How much longer will it take for trickledown economics to work . Vice president quayle we will have plenty of time to talk about trickle down the government, which you are for. The question that you have failed to address is why no clinton is qualified to be why bill clinton is qualified to be president of the United States. You have talked about the economy, york talked about trickledown economics senator gore i would be happy to answer. Vice president quayle i would like to go back and make a point. Senator gore i would like to answer the question, but Vice President quayle let me repeat it for you. Here is what he said senator gore are you asking question or making a statement . Vice president quayle i am making a statement and then asking a question. Here is what bill clinton said. If it was a close vote, i would vote for the majority. However, i agreed with the minority. I hope the people of america are listening very closely to this debate. Vice admiral stockdale i think the nation right now is seeing why this nation is in gridlock. [applause] vice admiral stockdale the trickledown and the tax plans are charge points. We cannot get this economy going. Over here, we have dan whose president is going to take eight used to balance the budget. On my left, the senator who is going to get halfway balanced in four years. Ross perot has a plan to balance the budget five years in length from start to finish. People of the nonprofessional category you are just sick of this who are just sick of this terrible thing that has happened to the country, we have a man to fix it. I am working for it. Hal lets move on to the economy. Specifically, we spoke about the economy at great length in the president ial debates. Lets talk about a very particular aspect of the economy. That is getting people back to work. For the average people, they are losing their jobs in the recession. This means the loss of benefits, the loss of home, the destruction of the familys security. Specifically, how would your administration go about getting people back to work, and how long is it going to take . We start with admiral stockdale. Vice admiral stockdale the lifeblood of our economy is investment. Right now, when you borrow 350 billion a year, it saps the money markets and the private investors are not getting their share. What we do is work on that budget by an Aggressive Program not a painful program so we can start borrowing less money and get more money on the streets or entrepreneurs. Maybe we will then start manufacturing goods in this country again. That is my answer. Hal senator gore . Senator gore bill clintons top priority is getting americans back to work. We will create good, high wage jobs for our people. The same way that he has done in his state. He has created highway manufacturing jobs at 10 times the national average. According to the statistics from the bush quayle label Department Labor department, bill clinton has been number one among the top 50 in the creation of jobs in the private sector. It is the first time in the presidency since Herbert Hoover that we have gone for a for fouryear periods for a four year period where we have less jobs at the end of the time that we did at the start. They have even, we learned two weeks ago, taken our tax dollars and subsidized the moving of u. S. Factories to Foreign Countries. Do not deny it, because 60 minutes and nightline and the nations newspapers have invested this investigated this very closely. When are you going to stop using our tax dollars to shut down american factories and move them to Foreign Countries . Hal Vice President quayle . Vice president quayle dont always believe what you see on television. The media has been wrong for. We have never subsidized any company to move from the United States to latin america. You know full well the caribbeanbased initiative. You supported that. Senator gore i voted against that. Vice president quayle you voted for it. We will have a of interesting debates after this, and our people would be glad to furnish the press with senator gores voting record. You talk about the trickledown economics and all this. The worst economy since Herbert Hoover well, it is a tough economy. What are you going to do about it . Your proposal is to raise 250 billion in taxes. How is raising taxes going to help Small Businesses . Hows it going to help the farmer . Hows it going to help the consumers of america . I submit to you that raising taxes would make matters much, much worse. Hal it is now open for discussion. Admiral stockdale, it is your turn to start the discussion. Vice admiral stockdale we have to clean out the barn if i may quote up quote my boss. We have to start getting this investment money on the streets so that we can encourage entrepreneurs to build factories. The program is out there. It is a put together thing that requires some sacrifice, but not excessive. We are learning to move forward at a fiveyear clip to put as back where we can start over and get this nation straightened out. Hal senator gore . Senator gore the difference between the Perot Stockdale plan and the clintongore plan is that the ross perot plan focuses exclusively on balancing the budget. The danger is if that is the only goal, it could throw our nation back to an even worse recession . Bill clinton and i have a detailed fiveyear budget plan to create good jobs, cut the budget deficit by half, and illuminate the investment deficit in order to get our economy moving forward again. We have a 20 billion Infrastructure Fund to create a nationwide network of high speed rails. What are called, information superhighways which will create a new world of knowledge for our students and companies. We also have tax incentives for investment in job creating activities. Not the kind of encouragement for shortterm ripoffs like the proposals we have had from george bush. I want to return and say one more time. You have used our tax dollars to subsidize the recruitment of u. S. Companies to move overseas and put our americans out of work. In decatorsville, tennessee, a factory was shut down. Their