Spector of the Roundtable

By Erica J. Spector '04

Erica Spector '04 participated, along with a small group of eighteen- to twenty-five-year-olds, in a roundtable in New York City with Vice President Al Gore and his daughter Karenna Gore Schiff on September 14. The group discussed issues affecting young people, including health care and how to get youth more involved in politics. The dialogue was Webcast live and is still viewable at algore.com. The following is an account of her experience.

What do you say when you are offered the chance to speak with the vice president of the United States—sorry I can’t, I have to go to Italian class? I was posed this question, and I took the opportunity to meet Al Gore. Like any first-year MHC student, I was afraid to miss class in just the second week, but, I promised I would get all of my work done.

The night I was asked to be on the panel, I was overwhelmed. I didn’t want to sound like an idiot on national television. What would I ask? I had to have clearly thought-out questions. The only advice I received from friends and family was, “don’t say anything stupid” and “whatever you do, don’t forget to refer to him as Mr. Vice President.” People seemed to stress Mr. with such force, making Gore sound like a superhero.

I felt that I needed a briefing, so I emailed a friend’s political science professor, whom she described as “energetic and nice.” Indeed, Vincent Ferraro was enthusiastic about meeting with me and helped me realize that I should approach this experience with excitement, rather than nervousness.

After all of the prepping, I was finally ready. Three men in black—undoubtedly secret service, greeted me. I was escorted to the group of kids who were anxiously waiting to get this experience started. We chuckled tensely and spoke about our common bond—how we became involved, personal connections to the campaign. All of our names were submitted to the eastern coordinator for the vice president’s affairs because we were well-spoken, outgoing individuals. We were going to try to help Gore attract the votes of America’s youth by having him discuss issues that were pertinent to our lives. Once the press had interviewed us, we were hurried into Café Lalo—a posh, Italian-neighborhood hangout.

We sweated out the remainder of the time in designated chairs. Secret service agents hurried around. They were meticulous about where things went and how the event would happen. No surprises for them, they wanted to know everything from where the bottle of water would sit on the table to how Gore would walk from the door to his seat and place his microphone on his lapel. The Macy Grey CD must have played on repeat three times before the vice president and Karenna arrived.

Once they walked through the door, everything became surreal. Twenty extra cameramen walked in—Gore’s personal press corps. Two extra video cameras were brought in, and four additional police officers guarded the entrance to the small cafe. The only thing that seemed normal was the demeanor and conversation of Al Gore and Karenna, the vice-president’s extremely nice and level-headed daughter. All thoughts of Gore being a super untouchable power disappeared. We all introduced ourselves and began a very natural conversation.

Gore and Karenna asked us what our biggest concerns were, and everyone answered honestly and in a natural, though very rehearsed way. Topics such as jobs for students out of college, the allocation of government funds for programs, and the need for better health care were all discussed. Gore responded thoroughly and honestly to all questions. He gave his opinion on the topics at hand and on issues of concern to him, such as getting more youth interested in politics, safety for children, and supporting tax cuts for middle-class, working families.

Gore seemed genuinely interested in all of the topics under discussion, and the breadth of his knowledge of the issues was apparent. Overall, my afternoon in New York was extraordinarily exciting and memorable. Without a doubt, it was worth all the extra work I am now faced with as a firstie!