'Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Situation'

In 1976, Al Gore Jr. told his wife, Tipper, that he wanted to run for Congress. It changed their lives. Mrs. Gore recently spoke with Public Employee about her life, her family and the issues nearest her heart.

By Susan Ellen Holleran

It’s not far from Arlington, Va., to the Vice President’s residence at the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. Commuters cover the distance every day. But for Mary Elizabeth Aitcheson Gore, the trip has taken a lifetime.

Born on Aug. 19, 1948, she was nicknamed “Tipper” after a favorite nursery rhyme. She met Al Gore Jr. at his high school graduation dance in Washington, D.C. He called the next day, and they have been together ever since.

Both attended Boston-area colleges. They married right after her graduation.

Following his stint in the Army, they established their home in Tennessee. She worked as a photographer for the Nashville Tennesseean while studying at Vanderbilt University for her master’s degree in psychology. Photography has remained a passion: She carries her camera wherever she travels.

The Gores have been married 30 years and have four children: Karenna, Kristin, Sarah and Albert III. Last July 4th, when Karenna’s son, Wyatt, was born, they became grandparents.

In 1987, Mrs. Gore authored her first book: Raising PG Kids in an X-Rated Society; it created a controversy during Gore’s 1988 Presidential bid. Picture This: A Visual Diary, a personal presentation of life as the wife of the Vice President, was published in 1996. Her latest book, The Way Home: Ending Homelessness in America, appeared in 1999.

Mrs. Gore spoke with Public Employee at the Vice President’s residence, just after Super Tuesday’s primary-victory sweep.

PE: Mental health is one of your advocacy issues. Why is that a priority for you?

GORE: I majored in psychology and have a graduate degree in it. I grew up with a working mother who had depression at times. That’s probably one of the reasons I took up the issue.

More recently, I had my own personal experience with clinical depression [after young Albert was seriously injured in an auto accident]. I got treatment and was back to fully functioning in no time. It’s amazing what the medications and treatments — the science — has accomplished. I understand first-hand that mental illness is a physical illness, biologically based, yet discriminated against and stigmatized.

If you were sitting there with a broken arm, I’d say, “My goodness! We must get you right to a doctor.” But if someone has a biologically based brain disease — perhaps because it manifests itself through behavior — people are afraid to deal with it.

We need to fight for access to treatment and correct diagnosis for people of all ages. That means parity in health insurance. The groundswell of people demanding parity will make the ultimate difference. To me, if you have a mental illness and need treatment, it should be covered by your insurance company.

I am very pleased with some things we have accomplished in this administration. For example, we have a pilot program as part of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, giving parity to mental health coverage.

PE: Homelessness is an issue over which you have expressed deep concern. Why? Is there a specific incident that sparked that concern?

GORE: Back in the ’80s, when our children were young, they saw a woman on the street and asked, “What’s that woman doing?” I answered, “She’s talking to herself. She’s mentally ill.” When they asked where she was going to live, I said, “She probably lives there on the street.” The children were concerned about who was going to take care of her. They asked if we could take her home. I told them I was not equipped to do that.

That night, we talked about it at dinner. Al was hearing reports about homelessness from his district offices in Tennessee. He held a series of meetings all across the state to look at the depth of the problem. He co-sponsored the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, 1987.

I began Families for the Homeless to educate myself and other congressional spouses about the issue. I also wanted the children to take action since their feelings were so raw and so compassionate about that woman’s needs. I found a place where they could volunteer.

Ideally, I wanted everyone in the family to understand the issue and feel they could be part of a solution.

PE: Vice President Gore has made stronger statements on behalf of union organizing than any other Presidential candidate. What are your feelings on this subject, especially as it applies to women?

GORE: I have learned the value of unions from my husband. He has always been very strongly pro-union and pro-working families. In Tennessee — a right-to-work state — that was not easy.

We think it’s a fundamental right of the American worker to be able to join, to organize, to create unions. Unions are good for America. They’re good for women, for working families, for all of us. They bring attention to things that would not be dealt with otherwise like safety issues and having a living wage.

Unions are extremely important, particularly in fields like home care that are dominated by women. It’s good to see the organizing efforts there.

I also think unionizing is important for child care workers. We want to say we have the very best-qualified child care workers dealing with our children. If we’re going to do that, we have to make sure that they’re paid a good wage.

Pensions for women is also an area that concerns both Al and me. It has been overlooked and neglected except where unions have taken it up.

PE: What issues will you focus on as First Lady?

GORE: I will be working on the same issues I always have, advocating for parity and education on mental health issues, against homelessness and hunger.

In addition, I feel strongly about pay equity. Having seen the great change from my grandmother’s generation to what my own children and grandson will experience, I think it’s important that women be treated completely equally.

PE: What have your own background and your experiences in bringing up your family taught you about the needs of working families?

GORE: We have had some experiences similar to everyone else’s. We are ordinary people in an extraordinary situation. We’re all juggling [because of] the lack of time. We want to spend more time with our families. Everyone’s stressed.

We should, as a society, look at ways to alleviate that stress. We can do that with Family and Medical Leave — and the extension the President has proposed. We can ask more employers to implement it in good faith so people can continue working their job and — if they need to — take time for a child or an adoption or an elderly parent.

There are not enough hours in the day to accomplish everything one wants to in terms of the job, the interpersonal relationship, the good parenting.

In our own case, just as in other families, things come up. Take my son’s injury. [When it occurred,] I had a huge commitment, and Al had a huge commitment: people expecting us, plans laid, work. But one of us had to stay home with Albert. I decided I would do it.

When an emergency strikes, you go to your neighbor or to your supervisor or co-worker. You make adjustments and tradeoffs.

We need to do what we can to make life more livable and less stressed for people. These are the real issues of this new millennium.

PE: What is life like on the campaign trail? Can you share some highs and lows?

GORE: It has mainly been highs. I enjoy campaigning very much. I’ve been in many, many states and in large cities and small communities. I’ve been to house parties in New Hampshire, stayed overnight with a farm family in Iowa, walked through state fairs. People have been extremely civil and friendly. Most of them were for Al. But even if they weren’t, they were very, very gracious.

I have liked meeting people, listening to them, talking about Al and his campaign and the issues about which I feel very passionately and very deeply.

The downside simply is being away from home more than I would like. That’s the hardest part. But our family is very closely knit and very supportive of each other. We stay in touch. That helps.

PE: Do you have any thoughts you would like to share with AFSCME members across the country?

GORE: Yes. I would like to say, “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! And then another thank you!”

AFSCME members have been tremendous. I’ve seen them everywhere. They believe in the same things we do. Al’s the messenger, and he’s able to carry the message. But we can’t do it without our friends.

AFSCME people were there from the beginning. They have played a pivotal role in the election process so far. I am really in awe of their knowledge of how to work politically — whether in a primary or a caucus. They bring other people into the system and excite them about politics. That is important to a campaign.

I just can’t say enough good things about AFSCME and its support, and how grateful we are to be working with you. We want to continue doing so on the issues that are so important to all of us.

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