Caroline Kennedy says Al Gore can continue her father's 'New Frontier'
LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- The staying power of the Kennedy name was on display again Tuesday, as members of one of America's most enduring political families took to the podium Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention.
Forty years ago, when Democrats last gathered in Los Angeles for their nominating convention, they chose a young John F. Kennedy, who beckoned America toward a "New Frontier" in his acceptance speech.
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Caroline Kennedy and Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, appear on the convention floor on the second day of the Democratic gathering in Los Angeles, Tuesday
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"Now it's time to prove that the New Frontier was not a place in time, but a timeless call," said his daughter, Caroline Kennedy, 42, as she addressed her first-ever political convention Tuesday.
As the last surviving child of the so-called Camelot era, Caroline invoked memories of her father, who was assassinated in 1963, as well as her uncle Robert Kennedy, assassinated in 1968, and her brother John Kennedy Jr., killed in 1999 in a plane crash.
She said hardly a day passed without someone telling her or her brother how their father changed his or her life, inspiring them to go into public service.
Caroline urged the delegates to work hard to help Vice President Al Gore create the "America of our ideals. Because, let me tell you, that somebody else's government is not what we want."
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Caroline Kennedy addresses the Democratic National Convention
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She said, "We need a president who will work to create an America where our parents and grandparents feel secure, our children are cared for, and Americans grow up believing that each one of us is necessary to make our democracy work."
But she said it was up to the voters to make it happen.
"It we want a Supreme Court that will protect the freedoms in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights -- including the right to privacy -- that will keep our personal financial and medical information from being up for grabs, and will guarantee our own reproductive decisions -- then it is up to us," she said.
She also recalled that she was present thanks to Al Gore's parents, who half a century ago had played matchmaker for her own parents.
Caroline introduced her uncle, Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy, as "a courageous fighter for working families; a voice for the elderly; a champion of all who have been left out, or locked out, of America's promise."
Sen. Kennedy said he was supporting Al Gore because the vice president's record proved he would not stop fighting until all Americans have high-quality, affordable health care.
"There is no Democratic or Republican way to heal a sick child. There is no Democratic or Republican way to make the right medical decision. No Democratic or Republican way to fight cancer, or ease the pain of HIV or AIDS," said the senator.
He also disputed Republican accusations at the GOP convention in Philadelphia that the Clinton-Gore administration coasted for eight years.
Sen. Kennedy said he and Gore worked with GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch to win health care coverage for 2 million children. The two Democrats also worked with former Sen. Nancy Kassebaum of the GOP to make sure families wouldn't lose health care if one parent changes a job.
Sen. Kennedy also said Gore would protect Medicare funds and would fight for prescription drug coverage for seniors.
"Fight for Al Gore because he is fighting for you," he told the crowd.
Earlier, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the lieutenant governor of Maryland, and her brother, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., told delegates that they were in Los Angeles as young children in 1960 to watch their uncle accept his party's nomination.
"We made history (in 1960) by summoning the best of our country, challenging Americans to serve," said Townsend. "This year, with renewed resolve, we'll make history again."
Townsend, a rising star in the party, got an extended and enthusiastic welcome from the delegates.
"Thanks to Bill Clinton and Al Gore, and the hard work and imagination of the American people, we've built the greatest era of growth ever," she said.
She also spoke of the need to make sure the benefits of technology are shared by rich and poor. And Gore, she said, was the man who would work "to extend the blessings of prosperity to every American."
Her 46-year-old brother, an environmentalist, said Gore understands the value of the country's natural resources.
"He knows that the Republican formula will produce an illusion of a prosperous economy, but that our children will pay for our joy ride and they will pay for it with denuded landscapes and poor health and huge clean-up costs that will amplify over time," Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said.
A member of the Kennedy political dynasty has spoken at every Democratic National Convention since 1956.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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Tuesday, August 15, 2000
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