Prior to a surprise appearance from Vice President Al Gore at Wednesday night's Democratic National Convention, Gore's running mate, Joseph Lieberman, stressed that despite Republican attempts to "walk and talk a lot like" Democrats, there are distinctive differences between the two parties.
Lieberman blasted Texas Governor George W. Bush's record in Texas on issues such as health care and the environment.
"I'm sad to say that in Texas, the quality of air and water is some of the worst in America," he said.
Lieberman also criticized Bush's plans for education.
"Sometimes it seems to me like their idea of school modernization means buying a new calendar for every building," Lieberman said.
As many of the other democratic speakers at this convention have done, Lieberman also accused the GOP of having a staged and extremely rehearsed convention.
The Democratic National Convention "may be near Hollywood, but not since Tom Hanks won an Oscar has there been that much acting in Philadelphia," he said.
Liberman said he believes that only Gore has both the record and the ability to keep America on the road to prosperity.
"It's this simple -- We Democrats will expand the prosperity, [Republicans] will squander it," he said.
Through his speech, Lieberman also tried to appeal to many African American voters that may have been disillusioned by Gore's selection of a Jewish running mate.
Despite endorsements from black leaders such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson some believe that members of the black community might not vote Democratic with a Jewish vice presidential candidate on the ticket.
But in last night's speech, Lieberman attempted to reach out to black voters by chronicling a portion of his crusade for Civil Rights in the 1960's.
"I walked with Martin Luther King in the March on Washington," he said. "I went to Mississippi where we worked to register African Americans to vote."
In a further attempt to woo black voters, black Congressman John Lewis (GA) introduced and endorsed Lieberman in his convention speech last night.
Black "have more bridges to cross and we need a man like Joe Lieberman to walk with us," Lewis said.
Besides alienating the black vote, it was also thought that Lieberman's harsh stance against violence on the silver screen might disillusion Democratic supporters based in Hollywood.
Director Rob Reiner assured the public that he and other Hollywood stars fully endorse the Gore-Lieberman ticket.
But while Reiner believes that Hollywood does have a responsibility for the images it produces, the public should not lay the blame for crime in America "at the feet of Hollywood."
Besides Lieberman, last night's parade of speakers also featured Congressman Richard Gephardt and Karenna Gore Schiff. The night's events culminated in the roll call of the states and official presidential nomination for Gore.
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