ON THE RECORD: Tipper Gore

Power & Poise Power & PoiseTipper Gore is the wife of Vice President Al Gore and the Mental Health Advisor to President Bill Clinton. A long-time advocate of children's issues, Mrs. Gore entered the political arena in the 1980's with her campaign to put warning labels on music albums containing explicit violent or sexual lyrics. Summer Pennsylvanian: As wife of the vice president you have a larger public forum than ever before. How did you come to stress issues of mental health rather than the warning label issues you concentrated on prior to your husband's election? Tipper Gore: Well, number one, the warning label issue was settled satisfactorily. The record companies said that they would voluntarily put the warning labels on and they've been doing that since what, 1989? Anyway, a long time ago -- years now. So that was what we wanted and we're very happy with that. Number two, through those years, I was also an advocate for mental health -- more mental health, community-based mental health, and especially services for children at risk and homeless people. But you're right, I have a very nice forum now as wife of the vice president to be able to speak about these issues, and also as the mental health advisor to the president. SP: Living in Philadelphia, we are familiar with many of the issues concerning homelessness. Do you think that tackling issues of mental health is a means to end or help end homelessness? TG: I think it will help it, yes. First of all, if you extend health care -- if this health care reform is passed by Congress -- then in President Clinton's plan, every single American will have health care, and that includes homeless people who right now feel that they don't have any access to health care. So it overlaps. Number two -- this is also an issue I've been involved with for a long, long time, and I'm very excited about the President's Inter-Agency Council Report on Homelessness that was released last week in Washington. Because what it has is the Veteran's Department, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development all working together across the agencies in a cooperative way to begin to solve the problem of homeless people. Because instead of taking that fragmented approach where one little piece of the homeless people's problem goes under this department and one little piece goes here, they're cutting across that. And it's cutting the red tape and saying we're going to take a look at this and solve it. So with that initiative and health care, I think that would go a long way toward making a dent and really caring for people who are homeless. I think we need to look at it that way instead of just reducing numbers. I mean, these are human beings that are out there -- a lot of them veterans, a lot of them mentally ill, a lot of them substance abusers, yes, but they need help. SP: Considering your prior interest in warning labels, do you feel that explicit warning lyrics affect children's mental health? TG: Well, yes. I think that anything you expose yourself to repeatedly is going to affect you, and certainly auditory and visual images can be very powerful. And ones that are particularly explicit about women -- I mean, let's be quite frank. We're talking about lyrics which glorify rape, abuse, have very explicit language and sometimes with cover art that shows that sort of thing. I thought that it was important that consumers know, and that parents of younger children in particular know. And I think that older kids, teenagers, can reject it hopefully themselves or buy it knowingly. I think that it is a public health issue. It's not the only one -- it's a component. But I don't think we need to glorify violence, particularly violence against women in our society. I think it's very unhealthy. SP: How has being a vice president's wife been different from being a senator's wife, and how do you think your role differs from that of First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton? TG: My life is very different from the way it was before, I can say that. It's gone to a whole different level of daily operations. You also have the expanded opportunity to affect things for the good -- I certainly hope so. It's a great honor. At first I felt very humbled -- and I still do when I think about the fact that I'm in this position, that I can have this kind of impact on these issues. I like working with Mrs. Clinton very much -- we're the same generation and I admire her. I think that the First Lady of the United States of America is a very powerful position, and maybe someday it will be "First Spouse!" Who knows? What I mean is that it's just inherently a terrific and respected platform, and I think she's doing an excellent job. SP: On a lighter note, what did you think about your husband appearing in People magazine as one of the "Most Beautiful People" in the country? TG: I thought that the secret was finally out! SP: What do you think your role and your husband's role will be at the turn of the century? Will you ever fill the shoes of the First Lady? TG: I am not into predicting the future. I have no idea. I can tell you that we're very content and honored to be where we are right now. My husband is able to work on issues that he has felt very strongly about and that he's worked on in the Senate on an even greater level and with more impact. And I feel the same way, so we're very happy with this responsibility that's been entrusted to us by the American people, and we want to just keep doing a good job.