The view from Nashville: Gore's home stands by its man

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- This is a city that is being afforded quite a bit of political attention lately. While the majority of bumper stickers on the cars parked along the few streets in downtown Nashville have taken the high road and chosen religion over politics -- "Jesus is Lord" is a favorite -- many "Gore 2000" stickers can be seen, as well as the occasional "Bush-Cheney." Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore has his headquarters here and labor unions throughout the city are going door to door today to get out the vote. About 150 fire fighters -- decked in bright yellow T-shirts sporting the message "Fire Fighters for Gore" -- held a rally last night, just blocks from the scaffolding and power cables marking the location of Gore's election night party. Gore, in a way, can lay the same claim to Nashville that country music has -- despite polls suggesting that the race is far from certain in Tennessee, Nashville is, on the whole, Gore's city. Most citizens here feel a kind of pride in Gore, a native Tennesseean who represented the state in the House of Representatives and later the Senate. And when Gore became vice president in 1992, Tennessee helped Bill Clinton claim victory against former President George Bush. "I think he's doing pretty well here," said Jonna Laidlaw, 42, a clinical worker who lives in Nashville. "[Gore's] made an effort to come back here and keep up communication." Laidlaw's husband, Brian, 43, agreed, but reiterated what the polls have been saying: Just because Nashville supports Gore, does not mean that the whole state backs him. Instead, Tennessee is a toss-up state, where Gore is running slightly behind Republican George W. Bush. According to the latest Mason-Dixon poll, Bush has a four percentage point advantage, with a four point margin of error. "I don't think it's decided yet," Laidlaw said. "Gore is from this part of the state, but Knoxville and Chattanooga are more Republican," he added, pointing out the difference of opinion in the more conservative eastern part of the state. But while those in Knoxville may be rooting for Bush, here in the center part of the state Gore is the talk of the town. Even 8-year-old Roni McNeer cast a vote for Gore -- in her school's mock-election, despite a confession that she had no idea why. Her parents, Angee, 29, and Wade Shoemaker, 38, however, crystallized the issues that led them to support Gore. "Bush has vetoed every bill that fire fighters have worked for," said Wade Shoemaker, a Nashville fire fighter for nine years. "Gore has been a strong supporter of fire fighters." "And the union as well," Angee Shoemaker added. The Shoemakers were among those at the rally, organized by the International Association of Fire Fighters, a branch of the American Federation of Labor. "He's for the working man," said Jim Foster, business agent for the local plumbers and pipe-fitters union, explaining his reasons for voting for Gore. Added John Marore, a 45-year-old fire fighter, "I'm certainly impressed with Gore's experience, especially his intelligence." Even though Gore has the support of local laborers, he still has his work cut out for him in the rest of the state. In Brentwood, a high-income community outside of Nashville, rows and rows of Bush-Cheney lawn signs dot the neighborhood. And Tennessee has a Republican governor, two Republican senators and a mostly GOP delegation in the House. But in the capital of the state, Gore is popular with average citizens. "He's from here, he visits often and he keeps in touch with everyone," 28-year-old Jennifer Jones said.

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