PERSONALITY PROFILE
They
Relate
The Democratic and Republican parties are relying on a pair of secret weapons to
make you vote next week: George R Bush and Karenna Gore. Bush, known as "P,"
(for Prescott) and Karenna, the oldest Gore daughter, have shouldered the burden of
inspiring young, mostly apathetic, voters to get involved—and in the process, vote for
their respective relative.
Both Karenna, 27, and George R, 24, have made media waves in the 2000 presiden
tial campaign as much for their good looks as for their political clout.
George P. Bush
George P. Bush is the son of Florida Governor Jeb Bush, the
nephew of Texas Governor and would-be president George W.
Bush, and the grandson of former president George Bush. In
short, he's no stranger to politics. "P,” as he is known, has hit the
campaign trail many times in the past, but this year he helps with
two things uncle George Dubya can’t live without—both the
Latino and the Gen Y vote,
crucial factors in the elec
tion. George P.’s mother,
Columba, is a native of
Mexico, a circumstance
both nephew and uncle
aren't shy about sharing.
"I think that because of
my age and because of my
Latin heritage I can reach
out to groups that—let's
De nonest—tne
Republican Party has not
always reached out to," George R has said.
The heir to the Bush dynasty and one of
People magazine’s Sexiest Bachelors has been
stumping for his uncle since the New
Hampshire primaries last winter, making
speeches and starring in television ads sprin
kled with Spanish.
R isn’t big on political specifics. His focus
is exhorting young voters, particularly college
students, to cast a ballot in November.
"As a member of our generation, if there’s
one major objective ot mine, it is to reverse the trend of younger
people not hitting the polls," says George R, who was selected as the
youth chairman of the Republican National Convention in
Philadelphia this year.
School: Private high school in Coral Gables, Fla., graduated from
Rice University, where he was a history major.
First Job: Teaching at a public high school for at-risk, low-income
students in Miami.
Most recent job: Legal assistant at a top Los Angeles law firm.
Future Plans: Law school at UT-Austin. While he hasn’t ruled out a
future in politics entirely, he says it seems unlikely right now.
Political Catch Phrase: Compassionate conservatism: the idea
that George W. pairs a conservative mind with a compassionate
heart. •
Karelina Gore Schiff
She's her daddy's girl, all right, but not in any way you’d
expect. Karenna Core, 27, has stepped into the limelight dur
ing her father's campaign for President and proven herself to be
talented, politically savvy and extremely motivated. She second
ed his nomination at this summer’s Democratic National
Convention and became the first child of a candidate to speak at
AP Photo/Eric Draper
the convention. And she’s going after young voters.
"I think our generation is really independent
minded and wants objective information, doesn't
want to just toe the party line," she said. "And
sometimes in our political culture there’s a lot of
rhetoric and you can’t see the contrasts clearly."
Karenna heads up GoreNet
(algore.com/gorenet), the Gore program to reach #
first-time voters and educate them on the issues.
With Rebecca Lieberman, Joe Lieberman's daughter, ,
she's participated in round table discussions at ^
AP Photo/Ron Edmonds
Michigan State, University
of Wisconsin-Madison,
Missouri and Southern
Illinois University.
Ever since childhood,
Karenna has immersed her
self in her father's political
world. While she was a stu- *
dent at Harvard she began 0
editing her father’s
speeches, and continues to
do so to this day. She also
offers both praise and
shrewd analysis after each political event, TV or radio broadcast
that Al Gore has participated in.
School: B.A. from Harvard, majored in literature and American
history; graduated from Columbia Law School this past year.
Family: Married to Dr. Andrew Schiff, a NY physician. Son, Wyatt,
was born on July 4, 1999.
Fundraising history: To raise money for her high school student
government, she wrestled a pig into the backseat of a car and
set up a raffle for which teacher would have to kiss it.
Debate lines: At 22, she came up with the catch phrase of the
Kemp-Gore VP debate in 1996. Said Gore to Kemp: "If you
won’t use any football stories, I won't tell any warm and humor
ous stories about chlorofluorocarbon abatement." •