Chat Transcript: Arianna Huffington

Aug. 17 -- Campaign finance reform, the war on drugs and poverty in America: Arianna Huffington is determined to bring some difficult political issues out of the shadows.

Huffington is one of the lead organizers of the Shadow Conventions, which have paralleled this year's Democratic and Republican Conventions. The Shadow Conventions are an attempt, say its participants, to focus attention on issues the major parties have neglected, and to offer serious discourse on these issues instead of what organizers call the "pre-programmed live infomercials" presented by the other parties' conventions. Look below for a transcript of the chat.

ABCNEWS' Bettina Gregory at 6:43pm ET

Welcome, Arianna Huffington, to ABCNEWS.com. Thanks for joining us. You've had a chance to observe both conventions. Which party has put on a better show?

Arianna Huffington at 6:44pm ET

Really, I think both parties have put on floor shows rather than political conventions, and that's unfortunate because as a result, millions of eligible voters, especially young people, are dropping out of politics. The turnout in November is expected to be the lowest ever.

That's the reason why six blocks from here at Patriotic Hall we have been holding a Shadow Convention to address three critical, urgent issues that are not being seriously addressed here, nor were they being seriously addressed in Philadelphia. They are: the corruption of money in politics, the persistence of poverty in the middle of our prosperity and the failed drug war that neither nominee is willing to address.

ABCNEWS' Bettina Gregory at 6:46pm ET

There's a lot riding on Al Gore's speech tonight. What must he accomplish? What can he do to set the tone for the rest of the campaign?

Arianna Huffington at 6:48pm ET

It would be great if he did something unexpected — something that showed real leadership, that pushed the envelope.

If, for example, he decided to speak out against the drug war — the casualties, the 400,000 nonviolent drug offenders that it has produced — if he asked for legislative changes in mandatory minimums, just as one example, he would be demonstrating the kind of leadership that people question whether he has.

It would be taking a risk, and he would probably be terrified that he would be seen as soft on crime.