Bush Courts Women's Vote
— -- Finding himself on the wrong side of a gender gap in the polls, George W. Bush visited Oprah Winfrey’s talk show in search of more votes from women.
By Peter DizikesABCNEWS.comSept. 19— Hoping to win over women voters, Texas Gov. George W.
Bush visited Oprah Winfrey’s popular talk show today as part of a weeklong effort to gain middle-class and female support.
The Republican presidential nominee, trailing Democrat Al Gore in many national polls, is touring swing states and making a concerted effort to close a gender gap that has grown in his opponent’s favor.
Bush answered questions from Winfrey on topics ranging from the death penalty to his favorite song, and talked about education and the record of Texas schools during his administration.
Asked by an audience member how she fit in to his vision of the country, Bush said: “You fit in by having a country that says the American dream is available to you. Doesn’t matter how you’re raised … I see America as a land of dreams and hopes.”
When asked by Winfrey — whose show is estimated to have 22 million weekly viewers, most of them female — why people should vote for him, Bush said he was a “proven leader” as governor of Texas, adding, “I would hope people look at my record on education, test scores for minorities that are some of best in nation, an agenda saying we’re going to elevate individuals and trust individuals for making decisions in own lives.”
Bush’s wife, Laura, watched the show from a restaurant across the street, along with female supporters sitting beneath a sign reading “W stands for women.”
But demonstrators gathered outside the TV studio where the show was taped, protesting Bush’s record on gun control and environmental issues, and calling for Winfrey to interview Green Party candidate Ralph Nader.
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