Photo by Dennis B. Doris, Jr.

Former Nevada Gov. Robert Miller

The former Democratic governor of Nevada, Robert Miller, told convention delegates that GCIU members and all working Americans must take responsibility for electing Vice Pres. Al Gore as the next president of the United States.

Paraphrasing U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, Miller said: "The credit belongs to the man or woman who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat." He added:

"Those are the ones that count. In this campaign, we are those people. We are the ones who will make this decision. We are the ones who will elect Al Gore. And, in the end, we are the ones that will count when the important decisions about the future of our nation must be made."

Miller said that, as a member of the House, U.S. senator and as U.S. vice president, "Al Gore . . . has dared greatly, striven valiantly, and he has faced head-on the issues most important to today's American family."

Gore "has brought your fight to the forefront of the political process," Miller said. "He has created an environment where working in the graphics, printing, publishing, and packaging industry, as well as thousands of other industries, can grow and flourish."

Miller compared the record of Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush as governor of Texas to Al Gore's record as vice president of the United States.

Miller said that, in Texas, nearly 28 percent of children live below the poverty line and nearly 30 percent are without health insurance.

Texas ranks in the bottom 10 states in hourly earnings for production workers and in the number of adults holding high school diplomas.

"If we can't count on George W. Bush to successfully govern one state, how can we expect him to head an entire nation?" Miller said to delegates' applause.

In contrast, Miller said, "Al Gore has helped lead the longest peacetime economic expansion in U.S. history. And what that has meant for us is more than 118 million jobs, over 2.2 million small businesses, the largest budget surplus in history, and the highest home ownership rate ever."

"There is no downside to the past eight years," Miller said. "Under the direction of the Democratic Party and Al Gore, we have propelled our America to the forefront of global leadership."

"And my hope and his hope is to continue this prosperity and growth well into the next century," Miller said.