Rep. Ford keynotes Democratic National Convention

Rep. Ford keynotes Democratic National Convention

U.S. Rep. Harold E. Ford Jr. (D-Tenn.), described by Vice President Al Gore as a 30-year-old "rising star" of the party, keynoted the Democratic National Convention that kicked off Monday in Los Angeles.

He'll represent an array of diversity that Democratic presidential hopeful Gore says is reflective of the more than 5,000 delegates who will attend the convention.

Gore said it will be a sharp contrast to the Republican National Convention, where 91 percent of the delegates were mostly white men and the entertainers mostly people of color. Inclusion of all ethnic groups and gender will be visible throughout and on all levels of the convention, he said.

Ford, Gore said, "is a rising star of the Democratic Party. He is a young but proven leader on issues including education and healthcare and exemplifies the positive vision our party has for the future."

Ford, who was first elected at the age of 26 in 1996, will keynote the convention on August 15.

The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. also said he's proud of the diversity. He too will be speaking on Tuesday and said it will clearly show the American electorate the difference between the Gore/Lieberman vs. Bush/Cheney agenda and philosophy on racial and gender inclusion.

Chinta Strausberg

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