Such intimate involvement with the lobbyist community was deemed crucial for business and computer interests, which stand to lose billions of dollars should Y2K glitch-related lawsuits strike in the new millennium. The Y2K liability issue, in fact, has drawn the ire of Democrats, who have faced a tough choice between a core constituency, the trial lawyers, and a constituency they have been aggressively courting, Silicon Valley. The high-tech sector, long viewed as a growing donor base for Democrats, called for Vice President Al Gore and other Democratic leaders to take an aggressive stand on liability limits. The measure posed a genuine conflict, as many Democratic lawmakers maintained strong ties with both trial lawyers and the booming high-tech sector. The high-tech sector, meanwhile, was more evenly mixed.
Democrats genuinely care about.
Democrats, in response, have criticized the GOP for abusing the high-tech community in the effort to inflict political damage on its party. At press time, the Senate had not set any date for reconsideration of the bill. Meanwhile, the House, voting largely along party lines, approved its version of the Y2K liability measure. However, President Clinton has vowed to veto the measure.