Divisions in the Democratic party and liberals' dissatisfaction with the Clinton-Gore record only spell more trouble for the vice president in the year 2000. Perhaps no issue demonstrates the divide between New Democrats and liberals than the issue of trade. Traditional Democrats such as Representative Dick Gephardt predicted they would threaten American workers and the environment. The deal is highly unpopular among blue-collar workers and union members. Gephardt has received ovations for speaking out against the pact, while the best Gore can hope for from these groups is a polite audience.
Environmentalists also have every reason to be frustrated with the vice president.
In 1992 Clinton chose Gore as his running mate largely to appease the environmental community dissatisfied with Clinton's record as governor. Indeed, the administration's greatest environmental achievement has been saving existing laws from the jaws of an anti-environment, Republican Congress. Gore even visited Japan to pour cold water on ambitious European efforts to combat global warming. If Congress fails to pass the Kyoto accords, the Clinton-Gore environmental record will be a disaster. Gephardt has also heard the conservative credo of massive IRS overhaul.