Tipper Gore

Today Tipper Gore does Oprah. On Tuesday, Hillary Rodham Clinton stepped before television cameras to effusively proclaim Al Gore as her husband's worthiest successor. The one-two punch is no coincidence. Polls suggest that the vice president is not connecting very well with women--a key voting bloc in next year's election.

Call it Al Gore's "living room" strategy. Dogged by an image as a stiff Ken doll, the vice president is launching a charm offensive. By presenting himself in small, informal settings such as living rooms, diners and jogging trails, the vice president hopes to demonstrate that he can empathize with common folk--one key to his electability as president.

With her foot tapping and head bobbing, Tipper Gore looked ready to jump out of her seat and start playing with the jazz musicians performing Tuesday at Locke High School. But Gore, who belonged to her high school band and still keeps a drum kit at home, was here to promote classroom jazz programs sponsored by the nonprofit Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. Joined by former Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Thelonious Monk Jr.

A single line in Vice President Al Gore's highly detailed, 34-page federal tax return, which was released publicly Monday, is transforming a yawner of a story into something awkward for a political leader who wants to be the next president. It is the $353 Gore and his wife, Tipper, reported as gifts to charity last year on a return that shows adjusted gross income of $197,729.

Vice President Al Gore acknowledged Sunday a "miscommunication" in leading reporters to believe he and his wife were the model for the '70s romance novel "Love Story." The author, Erich Segal, told the New York Times he was "befuddled" by the comments. He said he called Gore, who told him it was a misunderstanding. On Sunday, Gore spokeswoman Ginny Terzano borrowed a line from the book in apologizing.

President Clinton celebrated the signing of the balanced-budget law by enjoying a rare evening out Tuesday, listening to singer Kim Richey at a country music club in Alexandria. Clinton and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, accompanied by Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper Gore, sat directly in front of the stage at the Birchmere club, enjoying a big meal of burgers, pizzas and other traditional American fare.

As U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson's investigative committee prepares to open hearings on the fund-raising scandals of the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton-Gore campaign, Democrat presidential aspirants will be watching warily. And that brings to mind Vice President Albert Gore. Excuse me, but am I the only one for whom the sight of Al Gore conjures up the word "doofus"? Maybe it's the woodenness that gives robotics a bad name. Could you pick him out in a telephone pole factory?

When House and Senate committees conduct hearings on campaign finance abuses later this year, their main focus will be the Clinton presidential campaign of 1996. But Republican congressional leaders also have another target in mind: the Gore presidential campaign of 2000.

The juncture of politics and money affords a place at the table for anyone who can fork over the maximum contribution allowed by federal law of $1,000 per candidate per political season. Like other women lured by the contacts and inspired by opportunity to affect policies via the back room, I've put together a number of these tables.