In this article: Birthdays Last week's Who's News Bonus links: Democratic convention celebs -- Actor Christopher Reeve -- "Hardball's" Chris Matthews -- ABC's Michel Martin Previously: GOP Movers and shakers GOP Convention report -- Interview: George W. Bush -- Interview: Al Gore

Karenna Gore Schiff, 27, the eldest of Vice President Al Gore's four children, joined her father's campaign to spearhead its youth efforts and has since been actively campaigning around the country to galvanize Gen-X, as well as Gen-Yers old enough to vote. A Columbia University law student and new mother (she has a 1-year-old son), she is one of her father's most-trusted advisers.

What exactly is your role in your father's presidential campaign?
I'm the Chair of Gorenet, a grassroots network of young people. There are lots of different ways to participate. You can join Gorenet online at www.algore2000.com and get information on different ways to volunteer. We've had nightclub parties in lots of different cities, so we sort of mix cocktail hour with political speeches and it tends to work very well.

I have co-chairs around the country and we're gonna have a roll-out around the time of the convention so it's a little more coherent. I've met really interesting young folks around the country. They're people who are really eager to role up their sleeves and work to elect Gore who come from all different walks of life.

How or why did you choose to get involved with your father's campaign? Were you asked or did you approach him?
A: He never asked me. He's never wanted to put any pressure on us at all to do anything publicly political. I've been around his political movements since I was a little girl and I've always felt involved in the sense of knowing what was going on and voicing my opinion. And this time around, it just felt so natural to take the leap solidly into the ring as opposed to cheering on the sidelines. I made the decision when I was pregnant, before I had my first child. I was starting to think about the political debates in a new way -- and I know that sounds cliche but it was true. Also, law school was something that was really educational for me in terms of seeing that connection between the political banter and real differences in people's lives. So, when I told him I was willing to do more and I really wanted to be involved with young voters, he thought it was great and was totally encouraging.

Why do you think the Democratic Party needed that youth angle?
I think that all parties do. Because we really have a crisis in faith in self-government among young Americans. I think it's almost tragic the way that a lot of the most idealistic young people don't bother to vote. It has to do with the fact that our system is screwed up and also that people need to work together to make this campaign really a movement, and not just a sort of top-down professional organization.

When you said our system is screwed up, what did you mean?
I mean the way we finance campaigns. First, you have these special interest groups who donate soft money to political candidates, and even though those candidates aren't corrupt -- they're trying to do the right thing -- it really does cast a shadow over everything when you read who they're funded by. And when you know that candidates have to spend an inordinate amount of time raising money because that's the only way to get the message across. Basically, the money goes toward paying for political ads on television, which is the main way that a lot of people decide who to vote for. It's screwed up in that regard.

What makes or would make young people vote? What about using the Internet?
The Internet has huge potential for bringing more people in. Look at the election of Jesse Ventura. He used the Internet and spent a lot less money than the other candidates and was elected by mostly young people. That's an example of how big a difference it can make.

What do you think about the idea of online voting?
A: I think that's really intriguing. Obviously, the first concern is the integrity of the process. The websites of the candidates already are great resources. In the primaries, all four of the major candidates had major websites and you could see the differences in their platforms. Plus, now on my dad's website there are a lot of interactive features and you can also look up every speech that he's ever made there.

How or why do you think your dad connects more with the youth vote than George W. Bush?
One reason is that he focuses on investments that will pay off for future generations. You can see that in the basic economic plan, the way that he sets aside money for Medicare and Social Security, as well as the way that he's willing to invest in fixing the health-care system and public education and also wants to put in place incentives to protect our environment more, that will pay off long-term.
I also think that my dad is really tuned in to the new wave of dilemmas and struggles that people face who want to honorably take care of their families, but also want to have careers. And it's especially true for women. My dad has already done something historic in saying that Social Security benefits should be calculated so that time spent caring for children is work. I am so proud of him for that. He's also put forward proposals on elder care and day care, which is part of that [concern], part of helping people with their commitments to their families.
A third thing I want to say [deals] with education: student loans. [My dad] is really committed to making higher education more accessible to everyone in this country. He wants to expand the Pell Grants and work-study grants because they are programs that enable people who come from underserved communities and poor backgrounds to be able to get a college education.

So what do you think are the biggest issues among youth today?
I hear lots about education, even from people who've gotten their education. Young people are very much tuned in to the need to open the doors and increase access to good education. And then I think that environmental protection is also one that resonates. My dad from early on in his career has been a strong advocate of protecting the Earth, and he took stands that were unpopular and people used to call him crazy for being worried about global warming. Former President Bush called him Ozone Man. People weren't ready for that and yet he was tuned into it early on. For young people, there's a certain willingness to question assumptions and look at things in a different way. When you take the environment: Do we have to be polluting this much? Can we have electric cars? That's something my dad is really excited about and he's put forth a great energy plan to provide incentives so that we can change things. Not just complain about them, but really change things.

How important are youth in the current political process -- does it go beyond just making politicians seem hip and cool by being plugged in to the interests of Gen-X?
That's a tough one. The fact is we [young voters] have had historically abysmal voter turnout. Because young people don't vote, political campaigns ignore them. And because political campaigns ignore them, they still don't vote. So, it's this cycle. But I really think if the campaign reaches out enough, that there's a real chance that can change.

What's the best piece of advice your father has given you?
To have a strong sense of self and not let that be undermined by what other people say. And I think that's been as important in the school cafeteria as in politics, because we live in a rambunctious, free-for-all culture.

The other thing is to be kind. He's a very kind person. He's the kind of person who's always sort of looking around to see if other people are comfortable, if other people have enough to eat, or want to be doing something else. When I would be mad at someone as a little girl, he'd always just say, "You should be kind to them. Maybe they're insecure. Maybe they're sad." I think that was a really good lesson.

The Gore name is now a big one in the Democratic Party. Do you see any office that you'd like to hold one day?
I don't have any plans to run for office. I definitely think politics will always be a part of my life because I love it. I think it's exciting and fun and there are more laughs per day than in a lot of other professions and hobbies. It's also really crucial -- it's about people's lives. I'll always support candidates that I believe in, but I don't have any plans to run myself.

Do you expect to play a part in your father's administration if he's elected?
I really haven't thought about that. I just want to be supportive.

-- By Evelyn Poitevent