Bradley Stumps For 1,000 Votes at MIT Campus

Speaking to college journalists--and later to more than 1,000 students--at MIT yesterday, Democratic presidential candidate Bill Bradley stressed themes that have driven his fairytale candidacy from a musing to a movement.

He also explained controversial comments he made this past weekend on the issue of gays in the military this past Sunday on the ABC News program This Week.

When asked about gay rights, Bradley said he would end the ban on gays in the military and repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy--in which gays, although not required to disclose their sexual orientation when they enroll in the military, may still be discharged if they say they are homosexual.

Later, responding to a question by analyst George Will, Bradley said he "did not" consult with military officials about his ideas.

That outraged some conservatives, who wondered whether Bradley would consult others in his administration before making decisions that affect their departments.

But yesterday, Bradley told The Crimson that if he were president and if he decided to allow gays to serve openly in the military, "you'd have a maximum level of consultation with all parties involved," including the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

On the issue of gay rights, Bradley has staked a position considerably to the left of that of Vice President Al Gore '69, the acknowledged frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.

Addressing Harvard's ROTC controversy--and the ire of some conservatives who feel that Harvard's federal funding should be cut because several Harvard faculties ban ROTC--Bradley said the problem would no longer exist in his administration.

"Gays should be able to serve openly [as ROTC officers] on the Harvard campus because there'd be a change in the federal policy," he said.

Asked at both speeches yesterday why young voters should support his candidacy, Bradley said he hopes "that the kind of America I see is the kind of America they see."

As president, Bradley said, he would support affirmative action programs at public colleges and universities.

"I think it is simply a matter of reaching out for the whole community," he said.

"I'm not for admitting people that are not qualified, but I also know from experience that there's a lot of people who are qualified that don't get in," he said.

Bradley said he supported continued funding for higher education, although he did not say whether he'd support an increase in government spending on student loans and grants.

"The best deal in America...is public higher education," he said. "It's an unexplored resource for America."

In his speeches and in his answers yesterday, Bradley addressed a range of questions pertaining to Harvard and the city of Cambridge.

Asked about political participation on campus, Bradley responded that he is energized by what he sees when he visits colleges, although he said he feels there is work to be done.

"Why is it that voluntarism on college campuses has never been higher, but political participation has never been lower?" he asked rhetorically.

Answering his own question, he said that young people unfortunately are taught that politics is more about winning than about public service.

On the issue of public housing, Bradley avoided answering a question by Cambridge City Council candidate Kevin M. Williamson about supporting a "massive spending increase" for federal low-income housing programs.

But Bradley did say he would support spending more for a low income tax credit and said he advocates "multiple use housing" that would allow families of different income levels to live together in the same buildings.

Although Bradley's speeches were generally well received by the audience, he did commit one small gaffe.

Responding to a question about federally-funded education for the children of illegal immigrants, Bradley misnamed California's Proposition 187, calling it "Proposition 189."

That ballot measure, which was approved by the voters and later held up in the courts, aimed to deny education and other benefits to children of undocumented aliens. Bradley said he opposes such measures.

The candidate's soft and measured demeanor sometimes allowed humor to creep in.

Asked by MIT graduate student Esther Chang whether he had a name for himself in the style of George "Compassionate Conservative" W. Bush, Bradley responded, "I'd call myself an intellectual jock. And the intellectual would be with a small 'i.'"