Gore also solicited help from his boss, a veteran of three presidential debates with Perot. Clinton’s advice: take the offensive and don’t let Perot burnish his image as a populist. The veep was ready with a line of attack, painting Perot as a wealthy businessman whose enterprises stand to lose money if NAFTA passes; aides say he also was ready to label Perot a “union buster.” During the practice session, aides told Gore to be superaggressive in grilling Perot. “I know how to do this,” replied the former reporter and House committee chairman, warming to the task.
But the veep’s most conspicuous bit of on-air theater came with some last-minute help from an aide’s girlfriend. Gore decided on the afternoon of the debate to present Perot with a framed photo of Smoot and Hawley, the legislators whose 1930 protectionist tariff is considered by some historians to have deepened the Great Depression. The woman picked up a copy of the photo from New York’s Bettmann Archive and had it flown to Washington. it was then rushed to the TV studio in time for Gore to hand it to Perot with a great flourish.
