Bush, Gore, Duel Over Policy, Credibility
Nov. 1 -- Al Gore and George W. Bush are mixing policy criticisms with personal barbs as polls show the Republican presidential candidate holding a slim lead.
Campaigning in Florida today, the vice president delivered his most stinging critique to date of his rival’s plan to reform Social Security by allowing younger workers to invest a portion of their payroll taxes in the stock market.
“I don’t think it’s right to play games with Social Security or pit young against old,” he told supporters at an arena in Kissimmee. “My opponent talks about a commitment to today’s retirees, but … soothing words don’t pay the rent.”
Bush, meanwhile, insists the $1 trillion transition cost for his proposed Social Security investment accounts will not necessitate a reduction in benefits for current or near retirees. He accuses Gore of using scare tactics.
“A promise this nation has made is a promise we’ll keep,” Bush said at an afternoon rally in Minneapolis. “He’s still trying to scare seniors into the voting booth. Not this time and not this year!”
Gore Camp: Bush Not ‘Up to Job’
Social Security has been a central issue of the 2000 campaign, but Gore aides acknowledge the vice president is focusing on it now because, they say, it is driving unease about whether Bush is “up to the job” of president.
Late tonight, the Gore campaign released a new television ad explicitly arguing that he is not.
The ad skewers Bush’s Texas record on health care and the environment as well as his positions on Social Security and tax relief.
“He squanders the surplus on a tax cut for those making over 300,000 dollars,” says the announcer. “Is he ready to lead America?”
That ad will soon begin airing in key battleground states and Gore campaign officials say surrogates will continue to make the case that Bush is not ready to be president.
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