George W. Bush Promotes Education Policy

Sept. 26, 2000 -- Adopting a tough tone on the campaign trail Monday, Republican candidate George W. Bush assailed presidential rival Al Gore’s record on education while touting his own plan for America’s schools.

“America today is in the midst of an education recession that can threaten our very future,” Bush told a town hall audience at an elementary school in Portland, Ore.

Campaigning in Oregon and Washington — two states usually considered reliable for the Democratic Party — the Republican nominee outlined his 10-year, $47 billion education plan, which is intended to make schools accountable for student performance and improve reading scores.

The Texas governor also ripped Gore’s 10-year, $115 billion education proposal, saying the plan was devoted to trendy but unproven education theories.

Citing what Bush called Gore’s idea of the “three R’s — relationships, resilience, and readiness — Bush added, “Now that sounds nice. But what happened to reading?”

Weeklong Swing

Bush’s events Monday launched a weeklong campaign swing, focused almost entirely on education, that will bring the GOP contender to a handful of states considered to be up for grabs, including Michigan, Wisconsin and Washington.

The trip comes as the Bush campaign has regained confidence and is enjoying a bounce in the polls.

The latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup national poll gives Bush a slight edge over Gore among likely voters, 47 percent to 46 percent, with one percent each for Green Party nominee Ralph Nader and Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan.

And Bush’s offensive on education, an issue thought to be especially important to women voters, comes as the CNN/USA Today/Gallup survey also shows Bush gaining 10 points among women in the last week, now trailing Gore in this group by four points.

The Bush campaign also released a new TV ad today, in support of his theme this week, which will be shown nationwide. It claims that 58 percent of fourth-grade students in “low income schools” can’t read.

“If we really want to make sure no child gets left behind,” says a male narrator, “we need the courage to raise standards in our schools.”

The 30-second spot follows on a similar one released Sunday. That ad, titled “Education Recession,” argues that American schools have stagnated during the Clinton administration, and touts Bush’s record on the subject in Texas.

One More Dig at Gore

Bush did not devote all of his time Monday to talking about education, rapping Gore on topics that included health care, the environment and military preparedness.

And while the Bush campaign has said repeatedly it is attacking Gore strictly on the issues, Bush continues to question Gore’s integrity.

When asked by an audience member today how politicians can get young people involved in the political process, the Texas governor responded with a dig intended to raise doubts about his opponent’s credibility.

“Well, tell the truth, for starters,” Bush said.

—ABCNEWS’ Dean Reynolds and John Berman contributed to this report.