Bush Courts Women's Vote

— -- Finding himself on the wrong side of a gender gap in the polls, George W. Bush visited Oprah Winfrey’s talk show in search of more votes from women.

By Peter DizikesABCNEWS.comSept. 19— Hoping to win over women voters, Texas Gov. George W.

Bush visited Oprah Winfrey’s popular talk show today as part of a weeklong effort to gain middle-class and female support.

The Republican presidential nominee, trailing Democrat Al Gore in many national polls, is touring swing states and making a concerted effort to close a gender gap that has grown in his opponent’s favor.

Bush answered questions from Winfrey on topics ranging from the death penalty to his favorite song, and talked about education and the record of Texas schools during his administration.

Asked by an audience member how she fit in to his vision of the country, Bush said: “You fit in by having a country that says the American dream is available to you. Doesn’t matter how you’re raised … I see America as a land of dreams and hopes.”

When asked by Winfrey — whose show is estimated to have 22 million weekly viewers, most of them female — why people should vote for him, Bush said he was a “proven leader” as governor of Texas, adding, “I would hope people look at my record on education, test scores for minorities that are some of best in nation, an agenda saying we’re going to elevate individuals and trust individuals for making decisions in own lives.”

Bush’s wife, Laura, watched the show from a restaurant across the street, along with female supporters sitting beneath a sign reading “W stands for women.”

But demonstrators gathered outside the TV studio where the show was taped, protesting Bush’s record on gun control and environmental issues, and calling for Winfrey to interview Green Party candidate Ralph Nader.

A heckler from the audience also interrupted the interview about halfway through, twice calling out a question about the use of U.S. military force. Winfrey halted the show, and resumed the chat after a commercial break.

“Fifteen years, and we’ve never had a heckler until now,” Winfrey said.

“Glad to break a record somehow,” Bush shot back.

Later today, the Texas governor will discuss school safety issues, including classroom violence, in Chicago and Lexington, Ky.

Bush campaign spokeswoman Karen Hughes said Monday that Gore, who made an appearance on Oprah last week, had the edge with women in the polls because he had been misleading voters about Bush’s record.

“I think he has done a fairly good job of distorting his proposals, and we need to set the record straight,” Hughes said of the vice president. “He has misrepresented the governor’s record and he has misrepresented the governor’s proposals.”

An ABCNEWS/Washington Post poll released Sept. 7, while showing a dead heat overall, gives Gore a big edge among women, 56 percent to 38 percent.

Gore spokeswoman Kym Spell said, “Women are not going to be fooled by this last-minute attempt by Mr. Bush to woo them.”

Targeting Gore’s Tax Cuts

On Monday in Little Rock, Ark., Bush focused on the centerpiece of his domestic-policy platform: tax cuts.

The GOP nominee visited families with newborns in the maternity ward at St. Vincent Infirmary before discussing his child-care credit with about 200 invited supporters. Bush told the audience he faced “an important week in the campaign … a week that speaks to the hopes and aspirations of middle-class families.”

He discussed his plan to give parents a $1,000 tax credit for every child without exception. The credit would cost $162 billion over 10 years and represents 12 percent of his $1.3 trillion tax cut.

Bush used the occasion to criticize Gore’s proposal for tax cuts targeted more specifically on income.

“I don’t believe in the rhetoric that [Gore] used at his own convention, when he said that only the right people would get tax relief,” Bush said of his opponent. “I don’t think government ought to try to pick and choose winners. I think the right people are all people in America who pay taxes.”

Bush reiterated his message later Monday at a town hall meeting in Kansas City, Mo.

Monday’s events marked the beginning of a thematic week in which Bush plans to talk about issues affecting Americans from birth to death, including health care, education and Social Security.

Bush’s speeches throughout the week are being staged to follow the path of a hypothetical citizen through the stages of life, starting symbolically Monday at a nursery. Spokesman Ari Fleischer characterizes the trip as “a more focused, very aggressive effort to make people know where Bush stands.”

Following today’s school events, Bush will make a speech Wednesday in Pennsylvania focused on the “marriage penalty” tax. Bush will address Social Security and private investment accounts Thursday before heading to Florida to offer a new proposal on health-care issues for seniors.

Gore Scores on Domestic Issues

For most of the last two months, Bush has preferred casting doubts upon Gore’s credibility and character to talking about policy differences. But a series of setbacks and missteps leaves Bush trailing Gore in national polls, forcing him to fight Gore on the issues.

On the issues battleground, Gore holds a distinct advantage. The Sept. 7 ABCNEWS/Washington Post poll finds most voters think Gore is better able to handle many key issues. From a list of 17 policy matters, most say Gore is better able to handle seven, including education, health care and Social Security, while Bush is given the edge on just two: defense and taxes. On eight issues, the candidates are rated nearly even.