Face-Off On The Economy

In some of their most pointed attacks to date, Al Gore and George W. Bush on Thursday drew sharp battle lines over the economy, reports CBS News Chief White House Corresponmdent John Roberts.

"Forty days from now, prosperity will be on the ballot," said Vice President Gore, the Democratic nominee, in a speech in Washington.

To economists at the Brookings Institution, Gore said that his Republican rival Bush would derail economic growth by squandering the surplus on a tax cut for the rich.

"You deserve a president who will take responsibility for the economy, not take liberties with it," said Gore.

Bush made his case for limited government during a campaign stop in Wisconsin. "I believe the government should help people live their lives," he said, "not run their lives."

The Texas governor claimed that Gore's tax and spend policies would bust the budget and threaten prosperity. "He's proposing the largest increase in federal spending in 35 years," said Bush, "since the presidency of Lyndon Baines Johnson."

It was the same message, delivered from opposite sides of the political fence, aimed toward a select group of swing voters - middle and lower income Americans who haven't yet shared in the unprecedented prosperity.

Bush said he could hear "the voices of those at the bottom end." While Gore countered that "prosperity has to work for middle class and working families who built this economy."

The candidates' exchange came as new statistics were released highlighting the accomplishments of the last eight years.

The poverty rate in America dipped last year to 11-point-8 percent, the lowest point in 21 years, while median household incomes reached a record high, new Census Bureau data released this week showed.

Polls indicate that Gore is more trusted than the Texas governor on the issue of the economy, as the Democrat is on most of the top issues.

That Gore has to work this hard to make his case on the economy is troubling to his campaign. Historically, if the economy is good, the incumbent party wins - and the economy has never been better. But Gore has had difficulty connecting himself to that prosperity.

"The economy has always been working for the Clinton administration," said Democratic pollster Peter Hart. "It has not been working for the vice president."