Gore Steps Up Florida Bid; 'Prosperity Itself Is on the Ballot' This Year, He Says
Vice President Gore today escalated his bid to put Florida in the Democratic column, telling voters here that they hold the power to decide whether prosperity will continue under a Democratic administration, or elect a Republican administration that would threaten the surplus and endanger Social Security.</br></br>"The choice is yours," he told about 2,000 supporters at the Walt Disney Amphitheater next to Lake Eola. "This state is the key to the election, and central Florida is the key to this state," Gore declared with his running mate, Joseph I. Lieberman at his side.</br></br>Gore warned the crowd that the nation's economy is on the line on Nov. 7. "Prosperity itself is on the ballot all across this great state this year," he said. "Prosperity itself is on the ballot in the United States of America this year."</br></br>Both Gore and Lieberman claimed victory in their respective debates this week, and the vice president drew cheers and laughter as he ridiculed Texas Gov. George W. Bush's charge that Gore used "fuzzy math" to fault Bush tax and spending initiatives. "The other side would give almost 30 percent of all their proposed tax cuts to individuals with incomes of more than $1 million per year. Those facts aren't fuzzy; those facts are real, they are real. They may be inconvenient but they're not fuzzy," Gore said.</br></br>To the surprise of Democratic and GOP strategists, Florida has emerged as one of the battleground states this election. The state had been moving steadily in a Republican direction and Jeb Bush, brother of George W. Bush, is the governor. President Clinton carried the state and won its 25 electoral votes in 1996, but, until late summer, few people expected Gore would have a chance to duplicate that feat.