Democrats to Laud Gore as Fighter

Al Gore’s presidential campaign on Saturday laid out a theme for the Democratic National Convention that credits the vice president for the nation’s prosperity and casts him as a populist fighter against powerful interest groups.

The theme, “Prosperity and Progress: Fighting for the People, Not the Powerful,” does not mention his Republican rival, George W. Bush, by name, but echoes Gore’s effort to define the Texas governor as a tool of the oil industry and other special interests.

Still, Gore spokesman Chris Lehane said the main focus of the convention in Los Angeles would be on the vice president’s agenda and personal background. “This is going to be a fundamentally positive convention,” he said as Democrats officially unveiled their program.

Bush campaign spokeswoman Mindy Tucker said Republicans “will welcome their theme as an opportunity to highlight the failures of the Clinton-Gore administration.”

Specifically, she said Gore failed to win approval of a patient-protection law or a prescription-drug benefit plan for Americans on Medicare. “He’s had several opportunities to fight for the people, not the powerful, and he’s passed them up,” she said.

During the first three days of the Democratic convention, which starts Aug. 14 in Los Angeles, Gore will be campaigning on a westward journey across the country.

The opening night will feature speeches by President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, a candidate for U.S. Senate from New York. Women who are U.S. senators will also speak, along with “real Americans” telling stories of how administration policies have improved their lives, Lehane said.

On Tuesday, the Rev. Jesse Jackson will speak, along with former Sen. Bill Bradley of New Jersey, whom Gore defeated in the Democratic primaries, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.).

The Democrats will also stage a meeting between the president and Gore outside of California on Tuesday, but Lehane declined to say where. “We’re going to have him symbolically pass the torch to the vice president,” Lehane said.

On Wednesday, the vice president’s daughter, Karenna Gore Schiff, 26, will be one of several speakers to offer personal testimonials about Gore. His running mate will also address the convention on Wednesday, the day of the state-by-state roll call of delegates.

The convention will wrap up Thursday with Gore’s acceptance speech. His wife, Tipper, will introduce him.

After the convention, Gore and the nominee for vice president will set off on a boat trip along the Mississippi River and across the Great Lakes, floating through Midwestern states that are key battlegrounds in the presidential race.