T. LOUIS - Vice President Al Gore courted senior citizens and Hispanics yesterday, touting his plan for a ''real, comprehensive'' prescription drug benefit as a stark contrast to the proposals of his rival, George W. Bush.
''We'll put the power of medical science back in the medicine cabinets of our mothers and fathers,'' Gore said of his Medicare benefits plan. ''It's the right thing to do.''
Gore, speaking in the suburb of Clayton at a town hall-style meeting with senior citizens, also took on the big drug companies, accusing them of ''price gouging.'' He criticized the Republican drug bill pending in Congress, saying it was put together by the drug companies and ''its only purpose is to serve as an illusion or camouflage.''
Accompanying the vice president was House minority leader Richard A. Gephardt of St. Louis, who said the cost of drugs could be a decisive matter in the presidential election and the fight for control of Congress.
''It's a huge, huge issue to senior citizens,'' Gephardt said.
According to campaign finance records, the Republicans have received more than $3 million from drug manufacturers, while the Democrats have received just over $700,000, Gore aides said.
The proposal Gore has offered would provide a prescription drug benefit under the Medicare program, with the government paying half the annual costs up to $5,000. Aides said it would extend coverage to 40 million people at a cost of $255 billion over 10 years. Gore had spelled out details of the proposal earlier, and was hammering hard at his plan in the battleground state of Missouri.
He said many senior citizens have to choose between buying drugs or going without other necessities. ''We just should not be putting our seniors in that position,'' he said. ''It's just not right.''
Senator Bob Graham, a Florida Democrat, made a Gore-arranged conference call to reporters to criticize Texas Republican Bush for offering minimal details about what he would provide in financing for prescription drug aid to senior citizens.
''I think the American people deserve to have a clear statement by Governor Bush as to what he would propose to do,'' said Graham, who has been mentioned as a vice presidential possibility for Gore.
Bush campaign spokesman Dan Bartlett said the governor has been consistent in proposing to allocate $5 trillion over five years to save and strengthen Social Security and Medicare, also providing prescription drug benefits.
Later in the day, Gore flew to California to talk about his proposals before the National Council of La Raza, an influential Hispanic group.
