ES MOINES - Appealing to union workers, Al Gore said yesterday that only the wealthy would gain from the proposals of his presidential rival, George W. Bush.
''This is the choice in this election,'' Gore said. ''Are you for working people?''
Making his arguments with charts and testimonials at a carpenter's union hall, Gore said the Texas governor's tax-cut and retirement plans would bankrupt Social Security and harm the middle-class.
A day after unveiling his proposal for savings accounts to augment Social Security, Gore warned that Bush has proposed a plan that doesn't work very well for working families.
Gore's comments were a departure from the past few weeks, when he has taken a softer tone and avoided mentioning the Republican candidate by name.
After the Iowa stop, Gore headed to Minnesota, where he was spending more than a day with independent Governor Jesse Ventura, who has strong appeal to independent voters.
Anticipating Gore's attack, Bush defended his Social Security plan during a stop in California earlier in the day. Bush said his plan would allow younger workers to divert some of their Social Security taxes to private investments for a higher return.
''That's really important to make sure the system survives,'' he said.
Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer said the plan was better for low-income workers, who wouldn't be able to put away the savings needed to receive government matching funds under Gore's plan. ''Low-income workers won't be able to afford Al Gore's Social Security plan,'' Fleischer said. ''They live paycheck to paycheck.''
In Des Moines, Gore also proposed a targeted estate-tax cut for small businesses and farmers.
