EW YORK - Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore tried again yesterday to burn Republican rival George W. Bush on the so-called ''third rail of American politics'' - Social Security.
Flanked by former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, Gore charged that Bush's plan to allow workers to invest a portion of their Social Security payroll taxes into stocks and bonds probably would leave many short of money in their retirement years.
''Social Security is supposed to be a bedrock guarantee of a minimum decent retirement,'' the vice president said at a forum he hosted on Social Security at Fordham Graduate School of Business Administration. ''The Bush plan puts that at risk.''
Democrats and Republicans have been long hurt by various proposals to revamp Social Security or Medicare - so much so both programs have become known as the ''third rail of American politics,'' often politically fatal to the touch as is the electric rail that powers trains.
Yet Monday, Bush, the Texas governor and presumptive Republican presidential nominee, made Social Security reform a centerpiece of his White House campaign.
Rejecting criticism from Gore as unfounded ''scare tactics,'' Bush said Americans should be given an opportunity to invest in their own retirement.
Gore, to buttress his attacks, was joined at his forum by Rubin as well as other former top economic leaders, including Alicia Munnell, a former chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisers, and former Social Security Commissioner Bob Ball.
All echoed Gore's fears that the Bush plan to semi-privatize Social Security would undermine the retirement program as well as the economy.
''There is no question that stocks have risks,'' said Rubin, who now works on Wall Street and is one of Gore's advisers.
Though the stock market tripled in recent years, Rubin noted there have been some hard times on Wall Street.
''Look at the Dow Jones Industrial Average from end of 1966 to the end of 1982; you will find it unchanged, meaning many portfolios declined,'' Rubin said.
Polls show Social Security to be a top concern among voters, and Charles Cook of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report said, ''It is too early to tell how this battle will turn out.''
