hile George W. Bush and Al Gore both won deserved praise in August for effective convention speeches, with Gore's passionate populism standing out, it was Bush who last night proved better able to carry his convention themes forward.
The presidential debate at UMass-Boston proved less dramatic and less decisive than many had anticipated. Off this performance, neither man will challenge Daniel Webster or John Kennedy for oratorical heights. But Bush raised the stakes by presenting himself as a credible conservative alternative to Gore, whose proposals generally include a larger government role. Although the debate here was not great theater, it should increase anticipation for the next two.
Several times, Bush scored with claims of success in Texas - in reforming education and appointing judges, for instance - while chiding Gore for his Washington perspective and his failure to implement the programs he is now proposing. ''Why haven't they done it in seven years?'' Bush asked repeatedly. Gore meanwhile missed opportunities to challenge Bush's record in Texas and was slow to point to successes during the current administration, most notably the thriving economy.
However, voters who had been told there was no longer any difference between the two major parties saw plenty. Bush was not bashful about favoring oil exploration even at the expense of the environment, about requiring local annual testing of students, and about hoping for the eventual end of the abortion choice guaranteed in Roe v. Wade. Gore did speak strongly, at the end, for programs that will help working families left out of the current prosperity and against Bush's tax cuts that would benefit the wealthy. But gone was the populism of his Los Angeles speech.
Bush was clearly out of his depth on foreign policy but scored in pointing to Gore's skirting of the campaign finance laws. After both men said they would eliminate much of the soft money now polluting politics, host Jim Lehrer missed an opportunity to ask them to reject those funds from now on.
Bush talked of finding a less partisan middle ground and put the compassionate part of his conservatism on display when he talked about hugging and crying with flood victims in Texas. Gore rarely connected as effectively, and his attempts to have the last word on nearly every question were not appealing.
On the 40th anniversary of the Kennedy-Nixon debates, Bush had balked at meeting only a few yards from the Kennedy Library. But it was Bush who was the livelier debater last night, while Gore played the part of the vice president who knew a lot about programs. In the next two debates, Gore will need to leave Washington behind and recapture the spirit of Los Angeles.
