OS ANGELES - Declaring ''I am not satisfied,'' Al Gore last night sought to step out of the shadow of President Clinton as he accepted the Democratic presidential nomination, proclaiming himself a populist fighter for the working class who will create a ''better, fairer, more prosperous America.''
In what may have been his best chance to transform and energize his candidacy, Gore reminded a nationwide television audience that he and Clinton have overseen a booming economy. But Gore said that is not enough.
It was a 51-minute speech, thick more with policy than poetry, that at times mirrored Republican nominee George W. Bush's vow to create ''prosperity with a purpose'' and ''leave no child behind.'' Gore, often speaking straight through the applause, said he wanted to make sure ''our prosperity enriches not just the few, but all working families,'' and that the powerless ''are never left behind.''
Gore, a two-term vice president who also served eight years each in the US House and Senate, also used the speech to reintroduce himself to the public. With aides anxious for Gore to overcome his image as a stiff and plodding speaker, the speech was preceded by a documentary video of family photos that portrayed the vice president as a friendly, folksy father and family man.
''We're entering a new time,'' Gore, 52, said. ''We're electing a new president. And I stand here tonight as my own man, and I want you to know me for who I truly am.
''For 25 years, I've been fighting for people,'' Gore said. ''So this is not an election between my opponent and me. It's about our people, our families, and our future - and whether forces standing in your way will keep you from having a better life.''
But even as Gore sought to create a separate identity, he was once again buffeted by the aftershocks of President Clinton's affair with former White House intern Monica S. Lewinsky. Just hours before Gore spoke, word leaked that Independent Counsel Robert Ray had empaneled a grand jury to hear evidence in the Lewinsky matter. While Clinton was found not guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors in his impeachment trial, the possibility remains that he could be indicted on criminal charges that could be brought after he leaves office.
In a rare display of unity, both the Gore and Bush campaigns said that leaks about the grand jury were ill-timed, but the story had more potential to be hurtful to Gore, especially with so much television coverage focusing yesterday on the Lewinsky story on a day when Gore had hoped to dominate the airwaves.
Last night, Gore, unlike some convention speakers, made sure to praise Clinton. ''I say to you tonight: millions of Americans will live better lives for a long time to come because of the job that's been done by President Bill Clinton,'' Gore said.
And, again unlike many convention speakers, Gore did not mention the name of his opponent, Governor Bush of Texas. But Gore tried to draw a sharp contrast with his opponent, saying he would ''fight for the people, not the powerful.''
After a winter of primaries, a spring of anticipation, and a summer of message molding, the dueling between Gore and Bush over how to spread prosperity now shifts to an 83-day sprint along the campaign trail. The Bush campaign said yesterday that it would agree to three presidential debates, the number proposed by an independent commission, but the timing of them has not been solidified. The commission has proposed holding the first, and possibly most important, meeting in Boston. Bush did not agree to the commission format, or to any particular venue.
Gore, son of the late US senator Albert Gore, and Bush, son of former President Bush, face off during a period of prosperity but with no single issue dominating the race. The campaign may be affected by two other candidates: Green Party nominee Ralph Nader, who is attracting some liberals and others in key states and may hurt Gore; and the Reform Party candidate, either Patrick J. Buchanan or John Hagelin.
With the crowd raising blue and white football pennants that said ''Gore,'' the vice president bypassed the usual stage entrance and arrived in the aisle, grasping hands and high-fiving the delegates, accompanied by Secret Service agents and his old friend, the actor Tommy Lee Jones. For several long minutes, as the vice president ascended to the stage, the delegates hailed Gore with a deafening roar, refusing to pull down their wiggling pennants or to quiet their yells of support.
Gore's speech resembled a State of the Union address in several ways, from its delivery of a laundry list of proposed programs to salutes to people in the audience whose lives exemplify national challenges. With television crews tipped in advance, Gore told the story of Ian Malone, who suffered from a medical mistake during childbirth. As Gore told it, an HMO initially refused to pay for his care and suggested the parents put the baby up for adoption. While the vice president spoke, the cameras trained on the teary-eyed parents in the VIP booth, the baby cradled in his mother's hands.
''No family should have to go on national television to save their child's life,'' Gore said, as the crowd roared in agreement. Gore seemed to draw energy from the crowd, speaking rapidly and allowing the applause to roll throughout his address. Sometimes, indeed, the applause threatened to drown him out.
A focus group assembled by MSNBC comprising more than 30 undecided Democrats, Republicans, and independents gave the speech high marks, with some of the participants moved to tears when the cameras showed the baby Ian Malone and his parents. The participants used dials to gauge their feelings, starting at 50 on a scale of 100. Their average rating for the speech wound up in the 80s.
Paula Schoppe, a personal trainer and moderate Republican, said, ''It was positive and uplifting.'' A moderate Democrat, actress Wendy Finder, said: ''He picked up that energy. It was way better than I thought it would be.'' Rosalba Rodarte, who works with disabled people and is a moderate Republican, cried during the speech, saying: ''I was moved to tears. He's convincing me.''
The Bush campaign, not surprisingly, was less impressed.
''Vice President Gore tonight offered more of the same old language of class warfare, partisanship, and division,'' Bush spokeswoman Karen Hughes said. ''Without intending to, he also offered a laundry list of the policy failures of his own administration.''
With both Gore and Bush seeking to appeal to the broad middle of the American electorate - where the election probably will be decided - the two conventions have focused on similar themes. Both men have said that the boom times have left too many people behind, that the federal government must do more to help improve schools, and that Social Security should be overhauled.
But the two disagree on many details, most notably on the size of a tax cut, and Gore last night seized on that difference to portray himself as a populist while asserting that Bush is beholden to the rich and powerful.
''Let me say it plainly,'' Gore said. ''I will not go along with a huge tax cut for the wealthy at the expense of everyone else and wreck our good economy in the process.
''So often, powerful forces and powerful interests stand in your way, and the odds seemed stacked against you - even as you do what's right for you and your family,'' Gore said. ''How and what we do for all of you - the people who pay the taxes, bear the burdens, and live the American dream - that is the standard by which we should be judged.
''And for all of our good times, I am not satisfied,'' Gore said.
For the second straight night, the convention veered between a nomination and a humanization of Gore. On Wednesday, Karenna Gore Schiff introduced her father by describing how he helped her when she was little to butter her toast and complete her science project, a dinosaur diorama. Last night, Gore's wife, Tipper, an accomplished photographer, said she wanted to introduce her husband through pictures she has taken of their 30 years together.
''I know, I know, some of you are saying, please, not the family photo album,'' Tipper Gore said. ''But, come along for just a little while and see the man I love in a way you may not have seen him before.''
Gore's speech was preceded by a series of tributes from his friends, including his brother-in-law, Frank Hunger; Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist David Halberstam, who worked with Gore at the Nashville Tennessean; and Jim Frush, who guided Gore up Mount Rainier last year.
With the introductions complete, Gore then delivered what was widely described as the most important speech of his career, with the Battleground/Voter.com poll showing him about nine points behind Bush. Even many Democrats are skeptical about Gore's prospects. A CNN/Gallup poll taken earlier this month showed that 50 percent of Democrats think that Bush will win, while 44 percent think Gore will be victorious.
As Gore finished his speech, he made no apologies for focusing so much on policy. ''I know sometimes people say I'm too serious, that I talk too much substance and policy,'' Gore said. ''Maybe I've done that tonight. But the presidency is more than a popularity contest. It's a day-by-day fight for the people. Sometimes you have to do what's difficult or unpopular.''
After the speech, delegates said Gore hit his mark. ''I think a lot of people think he is standing in Clinton's shadow and he is not his own man,'' said Geraldine Binns, a homemaker from Salisbury, Md., ''He needed to show tonight that he is his own man, and he did it.''
Globe reporters Jill Zuckman, Tina Cassidy in Los Angeles and Anne E. Kornblut, traveling with Bush, contributed to this report.
