ISSUE IS LIBERALISM, AND BUSH SHOULD MAKE IT CLEAR

George Bush's biggest problem is not Al Gore. It's voter complacency stemming from our prosperity. Bush must remind voters why this election is vitally important.

I am not knocking prosperity. In fact, one of the best ways Bush can distinguish himself from Gore is to show how his domestic agenda will preserve economic growth. Because Gore misunderstands the source of our prosperity, he will squander it as surely as a teen-ager would throw away an inherited fortune.

Gore fails to grasp the wisdom of the proverb, "Prosperity is something the businessman created for politicians to take credit for." Ronald Reagan understood it, which is why he invested every fiber of his being (not otherwise committed to defeating the Soviet Union) to reducing the government's smothering effect on America's entrepreneurial spirit. Bush understands it too, but he isn't emphasizing it enough.

Gore apparently believes that the government creates wealth, so he sees no risk in expanding the federal government even further. By devising novel uses for the projected budget surpluses instead of accepting them as evidence of overtaxation, he has unmasked his vision for America. Unhappily, that vision is incompatible with the American dream, which champions individual liberty over cradle-to-grave security.

This election is a crossroads for America because Gore is seeking a mandate for collectivism over individualism, victimhood over responsibility, mediocrity over excellence, statism over capitalism and liberalism over conservatism.

Bush needs to focus Gore's liberalism in his campaign sights and begin firing from now until Election Day. If Bush doesn't highlight the fundamental contrasts between himself and his opponent, no one else will either.

While I do not share the pessimism of some of my conservative colleagues about Bush's prospects, I think he would enhance his likelihood of victory by throwing caution to the wind. He should reject the conventional wisdom that politicians can't walk and chew gum at the same time that he must choose between policy issues and character issues. He must use every arrow in his quiver. He has an overwhelming advantage in both categories, and it would be foolish to sacrifice either avenue of attack.

The public is still more conservative than it is liberal. If it's moderation the swing voters want, Bush is much less extreme a conservative than Gore is a liberal.

Liberalism, when exposed, can still be defeated, so Bush shouldn't be afraid to make it the issue.

~David Limbaugh of Cape Girardeau is a columnist for Creators Syndicate.