"More than any election since 1964, the two major candidates believe in very different views of the government's role," wrote Martin A. Linsky, lecturer in public policy at the Kennedy School of Government, in an e-mail message.
Gore favors a strong federal government and strongly backs national agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Interior Department.
Bush looks to place more power in the hands of the individual states, particularly on environmental and educational issues.
On the issue of foreign policy, Bush and Gore vary greatly in philosophy.
Bush generally takes a relatively isolationist stance, questioning the need to maintain peacekeeping forces in Bosnia or allocate funds overseas to address global concerns.
Gore would probably continue or even increase America's fiscal and military involvement around the world, favoring humanitarian and environmental concerns abroad.
But despite these fundamental differences, both candidates are far from ideologues--they hold different ideals, but both can compromise.
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