PARTY-HOPPING POLITICS.

WITH THE REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS BOTH MOVING TO THE MIDDLE, IS THERE ANY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM?

The Democratic presidential nominee blasts Holywood for glorifying "violence and indecency." His Republican opponent speaks feelingly of a 15-year-old juvenile offender's doubt that "a white man in a suit" really cares about him. Wait a minute. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?

Democratic Vice President Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush, Governor of Texas, are borrowing themes from each other's parties this fall. In so doing, both are borrowing the game plan of a master: President Bill Clinton.

Eight years ago, Clinton arum captured the White House by venturing away from the historic liberal policies of his party. He called for placing limits on the federal welfare program that provides assistance to the poor, and opposed quotas--set numbers of jobs reserved by companies for minorities in order to boost diversity in the workplace.

Now Bush, too, is moving toward the center. He sounds like a Democrat when he talks of reaching out to the dispossessed, lavishing more funds on public education, and protecting Social Security, the federal assistance program for the elderly and the disabled. He is also making an appeal to African-Americans and Latinos, who have a history of voting for Democrats.

LOOK-ALIKES?

Bush has even adapted Clinton's mantra from 1992, "a different kind of Democrat." He tells audiences he is "a different kind of Republican."

Both Bush and Gore are trying hard to prove that they are not beholden to the extreme wings of their parties. That is because the battle for the White House will turn on who can win the independent and suburban voters, who are not particularly loyal to either side. As a result, the two parties--at first glance, at least--appear so similar that voters may have trouble telling them apart.

Bush can afford to reach out to moderates this year because conservative Republicans, hungry to reclaim the White House, are willing to compromise. Not since Ronald Reagan's re-election campaign in 1984 have Republicans appeared so harmonious.

Gore faces a more difficult time, because his party is not as united behind him. He has the tricky task of appealing to liberals, the most loyal Democrats, while also proving to moderates that he is the true heir to Clinton's middle-of-the-road philosophy.

Actually, Bush and Gore do hold different positions on some key issues, including taxes, health care, abortion, and the environment. But thus far, each candidate has tried to have it both ways. The Bush-controlled Republican Party drafted a platform that cast off several hard-edged party positions of the past, like calling for abolition of the Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Arts. Hostile language on immigration was replaced by a tribute to the role of new Americans. Still, conservatives were not neglected. The platform reaffirms the party's pledge to ban abortion--with no exceptions.

The Democrats combine a centrist platform and vice-presidential candidate with old-style liberal rhetoric about championing the have-nots. And they say many of Bush's proposals for social spending are traditionally Republican solutions that rely too heavily on big business.

JUST LIKE IKE

Moving to the middle has worked before. In 1952, Dwight Eisenhower won back the presidency for the Republicans for the first time in 20 years by accepting some Democratic programs--such as Social Security--that his party had once opposed. While Bush calls himself a "compassionate conservative," Eisenhower favored the term "dynamic conservatism."

EXPOSED FLANKS

Yet the strategy is not without risk. For now, prominent conservatives are silent as their bread-and-butter issues--prayer in school, and opposing and homosexual rights--get short shrift from Bush. But David A. Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union, warns that Bush had better be careful that his overtures to moderates do not become more substantive. "The feel-good stuff and atmospherics is all fine," he says. "But when push comes to shove, Republicans win elections in which there is a clear distinction between their position and the Democratic position on the issues."

Both candidates assume that as they move to the center, their core supporters remain. But alienated liberals could abandon Gore for Ralph Nader of the Green Party, while hard-core conservatives could leave Bush for the Reform Party's Pat Buchanan.

Keene adds a warning that could apply to both sides this year: "If you spend all your time reaching out, "you're putting your base in danger."

FOCUS: Are Democrats and Republicans Becoming the Same Thing?

TEACHING OBJECTIVES

To help students understand how the Democratic and Republican parties have shifted from liberal and conservative policies to more centrist positions in an effort to pick up swing voters.

Discussion Questions:

* What evidence does the article offer to suggest that the major parties are abandoning their traditional principles?

* Is there a political risk in moving too much to the middle?

* Consumer advocate Ralph Nader, presidential candidate of the Green Party, says it makes no difference Whether Al Gore or George W. Bush wins the presidency because both candidates are the same. Do you agree?

CLASSROOM STRATEGIES

Critical Thinking/Writing Exercise: If a politician shifts position on issues, does that mean he or she has no real beliefs? If holding fast to one's Position means losing elections, is it proper to move to where the voters are?

Break students into six groups, and assign each one of these issues: (1) the death penalty; (2) abortion; (3) cutting welfare; (4) raising military spending; (5) instituting federal health insurance, and (6) tax cuts. Each group should take a strong stand on its issue.

Next, students must change their positions to appeal to swing voters. Over the next day or two, have each group write a brief position paper in which they edge away from their original position. At the same time, they must take care not to offend voters who supported their original stand. (See the last paragraph on page 9.) Remind students that this is what the two major parties are doing today.

Web Research: Have students do some Web research into the candidates' positions on issues. To see Where Governor George W. Bush stands on 17 issues, go to http://bush2000.com. Learn Vice President Al Gore's views on 31 issues at http://www.AlGore2000.com. Use the information as the basis for discussion. Do candidates' views on any issue cause students to rethink their candidate choices?

History: Students might be asked to research the fates of past presidential nominees who were considered extreme. How did conservative Republican Barry Goldwater fare in 1964, and liberal Democrat George McGovern in 1972?

RICHARD L. BERKE is the national political correspondent of The New York Times.