The Record: Gore As A Tie Breaker

But the vice president saves his real fire on the campaign trail for the 1993 budget bill votes. "I had the honor of casting the tie-breaking vote to end the old economic plan here at home and put into place a new economic plan that has helped us to make some progress: 22 million new jobs and the greatest prosperity ever," Gore said during this year's first presidential debate.

But how much credit does Gore actually deserve for his Senate voting record? Very little, argues Stephen Hess, a scholar at the Brookings Institution. "He was certainly among the most active vice presidents in history, but not because he cast four tie-breaking votes," Hess says. "You vote the way the administration wants you to vote--there's no flexibility."

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