Get Gore's positions on the environment . Taxes For the first time in many years, the U.S. government has a budget surplus . Bush and Gore both say a little of each, but have different ideas about how. Get Bush's tax plan . Get Gore's tax plan .
Soft money is money that is raised outside a campaign by groups that support a particular candidate.
By law, it is illegal for corporations to spend money on candidates' political campaigns. But, there's a catch. Companies and people can give as much money as they want to political parties if the money is said to be used for party business, not for specific candidates. This is called soft money. This money is then used to promote policies and issues important to special interest groups .