It is telling that the only thing Bush supporters can do when faced with Bush's record is blame it on someone (Clinton) or something (9/11) other than the president's very obvious failings.
The time when the GOP could claim to be the party of personal responsibility has come to an end. They want everyone else to take personal responsibility. However, those in charge won't take responsibility for their own situation.
Yep the President is failing so miserably to most people that he's leading in the polls. Strange how according to Andy the country is in horrible shape, we have the worst president of our times, yet he's still leading. I guess most of our perspectives are just off right Andy? Or maybe it's the perspective of Andy who maybe off a little. Who knows.
So whatevr the polls say would be correct? That makes sense because we've NEVER elected a president who did a bad job, or anything.
So I guess people started getting canned in 2000 because employers knew that Bush would win in November. They were probably just planning ahead. Plan: When Bush wins, start sacking people.
The election hasn't happened yet so wait and see. Sadly, Bush is leading now because a lot of people connect his stubborn, stoic, bullying tacticts with strength, leadership and courage. Whereas people connect Kerry's open plans, willingness to look at all sides, etc. with lack of strength. Then people say, "Well, Bush may not be the best, but at least he's not a pus&*y"
Yes, I'm interested as to what particular Bush Administration policies caused jobs to start immediately being lost before and after he took office. Someone please share. I guess I'm just as not as keen as some to blame every economic upturn and downturn on a president. Some people seem to act like it's the sole factor.
Yes, and to reduce the deficit. That is how massive the giveaways to the rich were. We will be able to pay for all of those initiatives and then some, especially once Kerry gets a real coalition on board to help with security and funding for the debacle Bush has created in Iraq.
Bush is leading in some polls and most of that is because of the lies of the Swiftvets and the ones in the Bush ads. Sadly, those chain email lies are probably swaying some people away from Kerry too. What perspective do you need to see through the lies?
IIRC, Bush was elected in 2000 after talking down the economy for months beforehand. He also presided over a net jobs loss during the first few months of his presidency before 9/11 even happened and after he had already passed one "economic stimulus plan" through Congress.
I do not believe it was the sole factor, but his talking down of the economy during the months leading up to the election had some impact. I personally heard at least three employers say that they were laying people off because Bush got elected. They were not confident in the economy BECAUSE he talked so badly of it before the election and also told me that they would not be laying off a soul had Gore been elected. One of those employers was mine and I was one of the ones laid off. It is not a statistically significant sample, but if three employers that I personally knew were of that mindset, I am sure that there were more.
Yeh, but he was not saying 6 million overall additional [net] jobs. Just the attrition [due to factors like 9/11, outsourcing, etc] is greater than addition, that's all.
This is Kerry's quote: "I am not waiting for next year to change the tone on fiscal discipline. Every day on the campaign trail, I explain how I pay for all my proposals. By rolling back the recent Bush tax cuts for families making over $200,000 per year, we can pay for health care and education. " I read that as saying he will pay for his health care and education plans by rolling back the tax cut for the top 2% of American earners. I don't see where heis using that money to directly increase employment or reduce the debt. How will he get a Republican congress (probably) to roll back those tax cuts?
I agree with that because, sadly, most Americans don't realize that the President has little to ZERO impact on domestic policy. He only has the power to persuade and to Veto. But even his veto can be overridden. Before you say anything, I realize that a war has an impact on the domestic economy. But to blame a president for an upturn or a downturn is only telling a small portion of the story.
So a candidate talking down the economy months before the election can actually affect the economy in a negative fashion? Hmmm...
My perspective is reality. I like where the country is headed, I liked the way he handled 9/11, I like the way he makes decisions (decisively, actionably), I like his beliefs (religious, positions on abortion), I like he said he would lower taxes and he did it. Kerry toes the line on everything (we should have went to Iraq but done it differently, tax cuts in times of war is bad but I liek what Bush did except for people makign over $200k). Again I see Bush as a leader and I know what to expect, I see Kerry as someone who will say anything to get elected. But the problem is kerry has proven nothing as a senator except he votes as far left as possible. Why would I as a business owner trust him? I mean just to hear him talking about reducing the deficit while not cutting defense spending and redistributing taxes from the top 2% tells me (in my mind) he's just trying to keep everybody happy, rather than saying what he will really do.
So what you are saying is that you don't like someone who can see the more subtle and complex sides of issues '(we should have went to Iraq but done it differently, tax cuts in times of war is bad but I liek what Bush did except for people makign over $200k)'. You would rather just have a leader who can only see things in simple terms? I feel the exact opposite. I hope that my leaders are able to see the good in some ideas and improve them, and weed out the bad. It's like writing. The real art to the craft comes in re-writing. Take out the bad and leave in the good. As for Kerry's senate record please show me which votes are as liberal as possible? Was it his support for the balanced budget amendment? Was it Kerry's support for welfare reform?
