More repercussions from Bush's Press Conference
From the Dallas Morning News."In holding a prime-time news conference for the first time in his second term, President Bush had one goal: to counter the growing impression that his Social Security proposals are dead by stressing his efforts to ease the system's long-term financial problems.
"The decision a day later by his faithful House Republican allies to schedule consideration of the issue represents progress, since Senate divisions make agreement there impossible at this time.
"But the revised Bush approach still has two potentially fatal flaws.
"First, Mr. Bush still insists that any plan include the diversion of some Social Security payroll taxes into personal accounts for younger voters. "It's got to be a part of a comprehensive package," he said, launching a lengthy defense of the concept he has tried with minimal success to sell in recent weeks.
"That firm statement confirmed the view of people on both sides of the issue that his main goal remains creating a private alternative to the Social Security system, something he has favored since his failed U.S. House bid 27 years ago.
"But it's already clear that a majority of the Senate opposes any effort to divert payroll taxes into private accounts. That's one reason Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, is having such trouble writing a bill in his Senate Finance Committee.
"Second, the specific plan that Mr. Bush touted to ease the system's long-term fiscal problems would fall far more heavily on middle-class Americans than other solutions, which would put the burden mainly on the wealthy.
"That could pose a real political problem for lawmakers, even those who favor dealing with Social Security now."
This was published May 5, 2005 by Carl Leubsdorf, Washington Bureau Chief for the Dallas Morning News.
Knowing Bush's dislike for holding Press Conferences in the first place, I felt that the fact that he did hold one indicated that his Social Security initiatives were in deep trouble and he was somewhat desperate to try to turn them around.
I felt that he was also unusually well prepared for the Press Conference, which again indicated to me a rather high level of perceived need to change the responses he has been getting.
This article indicates that he got no real change for his efforts.
I was unaware of his difficulties in the Senate, but I am delighted to hear about them. While the House Republicans clearly place the Republican Party and its power above the good of the American Nation, apparently there are still some Republican Senators who are not yet ready to sell America down the river - at least not yet.
Bush really is the very worst President the United States has ever suffered through.
posted by Richard @ 6:05 AM
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