Blumenthal: Domestic Gibberish

[kskiska]

Bush's incoherence on home affairs reminds us that pre-9/11 he was the most unpopular president

Fear made George Bush's presidency, gave him his "mission", and allowed him to remain in office. Before September 11, he had drifted to the lowest approval rating ever for a president after just eight months on the job.

Throughout the 2004 campaign, Republicans hammered "September 11", "terrorism" and "Saddam Hussein" like an anvil chorus. Bush got his victory; it was the smallest win of any second-term president since Woodrow Wilson in 1916, but he acts as if it is the moment of deliverance Republicans have been waiting for since Herbert Hoover lost the White House.

Fear fostered Bush's "political capital", so he sees no reason why it should fail him now. His attempt to transfer fear from the war on terrorism to the war on the New Deal may not be confusing to him, but the truth is that only fear generated in foreign policy has protected him politically from his unpopular positions on domestic issues. Since September 11, without variation, Bush's poll numbers have paralleled the quantity of news stories about terrorism. The more terrorism dominates the media, the higher his ratings; and whenever terrorism declines, he begins to sink. The war on terrorism is his meta-narrative. But what happens when the ground shifts?

(snip)

His convoluted explanations on social security were so confusing that Bush confessed: "Does that make any sense to you? It's kind of muddled. Look, there's a series of things that cause the... like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate ... the benefits will rise based upon inflation, as opposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those ... if that growth is affected, it will help on the red. OK, better? I'll keep working on it."

more…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1409591,00.html

[mulethree]

1. Want to be even more confusing?

Explain how, at present, prices are increasing faster than wages are.
If we stick to Bush VooDoo, wouldn't price indexing create MORE red than wage indexing?

[applegrove]

2. Because if there wasn't a war - there would at present be deflation.

Because if there wasn't a war - there would at present be deflation.

Does that help?

Oh and SS doesn't make any sense because Bush forgot to mention that the investment accounts will be investing in stocks & bonds outside the USA. The USA economy will tank in the next 50 years. That is why SS will be bankrupt in 2042.

Oh and SS has to be reformed because when tax reform takes place, inheritance taxes and income taxes will be done away with and replaced with a sales tax. How can you get SS increased tax from rich people when you no longer know who they are?

I hope that clears things up!