Craig Crawford's 1600: Winning the 'Debate'

[Catchawave]

http://www.cq.com/corp/show.do?page=crawford/crawford_current

Imagine a “conversation” where one person does all the talking, except for a few laudatory comments from well-wishers, while those who speak up in disagreement are forcibly removed from sight before anyone can hear what they say.

That is what the White House is calling “A Conversation on Strengthening Social Security” — when the president appears in middle America, as he did here on March 10, to promote his ideas for changing the nation’s 70-year-old retirement system.

It is more like a conversation with himself. These orchestrated events, before crowds of mostly handpicked supporters, serve the purpose of helping George W. Bush get his message out directly. But I suspect there’s another reason for keeping the naysayers at bay.

That could be why the president is so good at sticking to his guns on issues ranging from Iraq to Social Security: He is protected from opposing views. It is much easier to be inflexible when a vast staff of White House handlers and security forces prevent any chance that he will hear alternative ideas.

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[reprehensor]

1. bump

[MissMarple]

2. Craig Crawford...so cogent, so pithy.

He always has something thought provoking to say when he's on Olbermann.


"Did Bailey get his point across? After all, his suggestion of setting up private accounts that do not divert Social Security contributions is one of the ideas floating around on Capitol Hill.

“He wasn’t listening,” Bailey said. “He’s good at that.”

Retired Louisville schoolteacher James McMillen voiced another dissenting — and mostly unheard — view during Bush’s Kentucky appearance. McMillen said he wanted the president to address concerns that his changes to Social Security could scuttle its finances, putting it in more jeopardy. But he, too, was drowned out by the president and his applauding crowd, then whisked away by security forces before being heard.

Both men maintain that they did not go to this event planning to interrupt the president. Neither gave the appearance of being professional protesters. Each said they had never done anything like this, but grew frustrated as they realized Bush was not going to invite any tough questions. “He just wasn’t giving the whole story,” Bailey said, “It came into mind while he was talking. I had to say something.”