Bush strikes out in N.H. on Social Security

[Rose Siding]

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - For President Bush , Social Security reform tops a busy second-term agenda, but yesterday's stop on his campaign-style reform push brought little more than a collective ho-hum from Granite Staters.

White House aides collected empty chairs in an echoing Pease International Tradeport hangar before Bush took the stage since only about half of the 2,000 free tickets were taken.

And those who did come gave Bush a welcome that paled in comparison to his fall campaign
...

But others left shaking their heads at Bush's controversial gambit.

``Yes, there are problems with Social Security down the road, but where's the immediate problem?'' asked Paul Guercio, a 58-year-old unenrolled research scientist from nearby Lyman, Maine.
...
``I'm going to continue traveling over and over and over again, making it clear to the American people we have a problem,'' the president said.

http://news.bostonherald.com/politics/view.bg?articleid=68999

[RobertSeattle]

1. Hey What's that Sound? The Sound of Poltical Capital going down the drain!

Are there any picture of the EMPTY chairs or half EMPTY hangar or did the White House Press office make sure no pictures were taken of them?

[Les BOOGIE]

2. but *s been gaining in Rasmussen poll last few days, go figure

I thought the farmers & the vets would be turning against him this week

[lancdem]

14. I wouldn't worry about it

All that matters right now is the public response to his Soc. Sec. "plan." It hasn't budged at all since his SOTU speech.

[tsuki]

18. Polls are inaccurate, at least in America. Look at the exit polls. They

are accurate worldwide, but just not in the good ol' USA.

[Massachusetts]

24. Good Comment

[rodeodance]

3. oh--a pic of half empty audiance would be GRAND!!

[YDogg]

5. crickets

n/t

[CountAllVotes]

4. no one is going for this! no one!

I sent my 80 year old aunt a copy of the letter I received from Sen. Boxer yesterday. She wrote me back and said that "even some of my republican friends are getting very fed up with this slimey liar and they are sorry they voted for him".

Yep, that is what the letter said alright. I sort of think my aunt is a once republican turned democrat in recent years (not sure but highly suspicious).

Anyway, this social security "plan" is going over like a lead balloon everywhere * goes.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE! TAKE BACK OUR AMERICA!!!

:kick:

[lyonn]

30. getting into Your pockets gets everyone's attention

People like to believe their leader, especially if they voted for them. Only when the choices of the Leader interferes with their personal situation or philosophy, like $$, religion, race, sports, language skills, hunting habits, survival of the fittest, unilateral wars, types of marriages (Colo. Gov. had a new type of marriage?) you get the point. People still say "better fight them over there than here", geesh, where is the humanity in that analogy? Diplomacy has worked so many times in our nation's history. Why not now? It's a no brainer. But so few are listening.

[Supersedeas]

6. the silence we hear is his plan for how to confront the issue--NO DETAILS

[nodictators]

12. True, no details. But, lots of lies and scare rhetoric.

Bush lied in his Saturday radio address when he falsely claimed that a person who earned $35,000/year would have a quarter of a million dollars in his or her "personal account" when the person retired.

The truth is that money, when deflated back to current value, is almost exactly the dollar value ($78,000) of SS benefits the person gave up to enter the personal account scam.

So, the person earning $35,000/year would gain NOTHING from the scam. In fact, they'd have a small loss, as shown below.

Computational note: This result is based on 3% annual inflation over 40 years (1.03^40), giving a 40-year deflator of 3.26.

$250,000/3.26 = $76,667.

[cestpaspossible]

7. And this is the RW rag the Boston Herald.

If this is the most positive spin the Herald can put on it...

[Ironpost]

8. What a work of art this idiot is.

[MaineDem]

9. This is absolutely priceless!!!

I would love to see them removing chairs!!!

[Rainscents]

10. Looks like people are not buying into his bull-shit! Hahaha

[DELUSIONAL]

11. As the American people just say NO to bush's cure for the

non problem --

We might be treated to a real full blown temper tantrum from the little emperor.

How will his handlers keep the sight of him throwing himself on the floor and kicking his feet in the air -- from the world?

I guess since his daddy managed to help loot the Savings and Loan for the rich folk -- bush wants to top his daddy by looting SS for the rich folk.

[zann725]

35. Exactly! He always gets his own way, and he feelsNO guilt for stealing.

Which scares me...not matter what the people want, or the Senate and House vote for.

He simply gets his own way. Maybe that's why he suddenly wants to invade almost the entire world. The money can be looted quicker for "defense."

[GOPBasher]

13. That's his mandate. n/t

[leftchick]

15. Photos from the losers** event...

I don't see any wide shots of the "crowd"...



President Bush (news - web sites) speaks at the Pan Am Hangar Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2005 in Portsmouth, N.H. Bush traveled to New Hampshire trying to win support for his proposed overhaul of the Social Security (news - web sites) system. On the stage as seen in the photo are Tim Penny, Frank Partin, Amy Partin, Bush, Bill Yeaton and Marlo Downer. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez



U.S. President George W. Bush (news - web sites) poses with children in the crowd after speaking about his plans to overhaul Social Security (news - web sites), during a visit to Pease International Tradeport in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, February 16, 2005. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque



President Bush (news - web sites) waves to supporters Wednesday Feb. 16, 2005 after holding a meeting to talk about his Social Security (news - web sites) reform plan in Portsmouth, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

[llmart]

34. Honestly, have you ever seen a person who is ......

supposedly president who looks so friggen ridiculous all the time? Oh, I see, let's pose with the little black kids so I can look like I care about them.

[grytpype]

16. Yeah...

``I'm going to continue traveling over and over and over again, making it clear to the American people we have a problem,'' the president said.

I think that will make the problem pretty clear... the problem being we have a half-retarded chimp for a president!

[calimary]

39. Yes. We have a problem, george. It's YOU.

Let's get the drumbeat out - the other way:

RETIREMENT ROULETTE!!!

THE ENRON SOLUTION!!!

SOCIAL SECURITY SHELL GAME!!!!

[damntexdem]

17. He should have said:

"I'm going to continue traveling over and over and over again, making it clear to the American people that I am the problem."

[Danmel]

19. As they'd say in New Hampshire

Ah-Yup!

His mere presence is the problem.

[98geoduck]

37. "You can't get there from here"!

[Skidmore]

20. Are people finding *s charm offensive?

It's about time.

[MaineDem]

21. I am!

But I always have. :D

It's good to see others finally catching on.

[yellowcanine]

22. When people hear the story of how private accounts have worked in Britain,

they won't want any part of this. Heard a piece on NPR this morning and it seems that the system of private accounts instituted by Maggie Thatcher (who else?) has been a gigantic bust with all kinds of scandals and many more elderly being dependant on welfare because their government pensions are way too small (as a result of tying benefit increases to prices rather than wages, btw) and their private accounts not nearly meeting expectations - mostly because of high administration costs, bad investments, bankrupt insurance companies, and outright swindles.

[MissMarple]

25. It wasn't a rousing success in Chile, either.

I read somewhere here on DU that it became quite expensive.

[Cha]

23. Lyin' Son of a Bitch! Just like we had

a "problem" in Iraq?

[gademocrat7]

38. Houston, we have a problem

we can't find any shred of truth from shrub.

[ernstbass]

26. What a pleasant surprise

that the public won't buy his bullshit anymore! Maybe there is hope for us all.

[Demonaut]

27. we need a watch list of those dem's who vote or campaign on behalf

of this "reform" One thing the repukes have down pat is loyalty and organisation.

[newscott]

28. Yeah, we have a problem, you idiot. You!

[maveric]

29. Giving a speech in another hangar? One that used to be a military base?

Cant he go to Downtown Manchester or Salem Depot to make his speils?

[retread]

31. I never thought I'd say this -- Bush is right! We do have a problem.

He's the goddamn problem!!!!!!

[despairing optimist]

32. Get Goebbels on the phone quickly! This must not happen again!

The crowds must be euphoric. They must cheer and wave and be in awe of the leader. They must hang on his every word.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[mbee]

36. The American people are clear they have a problem

and the problem is the chimp!

[jswordy]

40. Could the emtpy chairs be because only 13% of NH residents...

...polled think Social security is in trouble?

[Moderator]

41. Kicking thread to combine with a duplicate thread.

n/t

[blueheeler]

42. Bush strikes out in N.H. on Social Security

Looks like the hard sell of SS is not going so well for Georgie boy!

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - For President Bush , Social Security reform tops a busy second-term agenda, but yesterday's stop on his campaign-style reform push brought little more than a collective ho-hum from Granite Staters.

White House aides collected empty chairs in an echoing Pease International Tradeport hangar before Bush took the stage since only about half of the 2,000 free tickets were taken.

And those who did come gave Bush a welcome that paled in comparison to his fall campaign rallies.

Dedicated backers said they liked the president's pitch.

But others left shaking their heads at Bush's controversial gambit.

``Yes, there are problems with Social Security down the road, but where's the immediate problem?'' asked Paul Guercio, a 58-year-old unenrolled research scientist from nearby Lyman, Maine.

``The president tells a good story, but I think this is scare tactics.''

source;http://news.bostonherald.com/politics/view.bg?articleid=68999
:nopity:

[Guckert]

43. Looks like the honeymoon is over. facts don't change, opinions do.

[Zeke]

51. Check Out NYT...

Paul Krugman's NYT atricle about Greenspan becoming
a Bush partisan hack is revealing.

You sense Krugman's personal anger at Greenspan,
as someone in money management Krugman may have
looked up to once, but no more.

Like a mentor who betrayed his pupil.

[Say_What]

44. Please change your title otherwise the mods will lock the thread

Bush strikes out in N.H. on Social Security

LBN rules that title needs to match the article ;-)

Welcome to DU :hi:

[blueheeler]

47. Done.

Thanks!

[CWebster]

45. Compare that to the crowds dean generates

Yeah, they are batting for him.

[Fenris]

46. Less attendance than a Sha Na Na concert at a YMCA

[leftchick]

48. this happened during his staged campaign events as well

many were not sold out. You could not tell from our librul media though.
:eyes:

[Rose Siding]

49. more discussion here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1244881&mesg_id=1244881

[rodeodance]

50. i want to see a pic of the half empty audiance!!

[Mr_Spock]

52. Get that lying chimp-man freak out of my state

I hate that lying war criminal