Bush takes on still more political risk

[ibid]

Bush takes on still more political risk

By Linda Feldmann, The Christian Science Monitor

WASHINGTON — George W. Bush is a well-known risk-taker — and well-known for not giving up when he has a bee in his bonnet.

As with Iraq, so with Social Security, the president has made clear that he is pressing ahead in his goal of dramatic change. Even though his much-vaunted "60-day, 60-stop" barnstorming campaign to sell the public on Social Security reform has ended, the events continue without a break.<snip>

The only alteration will be the message: He has heightened public attention to Social Security's eventual shortfalls and made his pitch for "voluntary personal retirement accounts." Now, despite solid Democratic opposition to his plan and slippage in polls, Bush is ready to start addressing the system's solvency issue with a plan to reduce benefits for 70% of future retirees, while keeping low-income workers out of poverty.

"He doesn't have anything to lose," says John Zogby, an independent pollster. "But oddly enough, he still could emerge a winner on this by compromise, by being the guy who moved the dime on the issue. We're talking about indexing according to inflation, we're talking about raising the retirement issue. Those were equally third-rail pieces of Social Security, and now they're on the table, at least."
<snip>
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-05-01-bush-csm_x.htm

[frankly_fedup2]

1. Wow! I hope he doesn't hurt himself with all that brainstorming.

The majority of the people want him to leave it alone.

Bush is pushing too hard for this which could mean only one thing . . . it's not for the peoples' benefit. It's obviously Rove and Cheney pushing their little puppet out there to try to see the reaction of the people. The people aren't happy with Bush right now and the polls show it. Leave our Social Security alone. Plain and simple, don't fuck up anything else before we get to throw you out of the White House. That pretty much says it, don't you think?

He needs to worry about bringing our troops home (anyone hear him speak of the War lately?), do something about gas prices and gouging (that he claimed would not happen), and go to Crawford every weekend (on our dime no less), and play with his chainsaw . . . under supervision, of course, and don't try to come up with some half-brained proposal that isn't even a complete idea.

[ibid]

2. very true :-)

:-)

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

3. It seems Zogby's comment

shows him to be a Bush apolgist at the very least. The SS issue is not a crisis and can be resolved simply. Bush is trying to make political gains with this, showing us a problem that he is willing to solve. It't the same tactic used for Iraq. Even though many of us knew he was lying about Iraq, say for a minute, he wasn't and really was given bad intelligence and advice. Now comes SS. Doesn't this in the least bit raise your personal red flag as in 'wait a minute, what about what you told us about Iraq?'

This is what the media ought be doing for Mr and Mrs. Middle America.

Sadly, they are not and Mr. and Mrs. Middle America do not frequent these forums where they would learn of the manipulations and machinations of the Bush Administration. Hey, that last part almost rhymes! :)

We are all the worse off for it.....................