Special Reports
BUSH ATTEMPTS MORE DECEPTION IN THE FINAL PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE:
George W. Bush misled the American people yet again at the final presidential
debate in Tempe, Arizona, on Oct. 13. According to The Washington Post, Bush
was "stretching the truth" several times throughout the 90-minute debate. Bush
stated that most of his tax cuts went to low- and middle-income Americans. In
actuality, the wealthiest 1 percent of taxpayers got about 34 percent of Bush's
tax cut, while the bottom 80 percent got only 32 percent of the tax cut. Bush
also stated that his administration would continue to expand Pell Grants
to low-income students. The only expansion of Pell Grants that occurred under
Bush's watch, however, was due to an increased number of low-income families
qualifying for the grants.
Additionally, Bush protested Sen. Kerry?s charge
that he had never met with the Congressional Black Caucus. While he met with
the group his first two weeks in office, he has repeatedly turned down requests
to meet with the group ever since. Bush?s account of the economy was overly
optimistic. The latest job figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics
showed a net loss of 821,000 jobs during Bush?s time in office, putting him
on track to be the first president in 72 years to preside over a loss of jobs.
Kerry was correct in his assertion that Bush tried to cut 500,000 children from
after-school programs; his 2004 budget cut funding for after-school programs
from $1 billion to $600 million. Bush blamed the recession and the war for the
reappearance of the deficit, but the Congressional Budget Office asserts that
these are responsible for only a small portion of the deficit. They say that
Bush?s tax cuts are more likely to blame.
Source: The Washington Post, "Attacks Misleading and Out of Context," Glenn Kessler and Mike Allen, Oct. 14, 2004.
THE BROKEN PROMISES OF GEORGE W. BUSH: The American
Progress Action Fund released a report last month comparing George w. Bush's rhetoric to
his administration?s track record on domestic policy, the economy, and the environment.
Source: The Center for American Progress, "The Broken Promises of George W. Bush," Sept. 2004
Read more
Bushisms
"We will stand up for terror. We will stand up for freedom."
—Bush, speaking on the campaign trail, Oct. 18 in Marlton, N.J.
"Gosh, I just don't think I ever said I'm not worried about Osama
bin Laden. It's kind of one of those exaggerations."
—Bush, during the final presidential debate, attempting
to refute Kerry’s claim that the president boasted he was
not concerned about Osama bin Laden
"So I don't know where he is. You know, I just don't spend that
much time on him... We haven't heard much from him. And I wouldn't necessarily
say he's at the center of any command structure. And, again, I don't know where
he is. I- I'll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him."
—Bush, answering a question about Osama bin Laden at a March 13, 2002
news conference.
"After standing on the stage, after the debates, I made it very
plain, we will not have an all-volunteer army. And yet, this week— we
will have an all-volunteer army. Let me restate that."
—Bush, showing signs of confusion (yet again) at an Oct. 16 campaign stop
in Daytona Beach.
"The truth of that matter is, if you listen carefully, Saddam
would still be in power if he were president of the United States, and we’d
be a lot better off."
—Bush at the second presidential debate in St. Louis, Oct. 8.
"And as a result of the United States military, Taliban no longer
is in existence."
—Bush, demonstrating a weak grasp on reality at a campaign stop in Springfield,
Ohio on Sept. 27.
"Free societies are hopeful societies. And free societies will
be allies against these hateful few who have no conscience, who kill at the
whim of a hat …"
—Bush, mixing metaphors at a Victory 2004 Luncheon in Washington, D.C.
on Sept. 17.
Read more
War on Terror / War in Iraq
PAT ROBERTSON SAYS BUSH DIDN'T EXPECT ANY CASUALTIES IN IRAQ:
Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson told CNN reporter Paula Zahn on Oct.
19 that George Bush did not expect American soldiers to sustain any casualties
in Iraq. "I was trying to say, Mr. President, you better prepare the American
people for casualties." And according to Robertson's account, Bush replied,
"Oh, no, we're not going to have any casualties." Bush's political
team was quick to refute such claims. White House press secretary Scott McClellan
said, "The president never made such a comment." Long-time Bush crony
Karen Hughes told CNN, "Perhaps he misunderstood, but I've never heard
the president say any such thing." Pat Robertson has not backed down from
his original comments, although he asserts that he is 100 percent behind Bush's
re-election.
Sources: CNN, "Paula Zahn Now" Transcript, Oct. 19,
2004; CNN, "No Casualties? White House Disputes Robertson Comment,"
John King, Oct. 21, 2004.
Read more
Flip-Flops & Lies
BUSH FLIP-FLOPS ON CIVIL UNIONS: In an Oct. 24 interview with
ABC correspondent Charlie Gibson, Bush claimed he disagreed with the Republican
Party platform opposing civil unions of same-sex couples and that the issues
should be left up to the states. "I don't think we should deny people rights
to a civil union, a legal arrangement, if that's what a state chooses to do
so," Bush told Gibson during the interview. Gibson then noted that the Republican
Party platform opposed civil unions, to which Bush replied, "Well, I don't."
Gibson then asked, "So the Republican Party platform on that point, as far as
you?re concerned, is wrong?" "Right," Bush said. However, Bush opposes same-sex
marriage, continues to support a constitutional amendment to define marriage
as a union between a man and a woman, and despite these latest remarks, White
House officials have said that Bush would not have endorsed civil unions as
the governor of Texas. In Oct. 2003, Bush issued a proclamation endorsing Marriage
Protection Week, a week of anti-gay family events sponsored by more than two
dozen right-wing religious organizations, which called on elected officials
to sign a pledge not only opposing marriage equality for same-sex couples, but
also opposing civil unions and domestic partner benefits.
Sources: New York Times, "Bush Says His Party Is Wrong to Oppose Gay Civil Unions," Elisabeth Bumiller, Oct. 26, 2004; National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, "Bush and today's civil unions statements," Oct. 26, 2004
WHO WEARS THE FLIP-FLOPS NOW? Joel Connelly, of the Seattle
Post?Intelligencer, demonstrates how Bush, who has charged John Kerry
relentlessly with flip-flopping, has flip-flopped himself on a number of issues
throughout the past four years. Some of Bush?s flip-flops include: speaking
against the Clinton administration?s use of U.S. troops for nation-building,
then using the same concept in Iraq; declaring Osama bin Laden as the real enemy
and later claiming he is not a priority; originally opposing the creation of
a 9/11 Commission, then later supporting this idea; declaring the administration
would support (at least sign) the renewal of Congress?s ban on military-style
assault weapons with no follow-through; and promising to limit carbon dioxide
emissions in the atmosphere, but ultimately doing nothing to help this problem.
Connelly presents the voter with a more "educated" depiction of what
it means to flip-flop. As it turns out, Bush is not one to talk. A web site
dedicated to keeping track of Bush?s flip flops continues to add more charges
to its collection. Check out 50BushFlipFlops.com
for a complete list.
Sources: In These Times, "Bush-Cheney Flip Flops Cost America
in Blood," Joel Connelly, Sept. 29, 2004; 50BushFlipFlops.com, "Long Flip Flop
List."
Read more
Domestic Policy
BUSH SAYS THE "P" WORD: Has Bush blown the election with just
one word? At a confidential luncheon with big-money supporters in September, Bush
reportedly made the following announcement: "I'm going to come out strong after
my swearing in with fundamental tax reform, tort reform, privatizing of Social
Security." As AlterNet's David Corn reports, "Everyone in politics knows a candidate
is not supposed to say [privatizing of Social Security]. Bush has been trained
[?] to talk about Social Security 'reform,' not privatization." Bush has dodged
the question of Social Security for years, implying partial privatization without
saying so directly. He hasn't endorsed a specific plan and he won't account for
the $2 trillion short-term cost of such a move. Now we're beginning to see why.
Source: AlterNet, "Bush Said the 'F' Word," David Corn, Oct.
18, 2004.
REMEMBERING BUSH'S FORGETTABLE BLUNDERS: In an article for
AlterNet, Molly Ivins takes a look back at some of the less memorable Bush blunders
from the past four years. Remember when Bush chose Martin Luther King, Jr.'s
birthday to announce that his administration would oppose affirmative action
in the University of Michigan case? Or how about the day a major earthquake
hit the northwest U.S. and Bush decided to do away with a federal program designed
to help communities deal with natural disasters? "Of course, Florida in an election
year—different story," Ivins says. Despite rhetoric to the contrary, Bush
allowed companies to switch from traditional fixed-benefit plans to cash-balance
plans, which saves corporations millions of dollars a year, but which cause
older workers to lose up to 50 percent of their pensions. Bush awarded companies
who switch to the cash-balance plans a tax advantage. "It's the perfect Bush
plan," says Ivins. "Corporations get to screw workers, and they get a tax break
for it—plus, nobody can sue.?
Source: AlterNet, "Times Gone By," Molly Ivins, Oct. 19, 2004.
YOU CALL THIS A DEMOCRACY? As the Bush administration continues
its reelection campaign, one cannot avoid hearing the president boast of the
"democracy" he supposedly is spreading throughout Iraq and Afghanistan. However,
according to evidence presented by journalist David Sirota, Bush should not
be speaking about the wonders of democracy when he has done such damage to democracy
at home. Some of the non-democratic issues going on right here in the U.S. are:
allowing Florida Gov. Jeb Bush to clear felons off voter rolls in order to disenfranchise
"traditionally Democratic voters," giving a voice to Republican efforts to censor
minority voter turnout, and holding ceremonies for new immigrants to trick them
into registering Republican. In addition, the government has detained a great
deal of people who have organized political protests, such as peaceful AIDS
demonstrators who were violently removed and then arrested for "disorderly conduct."
As Sirota points out, the U.S. may not be the ideal democracy these days.
Source: In These Times, ?You Call This a Democracy?? David Sirota, Sept. 28, 2004.
BUSH'S HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER ENDORSES KERRY: The Lone Star Iconoclast, the weekly newspaper in Bush's adopted hometown of Crawford, Texas, announced its endorsement of John Kerry for president in a Sept. 29 editorial. The publication's editors cited Bush's handling of the war in Iraq, his proposals on Medicare and Social Security and his fiscal irresponsibility as reasons for their decision. "The publishers of The Iconoclast endorsed Bush four years ago, based on the things he promised, not on this smoke-screened agenda,? the newspaper announced. "Today, we are endorsing his opponent, John Kerry."
Source: Capitol Hill Blue, "Bush?s Hometown Newspaper
Endorses Kerry," Wire Reports, Sept. 29, 2004
Read more
The Economy
BUSH TAXES IMMIGRANTS WANTING TO BECOME U.S. CITIZENS: George
Bush says that America is a "welcoming" nation. So why has he raised fees on
the very things he wants incoming immigrants to do: work hard, play by the rules,
and become citizens? Over the past four years, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (now a faction of the Department of Homeland Security) has raised the
cost of 31 existing fees and has added nine categories of new ones. The tax
to become an American citizen has increased 55 percent. The Bush administration
has privatized the 1-800 immigration help line, and the new privatized workers
usually need to read from a script to answer callers' questions, resulting in
the dispension of incomplete or conflicting information. The administration
cites the cost of increased security for the price hikes, but that figure ($21
per application) is less than half the amount of the recent fee increases. The
real cost of these increased fees may be that fewer immigrants can afford to
take the legal route to citizenship.
Source: AlterNet, "Taxing Immigrants," Jonathan Rowe, Oct. 19, 2004.
A WELFARE PROGRAM FOR BIG BUSINESS: In early October, Congress
considered a $140 billion dollar tax bill that would provide a tax break to
276 large companies and special interest groups. Instead of using this money
to help national financial worries, Congress has decided to give tax breaks
to the rich and powerful. As Doug Thompson explains, this "corporate tax reform
bill" is more like a "welfare program for big business." A few specific examples
include provisions for the following corporations: Starbucks, NASCAR, Carnival
Cruise Lines and Home Depot. Thompson claims that many members of Congress,
representatives and senators alike, only care about "the golden rule." That
is, "he who has the gold, makes the rules."
Source: Capitol Hill Blue, "Corporate 'Tax Reform:' Rich Get Richer While Taxpayers Get Screwed," Doug Thompson, Oct. 12, 2004.
Read more
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