A Solid Rebuttal of the State of Bush's Union
Well, needless to say, President Bush's State of the Union address was an utter disaster, rife with paradox, hyperbole, contradiction, ambiguity, and outright lies. Bush's pandering about the "spread of freedom" (whatever that means) across the globe is nothing but a clever foil for the real business he intends to execute within these United States. While Bush did spend a considerable time playing the role of sycophant to the hearts of America, ingratiatingly shoveling praise towards the honor and bravery of our troops (and how can anyone be opposed to that?), the real core of his address lay in his attention to Social Security privatization.
By now progressives should be well aware of the right's typical tactic of bait and switch: load up on the ultimately fruitless moral values bandwagon and then make quick, silent headway on the economic matters that count. They preach on abortion, guns, gays, God, family values, patriotism, and our men and women in uniform, and they dish out deregulation, privatization, worker oppression, and economic subjugation of the middle class. Bush is the epitome of the far-right American politician who talks Jesus and walks corporate. Yes, do use that phrase whenever a conservative professes that their commander-in-chief has a moral compass. So while Bush does a spectacular job of kissing up to the troops, the real work of ending the New Deal - the very essence of the modern Democratic Party, I might add - will begin in earnest.
Progressives must recognize Bush's State of the Union for what it was: a brilliant maneuver designed to distract the public from his Administration's radical agenda. Please do not brush aside Social Security as some kind of trivial issue; it is the last vestige of the American welfare state, the last hope of a safety net for retirees, and its demise will only mean the final restoration of a 19th-century distribution of wealth. Here's an update from the Center for American Progress:
By now progressives should be well aware of the right's typical tactic of bait and switch: load up on the ultimately fruitless moral values bandwagon and then make quick, silent headway on the economic matters that count. They preach on abortion, guns, gays, God, family values, patriotism, and our men and women in uniform, and they dish out deregulation, privatization, worker oppression, and economic subjugation of the middle class. Bush is the epitome of the far-right American politician who talks Jesus and walks corporate. Yes, do use that phrase whenever a conservative professes that their commander-in-chief has a moral compass. So while Bush does a spectacular job of kissing up to the troops, the real work of ending the New Deal - the very essence of the modern Democratic Party, I might add - will begin in earnest.
Progressives must recognize Bush's State of the Union for what it was: a brilliant maneuver designed to distract the public from his Administration's radical agenda. Please do not brush aside Social Security as some kind of trivial issue; it is the last vestige of the American welfare state, the last hope of a safety net for retirees, and its demise will only mean the final restoration of a 19th-century distribution of wealth. Here's an update from the Center for American Progress:
The House and Senate Republican Conferences have developed a 103-page communications manual for privatizing Social Security. The document reveals conservatives' true feelings about the wisdom of the American public. It pushes members to stress "personalization" over "privatization" since "privatization" connotes the total corporate takeover of Social Security." Remember, the audience "doesn't understand financial jargon," and "doesn't know how trillions and billions differ." And it reminds conservatives, "Don't let yourself get dismissed by a skeptical audience," because they "will dismiss the notion that the government can help them accumulate a million dollars," and they "don't find it credible that the accounts will be easy to manage." Here's what Americans should really know:
The Bush administration's crisis mentality leads to critical mistakes. This Administration has a dangerous habit of overstating crises and understating the cost of radical steps. The "Chicken Little" mentality brought us an ill-conceived war in Iraq, designed to control WMD we never found, launched with no exit strategy and with inadequate troops and equipment. This is the team that expected our troops would be greeted by jubilant crowds, rather than armed insurgents. Let's make sure we think this one through. This time, when they launch their reckless plan and declare "mission accomplished," they could leave American retirees holding the bag.
There are many big, unanswered questions about Social Security privatization. First, what happens if you lose money? Are you just left out in the cold? Second, how will we pay the staggering $2 trillion transition costs? And third, what benefit cuts do they have in store? Who will be the winners under this privatization scheme? Who will run it? Let's get it right for young and old alike. The Social Security trust fund will be solvent for almost 40 years. There is no need to rush in to ill-conceived privatization plans that haven't been well thought out. Let's get reform right and not undercut a guarantee with a gamble.
