Zeev's Turnips Talk Politics (ZTTP)

[Rick Faurot]

Kerry Blames Bush for 'Downsizing' American Dreams
Fri Aug 27, 2004 05:20 PM ET

By Michael Conlon
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry said on Friday the latest report showing a slowdown in economic growth is proof President Bush is presiding over a downsizing of "dreams and possibilities."

Speaking to a forum on the economy at a school in Daly City near San Francisco, Kerry said, "to be stronger at home we need an economy that's working for the American people and we need a president who understands what's happening."

"Every time people try to get ahead something else happens. ... It seems to be out of control," whether the problem is disappearing jobs or rising drug costs, the Massachusetts senator said.

The Commerce Department said the nation's gross domestic product -- which measures a country's total output -- expanded at a 2.8 percent annual rate in the second quarter, down from the 3 percent pace estimated last month and 4.5 percent in the first quarter.

With some polls showing Bush hurt in the run-up to the Nov. 2 election by his handling of the economy, Kerry jumped on the new figures to say the Bush administration had no plans on how to deal with a record budget deficit and the greatest loss of jobs since President Herbert Hoover and the Great Depression.