Bush Falls Flat on Second Term Vision
President Bush's second inaugural address yesterday was filled with lofty rhetoric and idealism (some noticeably liberal in orientation) yet contained no hint of the very real challenges facing the nation. Bush promised to spread liberty and democracy and eradicate tyranny but made no mention of terrorism, Iraq, al Qaeda, Iran, or North Korea. He had nothing to say for the thousands of American soldiers who have died or been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. His domestic vision was a thinly veiled defense of wealth and power and trickle-down economics neatly wrapped in language about "ownership."
* President Bush talks about freedom yet refuses to acknowledge the new dangers that his Iraq policies have created. As Bush waxed eloquently about freedom and democracy, more reports emerged of massive violence and unrest in Iraq just days before the elections. In the past few weeks, Americans have learned definitively that there were no WMD in Iraq. We have seen startling evidence that Iraq is now a top terrorist breeding ground. And we know our nation's military is near breaking point and severely overcommitted. Yet not a word from the president about how to deal with any of these issues.
* Handouts for the wealthy disguised as opportunity and ownership for the masses is no vision of democracy. President Bush's domestic agenda amounts to little more than stale, trickle-down economics. Over the past four years, Bush has systematically shifted retirement and health care costs and risks onto individuals while making sure financial services and health care providers get billions in new fees and services. His plan for privatizing Social Security will leave the elderly at the mercy of financial markets, while private financial management firms will collect an estimated $940 billion windfall in new fees. And his permanent tax cuts for the wealthiest 1 percent of earners will shift even more of the tax burden onto middle class workers.
* Progressives should stand strong against conservative policies and show Americans that there's a better way to do business. Progressives have a better way to manage the economy, tackle big challenges abroad, and promote the national interest. By focusing on community, fairness, and equal opportunity for all, we can show Americans a different path to success and assert a stronger set of principles for moving the country forward.
Daily Talking Points is a product of the American Progress Action Fund.
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