Give these two jokers binoculars and escort them to the back row upstairs...
Posted on 02/02/2005 5:25:19 PM PST by Libloather
Dems Criticize Bush on State of the Union
By ALAN FRAM : Associated Press Writer
Feb 2, 2005 : 5:44 pm ET
WASHINGTON -- Their numbers and power diminished, congressional Democrats hope their vigorous response to President Bush's State of the Union address will help fuel a turnabout from the election miseries of November.
In addition to their leaders' televised response Wednesday night, Democrats were inviting senior citizens to the House galleries to underscore their opposition to Bush's Social Security plans and planned a news conference Thursday at a memorial to Social Security's father, President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The prime-time speech offered center stage to the president, who was focusing on Social Security and U.S. efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Democrats were following with their leaders.
"We all know that the United States cannot stay in Iraq indefinitely and continue to be viewed as an occupying force," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, according to excerpts of the televised response she was to deliver after Bush's remarks.
"Neither should we slip out the back door, falsely declaring victory but leaving chaos," said Pelosi, D-Calif. "We have never heard a clear plan from this administration for ending our presence in Iraq."
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, in excerpts of his remarks, said Bush's Social Security plans sound more like "Social Security roulette" than reform.
"Democrats are all for giving Americans more of a say and more choices when it comes to their retirement savings. But that doesn't mean taking Social Security's guarantee and gambling with it. And that's coming from a senator who represents Las Vegas," said Reid, D-Nev., according to the excerpts.
Besides Bush's re-election, the Nov. 2 voting increased the small but decisive majorities Republicans hold in Congress. The GOP also ousted one of the most visible Democrats, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D.
That has left the lower-profile Pelosi and Reid among the party's leaders and forced Democrats to ponder what course will best help them regain House and Senate seats.
Many in the party think Bush has given Democrats a golden opportunity with his idea of letting beneficiaries divert some Social Security revenues to new personal investment accounts, and borrowing money to pay the extra costs.
"The president neither has the mandate he thinks he has, or a majority to make policy" because of worries by moderate Republicans, said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill. "He's making a mistake on both, which is overreaching."
Even so, Democrats were not volunteering detailed alternatives to Bush proposals. Reid told reporters that without a specific White House blueprint for overhauling Social Security, he saw no need for Democrats to offer "a counterplan to nothing."
To underscore what they said was the unpopularity of Bush's Social Security plan, about 15 House Democrats were giving to constituents, including older Americans, the ticket that lawmakers each receive for a gallery seat during Bush's speech.
Pelosi said the spectators would "reflect those who have the most to lose with what we've seen of the president's plan on Social Security."
In the excerpts of their responses, Reid and Pelosi accused Bush of failing to develop a plan for protecting the country from terrorism and said Democrats wanted more health, education and job training benefits for veterans.
Bush was planning a two-day campaign-style swing beginning Thursday to sell his Social Security plan in states with Democratic senators from whom he hopes he can win support.
Reaching out to Hispanics, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., and Rep. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., were delivering a Spanish language response Wednesday evening. Reid and other Democrats planned a Thursday news conference at the Washington, D.C., memorial to Roosevelt to discuss their opposition to Bush's Social Security plan.
Pelosi and Reid said Democrats would work with Bush when they have common ground. But Reid rejected GOP criticism that Democrats have obstructed Senate work.
"This is not a dictatorship," Reid said. He said the Constitution gives the Senate minority the power to use delaying tactics to derail "mischief and bad things."
Give these two jokers binoculars and escort them to the back row upstairs...
This is ridiculous to pit young people against the old. Seniors have every right to voice their opinions and the majority are concerned. Someone said that all seniors over 65 are millionaires, really? What planet did you come from. My dear grandparents worked all their lives, they played by the rules as good republicans they never asked for a handout. They believed in SS to be there when they retired and the seniors who collected their benefits were both lib and Republican the libs were not the only ones who have both contributed and collected for over 30 years..
Republican talking heads all appear to agree in whats the rush to do this?
I've got no problem with that. As long as they sit up there and behave themselves like good little seniors, more power to them.
I keep waiting for a Democrat to stand up and act like an adult. It's just isn't happening.
Until one does, they'll continue to lose like the highschool outcast does for class president.
Democrats, grow the hell up! You grow more absurd, more laughable, more carnival barker-like, each day. Grow a spine. Admit that there are moral values. Adopt one or two of them. Respect our military, and act like it. No, I mean really respect them.
Ted, Nancy, Hillary, the others of you (and you know who you are) who have negatives over 99.99%, be good soldiers and fade away.
We are a Constitutional Republic, if you can't act like you understand that, and support it, find something else to do with your days.
They are going to invite people who won't even be eligible to participate in the personal accounts under discussion?
"This is not a dictatorship," Reid said. He said the Constitution gives the Senate minority the power to use delaying tactics to derail "mischief and bad things."
mischief and bad things?
Best laugh of the week! thanks!
I keep waiting for a Democrat to stand up and act like an adult.
they're just what we need...goofy looking and sounding.
they are so out of step with most americans that they are an advertisement for the demise of the democrat party.
Yes, I know. Wouldn't it be nice if the parties agreed on 95% of things, then took different views on valid issues.
The left leaves such a void by it's actions. What a wasted opportunity.
He won't do it, but just a mention that he'd even consider
the AARP investment model of 38 mutual funds for people
50+ would be a great line.
AARP is demogoguing this issue, and here they have Scudder
Investments running branded mutual funds of which AARP gets
a slice.
So this will be another re-enactment of the the Rep convention and Inaugural? Gee, that worked so well for the Dems! Sure Libs. Bring the activists out. Old people with faces scrunched in hatred hollering obscneities and untruths will reaaaalllly win people over.
So much for "the loyal opposition" concept. Dems just criticize, attack, and obstruct. Its deeply ingrained in this generation of Dems (and their allies in the liberal media).
I agree.
And those AARP funds haven't been performing too well, either.
Well .. what do you expect. The dems already told the repubs - because of the somberness of our time (What ???) they TOLD the repubs to hold down their applause.
But .. they have invited seniors who are against the President's SS plan and expect them to make a lot of noise .. betcha!
I'm one of the most conservative political minds you'll find. This tendency stretches from social to fiscal issues for me and 99.9% of the time I find myself well to the right of President Bush.
That having been said, I'm a bit nervous about his plans for Social Security reform. Everyone has been calling this plan "Social Security Privatization" - but is it? It would be one thing if the Republicans had put forth a plan that would simply refund Social Security Taxes from the IRS to the individual's designated defined contribution retirement account. This would represent true social security privatization and would give the individual citizen true control over their retirement destiny.
I don't think that is what is going to happen. With their departure from a limited-government philosophy, Republicans enjoy having their hands on your money as much as do Democrats. That's why this plan doesn't call for sending back one red cent of your money. Instead, you are going to be given "personal savings accounts" in which to accrue this money.
To me, this sounds a lot like a nationalized 401k plan. While such accounts - if they would function like individual brokerage accounts - would be a huge improvement over the current situation, I suspect they won't. Instead, I suspect they'll function exactly like a 401k plan where the "investor" has the opportunity to chosen from a handful of investment baskets.
One has to wonder how the "approved" funds and brokerage houses for what will certainly be a multi-billion dollar financial business will get that approval...and when you start thinking along these lines "Social Security Reform" starts sounding a bit more like a government controlled stock/bond market by the day.
The usual Rats playbook, get the senior citizens stirred up by telling them that Bush will cut off Social Security. Bush is right thiose of us in the babyboomer generation simply don't have enough kids to make Social Security work as a pay as you go system. Those getting SS benefits today are getting far more than they ever contributed paid by those of us still working. What's worse is that those of us who have paid in more will not live long enough to collect even our own contributions let along have any means of passing these contributions on to our kids or grandkids.
HMMMMMM.
I wonder how many of our trusted leaders will make a 'timely' investment just before those mutual baskets are approved?
Keep what Ive already paid in, and opt me out of this ponsi pyramid...
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