Posted on 08/14/2002 6:22:33 AM PDT by McLynnan
President Bush listened first and talked later Tuesday as he moved from one friendly audience to the next at the Baylor law school.
Bush made 20-minute cameos in four of the eight discussions that kicked off his economic forum. Vice President Dick Cheney visited the other four. Each of the sessions, which ran concurrently, lasted 90 minutes.
Bush was the focus of every room he entered, but others did most of the talking. After opening remarks from two administration officials and investment executive Charles Schwab, Bush told investing and retirement panelists he was looking out for his McLennan County neighbors.
"I think about how people in Crawford look at Wall Street and the numbers," said Bush, whose ranch is about 25 miles west of Waco. "And one of the things I hope that comes out of this discussion is how do we simplify the numbers so that people can understand what they're looking at."
Panelists gave Bush first-hand accounts of the economy's health. Larry Johnston, chairman of the Albertson's grocery store chain, said he sees weakening consumer confidence when customers buy hamburger instead of steak.
Other stories were more encouraging. Dick Holthaus, president of the National Association of Investors Corporations, said the small investment clubs that make up his group received eight requests to sell for every two to buy in recent months. But he said investors have in recent weeks been buying only, which Holthaus chalked up to market factors and an emphasis on corporate responsibility.
Cabinet secretaries and other administration officials moderated the groups. They mostly called on business and civic leaders when Bush was in the room, ignoring professors from schools like Harvard, Stanford and the University of Pennsylvania.
Corporate accounting scandals were fresh in the minds of several panelists. Harry Alford, chairman of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, told Bush he was tired of seeing embattled executives plead the Fifth Amendment before Congress "as if they're Bugsy Siegel or Al Capone."
Bush told Alford that law-breakers will be held accountable. He also said business schools need to teach students the difference between right and wrong.
"They're afraid of taking a position, evidently," Bush said.
Bush walked swiftly into each room he entered, sometimes catching panelists off-guard. He got a delayed standing ovation when he entered the corporate responsibility session. In the discussion session on jobs and recovery, Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill gave panelists advance warning to stand when Bush entered.
The president took a few notes while participants talked, but he mostly looked directly at them, nodding frequently. He also worked in a few laughs.
At the session on jobs and recovery, North Carolina restaurant owner Van Eure sat between Bush and O'Neill, who has sometimes found few champions in Washington. After talking about estate taxes, Eure said it was an honor to sit next to one of her heroes, presumably meaning Bush.
"Who, O'Neill?" Bush quipped in amazement. "We found one, O'Neill."
George Luck, principal of the Waco ISD Alternative Campus and owner of Temple's Bluebonnet Cafe, sat on the health-care panel. A friend who works for Scott & White Memorial Hospital suggested Luck when White House officials asked for participants.
"I think people were very genuine throughout the entire forum," Luck said. "I don't think there was any difference when the president was there."
Luck said panelists were advised to keep comments short so everybody could speak. Salado nurse Lucinda Harman, also part of the health-care session, said the key instructions were to wear business dress and turn cell phones off.
After a wrap-up session at Baylor's Jones Concert Hall, Bush went to a participants' lunch in the Bill Daniel Student Center. They ate Southwest chicken salad and key lime pie, and Bush worked the room for handshakes and photos.
A Marine helicopter transported Bush from his Crawford ranch to Waco that morning, landing on the new intramural fields across La Salle Avenue from the Ferrell Center. He flew back to the ranch after five hours in Waco.
Even before the event began, Democrats complained the Bush forum was little more than a photo-op. In his closing-session remarks, Bush acknowledged at least some of the pageantry.
"Thanks for having us all," he told Baylor President Robert B. Sloan Jr. "And I want you to thank all the good folks here at Baylor University for putting on a great show."
Where have I heard that before?
"Who, O'Neill?" Bush quipped in amazement. "We found one, O'Neill."
I think that President Bush should speak personally to every person in the country before he runs for reelection. His self-effacement and good humor makes it absolutely impossible not to like him.
He'd win in 2004 with 80% of the vote! LOL!
America's poor are rich compared with the rest of the world. The economy is stable, and will improve gradually over the next few years according to most economists.
The President is just trying to make it happen sooner, and tap the resources available in ideas of the 'common folk.' You have a problem with that, do you?
This morning - I wondered if any of the presstitute "news" stations would be carrying this report - but in essence this is what it said:
The man speaking was head of one of the Small Business advocacy orgainzations - Independent Small Business group?
He said he went to this forum EXPECTING IT TO BE JUST A SHOW.
But, instead, he was very pleasantly surprised that it was much much different than what he expected. Substantive issues were discussed and real "listening" occurred on the part of the government people there. He thought it was very well worthwhile and gives him hope for the economy and the approach President Bush is taking.
But, LOL, I thought the quip about Treasury Secretary O'Neil - where the President said, "Paul, we found one" (someone who supposedly was a happy supporter of the Treasury Secretary - although that is NOT what the woman was saying - is very funny!)
And does this mean, McLynnan - that the book signing didn't pan out? Or have I missed that report?
It does not mean that the Economic Forum was a show. A point which is obvious unless you come from a warped perspective, or are just nitpicking to come up with (silly) criticism.
(Oh, come to think of it.....maybe you're really Ann Richards, reworking your stupid 'silver foot in mouth' insult. Are you now?? C'mon......fess up!)
You are dismissed as a crashing bore.
Sure - inflation is very low, we're at full employment (under 6%), interest rates are very low, corporate profits are near record, the stock market is almost 200% higher than it was 10 years ago.
Hey - we should all be "dancing in the streets."
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