Bush* Says Economy "Is Looking Up"

[kskiska]

Acknowledging Job Growth Needed, He Reiterates Call for Lasting Tax Cuts

By Dana Milbank

Bush, standing on a stage with banners proclaiming "JOBS," "GROWTH," and "Strengthening America's Economy," was full of optimism. He praised the "amazing resilience" of the economy and recited some indicators: July housing starts at their highest level since 1986, rising new orders for goods and services in each month since May, rising orders for high-tech equipment since April, and a rising stock market. Bush gave his tax cuts credit for the improvement, saying "as many as 1.5 million Americans who went to work this morning would have been out of a job" without them.

Still, the president acknowledged the lack of job production as a lingering problem. As Bush's Democratic opponents point out regularly, the economy has shed 2.6 million jobs during Bush's term -- and companies, benefiting from productivity growth, have been reluctant to increase hiring during what has been a largely jobless recovery.

(snip)

Democrats immediately derided Bush's plan as a failure to offer new proposals. "He just served up more presidential platitudes -- blame lawyers, blame China, and cut regulations," said House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (Md.). "I think the American people now realize that President Bush never had an economic plan" other than tax cuts for the wealthy, he said.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27841-2003Sep4.html

[Maddy McCall]

1. Yeah, because up is the only way it can look.

If you are standing at the bottom of a well, you can only look up. Is the dickhead finally admitting that the economy is at rock bottom and has no way to look but up??

[dfong63]

3. if only that were true

admitting that the economy is at rock bottom and has no way to look but up??

i for one am not convinced we've seen the worst.

[Systematic Chaos]

15. I think it's "looking up" with a look of abject fear on its face

as it watches the 500 tons of bullshit come dropping down from on high....

[PartyPooper]

2. Yep. He's right. The economy is "looking up" for Halliburton

and all of his rich friends in corporate America.

[Rebel_with_a_cause]

11. and he's "confident" it will keep looking better

for Halliburton.

[Enraged_Ape]

4. The economy is looking up...

my ass.

[R Hickey]

21. If what you say is true...

then I should have become a proctoligist.

[MsChiff]

5. Flashback

>Bush, standing on a stage with banners proclaiming "JOBS," "GROWTH," and "Strengthening America's Economy,"

Anybody else having a flashback to "Charlotte's Web?" Wilbur standing under the webs proclaiming "Terrific", "Radiant", and "Some Pig."

[bookman]

14. The Pigs I think of...

... are from 1984.

Some * are more equal than others.

[robbedvoter]

6. Looking up and seeing nothing..."What is small, dark and knocking

at the door? " "The Future"

[gratuitous]

7. We've gone down so far

Bottom looks like up.

[ozymandius]

8. Before he yells "victory"

I hope this primping swine looks at the unemployment figures for the week - 410,000. That's well above the "acceptable mark". As for new home starts - that's ending soon. There is an 80% dropoff in mortgage applications since May. The re-fi's are done. That wad of unsustainable cash supply has been burnt up in the home equity shuffle. Now that the Fed has no more leverage, we'll see just how healthy this Bush* economy is.

[unblock]

9. um, guys, the economy IS improving

albeit ever so slightly.

the economic outlook is at its best today since the recession began a scant two months into shrub's term.

that being said, it still sucks compared to any time in the clinton presidency except perhaps for the first two months of HIS first term.

the job market is not improving, but is likely to improve within 6 months or so. again, i wouldn't expect leaps and bounds, but small improvement is improvement nonetheless.

[PATRICK]

10. at the blackmail point yet?

That the Bush industries, war and oil etc. are growth and without them(changing away from Bush) you will have a bigger and DELIBERATE spiteful crash? The Bush war and graft bubble.

Can the economy survive this prop collapsing the way it did the ephemeral dotcoms? Will the new Dem President have to play the oil guys game and enrich Carlisle?

[unblock]

13. yes and no

there will be no bubble since funding is controlled by the government. any president will fund enough to avoid a bubble. a democrat would gradually reduce, shrub would increase it even more.

but yes, the war & embezzlement racket is a tremendous economic dislocation.

[cliss]

12. Consider this

as a very, very temporary phase. We have not seen the fallout yet from many policies and adventures from "SuperBush". The dollar is teetering on the edge. The deficit has gone sky-high. Because of it, interest rates are expected to rise....too many dollars out there with the printing presses red-hot & rolling. The trade deficit is beyond belief.

Unemployment is unchanged. NOW add to the mix the Iraq mess, and what you have is

teetering on the edge of the abyss. We are so close to the edge, that any minor upset will push us over.

[DannyRed]

17. Economic improvements

in the last couple of months are directly related to massive military spending.

Nothing more, nothing less.

[MarianJack]

16. Clueless and out of touch!

Like father, like moron. :dunce: :puke: :crazy: :spank:

[emad]

18. Looking up or looking up a gum tree?

Nero fiddled while Rome burned........

[DannyRed]

19. We have been

reduced to demanding that China revalue their currency, essentially blaming China for the strength of the dollar and the loss of jobs in the US.

But wait...I thought the strong dollar was accepted policy?

errrmmmm...

But wait, is it or is it not true that the bulk of the interventions propping up the dollar and weakening other currencies has been done by the japanese over the last year or so?

errrrmmmmm...

anyway, it's all Clinton's fault, and besides, we inherited a recession and two wars and terrorism and and and and...

I stand for personal responsibility...


Errrrrrmmmm


(I cannot WAIT to see Bush address the UN later this month...my question is: How in the hell will the real-time translators handle his speech???? Talk about Herculean!)

[Palacsinta]

20. I hope so......

but I'll believe it when things improve for my family and for all the others out there that are struggling.