Commentary: Dean, Gephardt abandoning Bill Clinton’s economic legacy

[Nicholas_J]

September 17, 2003
The Manchester Union-Leader
by Senator John Kerry


TWELVE YEARS ago, Gov. Bill Clinton announced his candidacy for President with a pledge to “fight for the forgotten middle class.” He called for a tax cut for middle class families, cutting the deficit in half in four years, and restoring investment in jobs, the skills of our workers, and economic growth.

Clinton economics worked — nearly 40 million hard-working families got a tax cut, we created 23 million new jobs and witnessed record high family incomes and the fastest real wage growth in more than 30 years.

With George W. Bush in the White House, the middle class has been forgotten all over again. More than three million jobs lost, retirement and college savings gone in a flash, investment in skills and training plummeting. In the last years the cost of the average home for families with children has grown 70 times faster than average incomes.

In November of 2004, Democrats need to offer America’s middle class a clear choice: jobs or no jobs, making health care more affordable or continuing skyrocketing costs, a return to fiscal discipline or more fiscal insanity, tax relief for middle class families or tax loopholes for corporate special interests.

George W. Bush stands in the way — but so does a debate within our party.

http://www.johnkerry.com/news/clips/news_2003_0917.html

[clar]

1. Dupe

Why people can't bother to scroll down a page to ascertain that they're not duplicating a post is beyond my ken.

[CMT]

2. Dupe

this is on this page only a few spaces below with