Progress Report: Bush League Economy

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Center for American Progress - Progress Report

#160;

 

 

by David Sirota, Christy Harvey, Judd Legum and

Jonathan Baskin

 

 

 

July 26, 2004

9/11The Hypocrisy of SilenceCONVENTIONBush League

EconomyMEDIAFNC at the DNC

UNDER THE RADAR

 

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9/11

The Hypocrisy of Silence

 

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX), Speaker Dennis

Hastert (R-IL) and other White House allies, who were

in full attack mode last week against Sandy Berger,

were dead silent this weekend as senior law

enforcement officials acknowledged they were

conducting a criminal investigation into possible

intelligence leaks by Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL). The

information is related to a leak of intercepted al

Qaeda communications just prior to the Sept. 11, 2001

attacks. Shelby was chairman of the Senate

Intelligence Committee at the time, and the matter has

been referred to the Senate Ethics Committee.

 

WHERE ARE THE CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS?: After

FBI officials and the 9/11 Commission both played down

the allegations against Berger last week,

congressional Republicans decided they wanted to push

the story anyway, calling for hearings on Capitol

Hill. Similar calls for an investigation into the

Shelby matter have not followed this weekend. And, as

a new American Progress backgrounder shows, these same

Republicans have also refused to hold hearings on

other pressing national security matters, including

the leak of an undercover CIA agent's name by the Bush

administration.

 

CONVENTION

Bush League Economy

 

As President Bill Clinton addresses the Democratic

National Convention tonight, many Americans find

themselves nostalgic for the strong economy

experienced under his leadership. From unemployment to

poverty to bankruptcies, the country was on a strong

economic track that has eroded since the Bush

Administration took over. A recent CBS News poll

showed that, " 65% of Americans believe the country is

on the wrong track " #8211; the lowest confidence level

in a decade. Here's a look at changes in key

indicators of economic well-being.

 

COMPARING POVERTY:#160; Under President Clinton,

poverty fell by 25.2 percent since 1992. According to

the most recent data from the Census Bureau, under

President Bush poverty has risen by 7.1 percent. For

the first time in 13 years, the poverty rate grew two

years in a row, jumping nearly a percentage point from

2000 to 2002 (from 11.3 percent to 12.1 percent). The

number of poor grew to 34.6 million people in 2002,

including 12.1 million children.

 

COMPARING TAXES: The Washington Post reports, " many

Americans feel they have lost ground since 2001, and a

solid 71 percent are convinced they have received no

tax cuts at all. A poll by CBS News and the New York

Times in March found that only 22 percent believe the

policies of the Bush administration made their taxes

go down; 25 percent said their taxes actually went

up. "

 

COMPARING UNEMPLOYMENT: There are more people unable

to find work than four years ago. The current

unemployment rate is 5.6 percent. Four years ago, the

national unemployment average was 4.0 percent. Clinton

created 22.7 million jobs. Under President Bush, 1.1

million jobs have disappeared.

 

COMPARING WAGES: Wage growth has fallen dramatically

over the past four years. In 2000, median weekly wages

grew by 4.9 percent. This fell to a mere 2.0 percent

in 2003. Adjusted for inflation that means " that wages

fell slightly in real terms in 2003 for the first time

since 1996. " For those who have found work, the

recovery is of questionable value in an " upside down "

economy where profits have soared yet families'

benefits are nullified by the rapidly rising costs of

housing, education, and medical care #8211; all of

which jumped at double digit rates.

 

COMPARING DEFICITS: For the fiscal year 2000, the U.S.

government had a surplus of $23 billion, which brought

the total budget surplus to $176 billion. This past

January, the Congressional Budget Office estimated the

government will be $477 billion in the red this year.

 

COMPARING BANKRUPTCIES: Personal bankruptcies are at

an all-time high. AP reports, " Personal bankruptcies

rose 2.8 percent in the 12 months ending March 31, "

with 1,618,062 new bankruptcy filings.

 

MEDIA

FNC at the DNC

 

The LA Times reports " With Fox News Channel (FNC) in

Boston for the Democratic convention, party members

wonder if they'll get a fair shake. " And if the first

reports are any indication, Fox News's will, as usual,

make no effort to be " fair and balanced. " As Media

Matters reports, self-proclaimed non-partisan Fox host

Bill O'Reilly delivered a partisan screed during his

radio show, disparaging Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD) as " no

good " and urging South Dakotans to vote against him.

He also described House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi

as " a nut " and triple amputee Vietnam war hero Max

Cleland as " a little strange. " While O'Reilly has

admitted Fox News " tilts right, " his latest diatribe

shows just how far he will go to shill for the

Republican Party.

 

FOX'S AILES ACCUSES CNN OF HATING AMERICA: In an

interview with Broadcasting & Cable magazine, Fox News

chief Roger Ailes, formerly a top Republican

strategist, said his network could do a documentary

called " Why does CNN hate America? " He likened CNN to

Al Jazeera, saying the two were alike because " they

report mostly that America is wrong and bad. "

Attacking people's patriotism is a bastion of Fox News

#8211; see section 8 of this backgrounder on how Fox's

Sean Hannity does it all the time. As this American

Progress backgrounder also shows, Fox may have picked

up the tactic from the White House and congressional

Republicans.

 

FOX'S CARL CAMERON DENIES THE TRUTH THEN GETS CALLED

ON IT: Fox News's top political correspondent Carl

Cameron claimed to the New York Observer that footage

of him in Outfoxed was manipulated to make him look

bad. Cameron claimed that in 2000 he never told

candidate George W. Bush that his wife was campaigning

for the Republican nominee. But, as Outfoxed clearly

shows, Cameron said to Bush that his wife " has been

all over the state campaigning and Pauline [bush's

sister] has been constantly with her. " As the Observer

asks, how that " was edited into something other than

what Mr. Cameron meant is difficult to imagine. " The

Observer also reports that one source " told NYTV that

Mr. Cameron had attempted to get his wife a job with

the Bush transition team. " Cameron responded by

claiming " Anybody who suggests that this is somehow

tainting my coverage is overlooking my coverage. " But

a look at Cameron's biased coverage of this year's

campaign calls even that claim into question.

 

HOUSE MEMBERS DEMAND ACTION FROM MURDOCH: According to

the LA Times, more than 40 Members of Congress have

already signed a letter to Fox owner Rupert Murdoch

calling on him to " actively intervene to eliminate

this unfair and unbalanced coverage " and meet with

legislators to discuss their concerns. Contact your

Tell your member of Congress to sign the letter.

 

'FAIR AND BALANCED' SLOGAN CHALLENGED: AP reports

Moveon.org and Common Cause have filed a petition with

the Federal Trade Commission asking the agency to

declare that Fox News's " fair and balanced " is

deceptive advertising, and demand the network cease

from misleading consumers. AP's television writer

notes that the " fair and balanced " billing is " a

slogan no one believes but Fox News Channel devotees. "

 

A RECOVERING FOX NEWS ADDICT: Des Moines Register

columnist Rob Borsellino notes satirically that " some

people actually take this network seriously #8211;

they really believe Fox News is fair and balanced. " He

describes his own interest in the network, saying he

is able to " watch folks like Newt Gingrich and Ollie

North - disgraced Republicans who were driven from

public view in the '90s - being reborn as respected

authorities with valued opinions...I could hear Bill

'Roll 'Em' Bennett lecturing me about morality and

family values. " He describes how he instantly reverted

to Fox News's own tactics when his wife got angry that

their kids were watching Sean Hannity's lies: " My

first instinct was to get back in her face and tell

her to shut up, call her a left-wing nut case who is

weak on defense and refuses to acknowledge that the

Bush tax cuts are fueling an economic recovery that

will benefit all Americans, not just the wealthy. "

 

 

 

 

 

HEALTH #8211; FDA PROTECTS DRUG COMPANIES NOT PUBLIC:

The New York Times reports, " the Bush administration

has been going to court to block lawsuits by consumers

who say they have been injured by prescription drugs

and medical devices. " The Bush administration argues

that once a drug or device has met the minimum

requirement of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA),

its manufacturers should be immune from lawsuits if

their products injure consumers. Rep. Maurice D.

Hinchey (D-NY) says, if the administration's position

carries the day, it will take " the F.D.A. in a radical

new direction, seeking to protect drug companies

instead of the public. "

 

TAXES #8211; MOST PEOPLE SAY THEY HAVEN'T RECEIVED A

TAX CUT: According to a recent poll, " a solid 71

percent [of Americans] are convinced they have

received no tax cuts at all. " Why? The majority of the

tax cuts have been targeted to the very wealthy. But

for most average Americans, if they did receive a tax

cut, it was more than offset by rising state and local

taxes which have been " driven by the unfunded demands

of the federal government. "

 

HEALTH CARE #8211; THE FEDERAL HEALTH CARE SUBSIDY FOR

CORPORATE MANAGEMENT: John O. Fox, a professor a Mount

Holyoke College, suggests that we could afford to

cover a good portion of America's uninsured by

eliminating " a tax break that for the last 50 years

has irresponsibly subsidized deluxe health insurance

policies, mostly for corporate management. " Employer

contributions to health plans are tax-free for

everyone. As a result, corporate executives and others

in highly compensated positions #8211; who enjoy the

most deluxe plans with the highest employer

contributions #8211; effectively receive a far higher

government health care subsidy than the average

worker. If the tax benefit were limited only to the

cost of a basic health plan, the government would save

more than $15 billion a year.

 

IRAQ #8211; SADDAM THE MUFFIN MAN: Why does Saddam

Hussein look so good for his court appearances?

Reuters reports that he " is passing his time in

solitary confinement by reading the Koran, writing

poetry, gardening and snacking on cookies and

muffins. " He has even written one poem about President

Bush. He is also " looking after a few bushes and

shrubs and has even placed a circle of white stones

around a small plum tree. "

 

TAXES #8211; POLITICS OVER POLICY: The Hill reports,

" Capitol Hill Republicans were astonished...by a White

House decision to demand a five-year extension of tax

cuts rather than accept a two-year compromise reached

by House and Senate leaders that would probably clear

Congress in a snap. " The hard-line position is an

indication that the president is more interested in

scoring political points than advancing policy.

Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist

#8211; who is closely aligned with the Bush

administration, said " every day the press reports that

President Bush wants tax cuts and some jerks in the

Senate don't is a good day for Bush and a bad day for

jerks in the Senate. "

 

#160;Don't Miss

DAILY TALKING POINTS: Progressive Economics

Strengthened Middle Class in 1990s

 

BOOKS: Check out the Progressive Book Club

 

IRAQ: Saddam enjoys cookies and muffins

 

NATIONAL SECURITY: Dowd on Spinning our safety

 

Contact The Progress Report.

 

 

 

 

#160;Daily Grill

 

" [Abu Musab Zarqawi's] the best evidence of a

connection to al Qaeda affiliates and al Qaeda. "

 

- President Bush, 6/15/04

 

VERSUS

 

In the 585-page final report of the National

Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States

there is no mention of Zarqawi.

 

#160;Daily Outrage

The Bush administration has launched an aggressive

legal effort to protect pharmaceutical companies from

lawsuits when their products injure consumers.

 

#160;Archives

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#160;Opportunity

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intern applications for the fall semester.