Please see this link and White House transcript where Bush tried to publicly talk up the economy and his economic policies on Monday, September 4:
President Bush Honors American Work Force on Labor Day
Below is the CNN link and transcript of Lou Dobbs Tonight from Monday, September 4 about the "War on the Middle Class" and the "Do-Nothing Congress" which cuts through Bush's spin and rhetoric in my opinion!
This is summed up very well by the fact that the "haves" are doing better while the "have-not's" are clearly NOT doing better:
"The gap between haves and the have-nots in the United States is widening. For the haves, profits are up. CEO pay is soaring. For the have-nots, most Americans, credit card debt is growing, gas prices spiking and paychecks shrinking."
Please forward this on because Democrats and Democratic candidates have got to be able to connect this message and these facts with the voters through the GOP spin machine and rhetoric!
"Have-not" middle class voters have got to understand that their economic pain is real despite what they are hearing from Bush and from the GOP led "Do-Nothing" leadership in Congress which is just one of many good reasons why they should NOT vote for GOP Bush rubber stamp candidates in November!
Mitch Dworkin
http://www.securinga...
http://www.securinga...
Listen to Gen. Wes Clark fight for Dems on Sean Hannity's radio program:
An excellent example for all of us to follow and what we all need to be doing to help fight against extreme right wing Neocon smear propaganda which will help our local candidates to win their races!
http://securingameri...
Gen. Wes Clark's endorsement of Jim Webb against George Allen
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LOU DOBBS TONIGHT
War on the Middle Class; Do-Nothing Congress?; Angry Voters Return
Aired September 4, 2006 - 18:00 ET
PILGRIM: Congress is finally owning up to the war on middle class families all across this country. They're realizing the pressure on the middle class is worsening. Some members of Congress recently warned Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke that middle class workers are falling farther behind in this so-called healthy U.S. economy.
Lisa Sylvester reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The gap between haves and the have-nots in the United States is widening. For the haves, profits are up. CEO pay is soaring. For the have-nots, most Americans, credit card debt is growing, gas prices spiking and paychecks shrinking.
SEN. DEBBIE STABENOW (D), MICHIGAN: The squeeze that middle class families are feeling on all sides right now, being hit by a slow down, in terms of wages, maybe losing a job, health care costs going up.
SYLVESTER: Factoring in inflation, hourly wages actually fell more than half a percentage point in the last year. A new survey found 82 percent of Americans are very worried about personal debt.
SEN. ROBERT MENENDEZ (D), NEW JERSEY: Who is this economy working for?
BEN BERNANKE, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: I agree that inequality is potentially a concern for the U.S. economy. I think the really only long-term solution to this problem is to try to upgrade the skill levels of our workers.
SYLVESTER: But it's not just low skilled work that's vanishing. Higher skilled, higher paid jobs like software engineering are also being outsourced.
(on camera): Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke did not have any quick fixes. He forecasted that wages will increase over time but acknowledged it's been slow in coming.
Lisa Sylvester, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: Americans are not only waiting for action on wages, but on energy prices, interest rates and health care. It is increasingly difficult for middle class families to make ends meet.
Christine Romans reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You can't blame the American voter for feeling under siege. Gas prices have doubled over the past four years, from $1.42 then to $2.87 today. College tuition is rising more than double the rate of inflation. Last year, up almost 7.5 percent. Mortgage payments for millions of Americans headed higher. Half a trillion dollars in adjustable mortgages reset this year to higher interest rates. And real wages are falling, even as the overall economy comes along.
Harry Holzer was chief economist in Bill Clinton's Labor Department.
HARRY HOLZER, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Real wages, which are wages adjusting for inflation, have not been rising over the last few years, really over the last five to six years, while productivity has been booming.
ROMANS: That productivity boom helping corporate profitability, he says, not workers. Meanwhile, it's harder to file for bankruptcy, but the credit card offers keep coming. On these pocketbook issues, conservative scholar Norm Ornstein says incumbents are hard pressed to prove their constituents are better off today than when they took office.
NORMAN ORNSTEIN, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: There's one word to describe voters' moods right now and that's sour. People are unhappy about the state of the economy. They're uneasy about what might happen to their pension and health benefits. They don't like the price of gasoline. They're not real happy about Iraq or the state of the world.
ROMANS: Ornstein says that's bad news for incumbents in both parties.
(on camera): But most troubling, Ornstein says, for the party in control, whether that's Republicans in Congress or Democrats at the statehouse or in the governor's mansion.
Christine Romans, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: The midterm elections are now just nine weeks away. And Congress is still on summer vacation. But before they left, Senate Republican leaders took the opportunity to tout their achievements.
Dana Bash reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT BASH (voice-over): Before heading home for a month-long recess to campaign, this, a clear sign Republicans are trying to shed a do-nothing label.
SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER: The stem cell bill, the alternative stem cell technology bill passed, the field farming prohibition passed, the Adam Walsh child safety bill passed.
BASH: Rapid-fire lists from GOP leader while senators up for re- election tick off measures that play to key voter concerns, like security.
SEN. JON KYL (R), ARIZONA: The Republican leadership was able to build the consensus to get the Patriot Act re-authorized and to provide the tools to fight the terrorists.
BASH: Republicans only plan to be in session about 15 days this fall, and they're battling this...
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER: Like the do-nothing Congress of 1948, it's very difficult to get anything out of this Republican Congress.
BASH: In 1948, the year Harry Truman ran against what he called a "do-nothing Congress," the Senate was in session 114 days. This year, according to Republicans, the Senate is scheduled to meet 122 days.
Congress has approved billions to fund disasters like Katrina and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, despite deep discord over policy there. Yet, other GOP priorities have stalled in the Republican-run Congress.
One, the president's push to overhaul Social Security with private accounts. Another, the lobbying reforms promised in the wake of the Jake Abramoff scandal. And then there's immigration. House Republicans are standing firm against the Senate plan to create a guest worker program.
On that issue, they hope for plan B.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), KENTUCKY: You are correct that there are differences among members of our party on immigration. One thing we don't have any difference on is securing the border.
BASH: Republicans blame Democrats for obstruction, but some GOP strategists fear Republicans have handed Democrats a potent theme.
SCOTT REED, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: By not concluding their business, they give the Democrats an opportunity to position themselves as agents of change.
BASH: Some major legislation has passed with bipartisan support, like a bill making it harder to declare bankruptcy, a boon for business, critics say, but a potential nightmare for consumers, even some middle class Americans who filed for bankruptcy to pay high medical costs. And healthcare is another major voter concern Congress did not deal with.
(on camera): But lawmakers up for re-election are banking all politics still being local. Whether it's helping to save a military base back home or building roads and bridges, will do what they've always done, play up the things that they've done to help voters back home.
Dana Bash, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: The frustration with congressional inaction could spark a new age of angry voters. According to recent polls, less than one- third of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing. The last time Americans were so dissatisfied with their elected representatives, they swept the ruling party out of office.
Bill Schneider reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice over): In the early '90s, a wave of voter anger swept the country. Pledges were not kept.
GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Read my lips: no new taxes.
WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Before this Congress finishes its work next year, you will pass and I will sign legislation to guarantee the security to every citizen of this country.
SCHNEIDER: In 1992, women and liberals were angry over the treatment of Anita Hill. It was the year of the woman.
In 1994, conservatives were angry over gun laws and gays in the military. It was the year of the angry white men.
In 1992, only 26 percent of Americans said they were satisfied with the way things were going in the country. Things were just about as bad in 1994.
By comparison, the late '90s were happy times. The economy was booming. Voter satisfaction was at or near 60 percent. That's one reason why President Clinton survived impeachment.
So where do things stand in 2006?
In August, 28 percent of Americans said they were satisfied with the way things are going in the country. Uh-oh. That's about the same as the angry voters of the early '90s.
Then, it was pretty clear what voters were angry about. Now, international issues top the list, like the war in Iraq. But there's plenty of anger over gas prices and illegal immigration. And while the economy has been growing, working people have not seen many gains.
(on camera): In 1994, the Democrats controlled everything. Angry voters threw them out of power in Congress. Now the Republicans control everything. Polls show the Republican majority in Congress very much in peril.
Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)