Robert Pear has more, watching Bush's "let's pretend to be Democrats!" campaign:
Posted by DeLong at May 19, 2004 08:26 AM | TrackBack | | Other weblogs commenting on this postThe New York Times > Washington > Campaign 2004 > White House Is Trumpeting Programs It Tried to Cut: ...Justice Department officials recently announced that they were awarding $47 million to scores of local law enforcement agencies for the hiring of police officers. Mr. Bush had just proposed cutting the budget for the program, known as Community Oriented Policing Services, by 87 percent, to $97 million next year, from $756 million. The administration has been particularly energetic in publicizing health programs, even ones that had been scheduled for cuts or elimination.
Tommy G. Thompson, the secretary of health and human services, announced recently that the administration was awarding $11.7 million in grants to help 30 states plan and provide coverage for people without health insurance. Mr. Bush had proposed ending the program in each of the last three years. The administration also announced recently that it was providing $11.6 million to the states so they could buy defibrillators to save the lives of heart attack victims. But Mr. Bush had proposed cutting the budget for such devices by 82 percent, to $2 million from $10.9 million....
[T]he Bush administration is using techniques refined by President Bill Clinton. The difference is that in the Clinton years the White House was often trying to add and expand domestic programs, not cut them.... The contrast between politics and policy is particularly striking when the administration takes credit for spending money appropriated by Congress against the president's wishes.
In April, Secretary Thompson announced that the administration was awarding $3.1 million in grants to improve health care in rural areas of Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, New Mexico and New York. He did not mention that the administration was trying to cut the same rural health program by 72 percent, to $11.1 million next year, from $39.6 million. Mr. Thompson likewise recently boasted that the administration was awarding $16 million to 11 universities to train blacks and Hispanic Americans as doctors, dentists and pharmacists. But at the same time, the administration was urging Congress to abolish the program, on the ground that "private and corporate entities" could pay for training.
It's about time.
Krugman famously said that if the Bush administration said the earth is flat, and the Democrats said it wasn't, the media would report: "Shape of earth: views differ". Looks like they've finally realised that the real story is "Bush administration lies about shape of earth"...
Posted by: JoXn Costello on May 19, 2004 08:55 AMNothing new here. This goes right along with his taking credit for the passage of the "patient's bill of rights" in Texas -- a bill he loathed so much he vetoed it and when it was passed with a veto-proof majority, he refused to sign it and let it pass into law without his signature.
Posted by: PaulB on May 19, 2004 09:03 AMIt looks like Rui Texeira of "The Emerging Democratic Majority" fame is starting to look like a really smart guy. Kevin Phillips had it right in 1969 based upon Nixon's "Southern Strategy", and RT has the next 40 years pegged. W's "Compassionate Conservativism" only lasted until he virtually declared martial law after 9/11. He screwed things up so badly that even the right is screaming for his head (figuratively speaking of course...). The future of the US is in San Francisco, naturally, where it has been for the last 100+ years. The recent mayoral election had a two way race between a democrat and a green with the repub coming in at 10% or so.
This sort of thing will become a lot more common in the years to come, and it will spread...
Posted by: non economist on May 19, 2004 09:41 AMThe process is called 'Gramm-standing' in honor of the former Senator from Texas and spouse of Wendy. He would fight a bill tooth and nail and then rush to hold the first press conference to capitalize on its passage.
Posted by: Nat on May 19, 2004 10:00 AMPlease...please...let stories such as this be the sign of the end of the "Bush is a strong leader who takes a position and sticks to it" bullshit.
How anyone can believe Bush is any kind of "strong" leader is truly beyond me.......is it not obvious that any deception or deceit is fair game if it will help the re-election effort?
Posted by: marty on May 19, 2004 02:41 PMPlease...please...let stories such as this be the sign of the end of the "Bush is a strong leader who takes a position and sticks to it" bullshit.
How anyone can believe Bush is any kind of "strong" leader is truly beyond me.......is it not obvious that any deception or deceit is fair game if it will help the re-election effort?
Posted by: marty on May 19, 2004 02:42 PMPlease...please...let stories such as this be the sign of the end of the "Bush is a strong leader who takes a position and sticks to it" bullshit.
How anyone can believe Bush is any kind of "strong" leader is truly beyond me.......is it not obvious that any deception or deceit is fair game if it will help the re-election effort?
Posted by: marty on May 19, 2004 02:42 PMSpeaking of duplicity, let me add Bush's recent comments on Earth Day 2004:
"Instead of just limiting our losses, we will expand the wetlands of America. We can achieve this goal. It is a realistic goal. To do so, we will work to restore and to improve at least 3 million acres of wetlands over the next five years."
But what is the truth of the matter?
"In January, 2003, the Bush Administration issued a new policy directing EPA and Army Corps field staff to limit the kinds of wetlands and other waterways they protect under the Clean Water Act, thereby threatening about 20 percent of the lower 48 states' remaining wetlands with pollution or outright destruction.
Other anti-wetlands policy initiated by the Bush Administration includes repealing the minimal requirement that every acre of wetlands filled or destroyed be replaced with at least one acre of new wetlands; and weakening the environmental standards for general permits to fill wetlands and streams."
http://www.bushgreenwatch.org/mt_archives/000103.php
Bush's nonstop lying is enough to make even Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels blush.
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Posted by: Dental Insurance on July 9, 2004 04:29 AMEst autem fides credere quod nondum vides; cuius fidei merces est videre quod credis - Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe. (St. Augustine)
Crescit amor nummi, quantum ipsa pecunia crevit - The love of wealth grows as the wealth itself grew. (Juvenalis)
heh, A fast-spreading mutant strain of syphilis has proved resistant to the antibiotic pills that are offered to some patients. The increase in the mutant strain was largely among gay or bisexual men with multiple partners.
The Statue of Liberty, recently reopened after a two-year closure, stashing a package offers a glimpse into the future. To rent, close and reopen lockers, visitors touch an electronic reader that scans fingerprints.
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