Benefits need to be cut, Greenspan says By MARTIN CRUTSINGER , AP Economics Writer

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said yesterday the country will face ”abrupt and painful” choices unless Congress acts quickly to trim Social Security and Medicare benefits for the baby boom generation. He said the government has promised more than it can deliver.

Returning to a politically explosive issue just before the Republican National Convention, Greenspan said the country must face up to ”some tough policy choices.”

Government resources even under the most optimistic economic assumptions on growth and productivity will be inadequate to provide baby boomers with the level of benefits their parents got, he said.

Starve the beast — that’s the fundamental philosophy of the Radical Right. They say we need to cut benefits people have been paying for for years because the resources aren’t there. Would that be the resources that were poured into the pockets of the Rich or dumped in the sewer of Iraq? These people think you are incredibly stupid. mjh

The Bush presidency Economist.com

[T]he vitriol and adoration that Mr Bush inspires both stem in part from the policies he has chosen. It is not just a matter of waging the most controversial war since Vietnam and dramatically increasing the size of government. Name your subject, from education and health care to missile defence, AIDS policy, gay marriage, stem cells and civil rights, and this presidency has sought radical change.

Radicalism can be good—but Mr Bush’s brand has turned a compassionate conservative into a contradictory one. What is conservative about allowing government to grow faster than under Mr Clinton? What is humble about announcing that you are trying to introduce democracy to the Middle East? Where is the compassion in his support for a federal ban on gay marriage, the limitations on stem-cell research or his other moves to accommodate the zealots of the Christian right? …

The American conservative movement has always been a marriage between “western” anti-governmentalism and “southern” moralism. Four years ago, Mr Bush made no secret of his own religious beliefs, but he gave the impression he would hold the often intolerant religious right in check. Instead, he has given it a big role in his administration on a host of issues. No doubt Mr Bush’s convictions are sincere; but they were not to the fore in 2000 and they are not shared by many of those who supported him then….

ABQjournal: Over 1 Million More Living in Poverty

The new Census report — issued Thursday but not mentioned by Bush in his speeches in Las Cruces, Farmington and Albuquerque — showed the number of Americans living in poverty increased by more than 1.3 million last year while the number of Americans without health insurance rose 1.4 million.

It was the third straight year of increases for both categories. …

In a speech in Las Cruces Thursday morning, Bush touted improvements in the U.S. economy….

Bloomberg.com: Top Worldwide

(1) A review of state-by-state polls and historical voting data by Bloomberg News shows Bush ahead in 19 states, including Texas and Idaho, with 153 electoral votes. Kerry leads in 12 states, including New York and New Jersey, with 179 electoral votes. In 19 states that have 206 electoral votes, including Ohio and Wisconsin, the most recent polling results are within the margin of error.

(2) A compilation of surveys by Utica, New York-based Zogby Interactive said Kerry was leading Bush in the Electoral College, 286 to 214. The survey focuses on 16 battleground states and assumes that voters in the other 34 states will support of the candidate of the same party they backed in 2000.

(3) Current Electoral Vote Predictor 2004

EC totals – (1) – (2) – (3)
Bush – 153 – 214 – 238
Kerry 179 – 286 – 280

Remarks by President Bush at Las Cruces, New Mexico Rally

In order to keep this country safer, stronger, and better put Dick and I back into office. (Applause.) …

See, I don’t think you can be — I don’t think you can be pro-patient and pro-doctor and pro-trial lawyer at the same time. (Applause.) I think you have to choose. My opponent made his choice and he put him on the ticket. I made my choice: I am for medical liability reform. (Applause.) …

There’s not enough money to tax the rich to pay for all his promises. If he gets elected, he’s going to tax you. But the good news is we’re not going to let him get elected. (Applause.) …

I want to thanks the Senator for clearing that up. (Applause.) There’s still a little over 60 days for him to change his mind again. (Laughter.) …

We received great bipartisan support for that important spending. Matter of fact, the support was so strong that only 12 members of the United States Senate voted against it. Two of them are my opponent and his running
mate.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: The Senator tried to explain his vote by saying this: “I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it.” Now, he’s offering a different explanation. Originally, he said he was proud of the vote. And then when pressed, he said it was just a complicated matter.
There’s nothing complicated about supporting our troops in combat. (Applause.)

Daily Howler: John O’Neill lied in George’s face. He knew George was weak and unprepared

Did Kerry try to “gut intelligence” in 1995? Bush said so back in March, and today we get another look at how cosmically phony that claim really was. In today’s Post, Dana Milbank reports that Rep. Porter Goss (R-FL) also proposed a cut in intelligence services that year—a cut that was massively larger than Kerry’s. But is Bush disturbed by Goss’s bad judgment? Hardly! Goss is now the president’s choice to head the CIA!
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DOLE (1988): As we approached the enemy, there was a brief exchange of gunfire. I took a grenade in hand, pulled the pin, and tossed it in the direction of the farmhouse. It wasn’t a very good pitch (remember, I was used to catching passes, not throwing them). In the darkness, the grenade must have struck a tree and bounced off. It exploded nearby, sending a sliver of metal into my leg — the sort of injury the Army patched up with Mercurochrome and a Purple Heart.

Laughable, isn’t it? As Dole explained when he was being more honest, his own Purple Heart was the result of a superficial wound — a superficial wound that was self-inflicted! It takes a special kind of man to say what Dole said to Blitzer on Sunday — and it takes a non-existent press corps to look the other way when he does.

Kerry Maintains Lead Over Bush Among Likely Voters in New Mexico

John Kerry continues to have a slight lead over George W. Bush among likely voters in New Mexico according to a survey by the American Research Group. A total of 49% of likely voters say they would vote for Kerry if the presidential election were being held today and 42% say they would vote for Bush. … These overall results are unchanged from a survey conducted in early July.

In a race between just Bush and Kerry, Kerry leads Bush 52% to 42%, with 6% undecided.

New Mexico Politics with Joe Monahan

Bush’s big NM problem remains the Democrats. …

The stop in ABQ, like the one in Dona Ana, is a swing vote move, with the vote in the areas outside of the city limits still seen as vital and laden with possibility. Bush was beaten by Gore by about 4,000 votes four years ago in Bernalillo and needs to at least tie here and probably win it if he is to get our five electoral votes, say our Prez pros.

“This is a good playbook. With Bush here for a full day he demonstrates his seriousness about capturing the state. His earlier stops have been short hops that did not give him the exposure he needed,” observed our insider R analyst. …

Again, in future polls watch that D number. That’s the key. It’s essential the Prez win over moderate D’s or else he is dead money. It will be interesting to see from his speeches in ABQ and Cruces Thursday how he will go about getting the job done.