President Bush Plays Hide And Seek On The Campaign Trial

Today, President Bush will appear at rallies in Georgia and Texas in what were once both considered solidly Republican areas. In fact, President Bush has not been welcomed by Republicans on the ballot this November and has been relegated to appearing in public only in places with strong Republican leanings. President Bush has made half the number of public appearances with candidates this year, as compared to 2002. [Washington Times, 10/25/06] And, while the President has raised money for Republican candidates this election cycle, nearly all of the events he headlined were closed to the press.

"Clearly President Bush is more of a liability than an asset as he's forced to stump for candidates in districts that were once considered safe for Republicans," said Democratic National Committee Press Secretary Stacie Paxton. "Voters in Georgia and Texas, like all Americans, are tired of President Bush's failed 'stay the course' rhetoric on the economy and Iraq. Democrats are offering a new direction for America that includes a real strategy for victory in Iraq and economic policies that benefit America's working families."

President Bush's Failed Economic Record

Household Income Declined by Nearly $1,300 Under Bush; Wage And Salary Increases Don't Cover Inflation. Although median household income increased by $509 last year, all of the increase came about because of increases for Americans over 65 years of age. Median household income has declined by $1,273 under the Bush Administration. And the failure of wage and salary increases to cover inflation has meant a real reduction of median income between 2000 and 2005 of 2.7 percent for households. [U.S. Census Bureau, 8/29/06; Table A-1; Center for American Progress, 8/29/06; EPI, 8/2/9/06]

Manufacturing Sector Continues to Flounder; 2.9 Million Manufacturing Jobs Lost Since 2001. About 2.9 million jobs have been lost during the Bush Administration. The long employment slide in this key sector is also evident in the hourly wage trends of blue-collar workers. Despite the fact that manufacturing productivity has soared since 2000, up 29 percent, wage growth has slowed sharply. [EPI, 9/1/06; BLS 10/06]

Record Surpluses to Record Deficits. Republicans have turned President Clinton's projected 10-year $5.6 billion surplus into a nearly $3 trillion deficit. When this Administration took office, it inherited a projected ten-year surplus (2002-2011) of $5.6 trillion. Based on a realistic estimate of the President's policies, that surplus has now become a $3.3 trillion deficit over the same period of time, a dramatic fiscal reversal of $8.9 trillion. [House Budget Committee, 2/2006]

• Administration's 2006 Tax Agenda Increases the Deficit. The Administration's plan for tax cuts reduces revenues by $1.9 trillion over ten years (2007-2016), according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. When the cost of a ten-year repair of the AMT is factored in, the Administration's tax policies worsen the deficit by $2.7 trillion, before adding the extra cost of debt service. [House Budget Committee Democratic Staff, 3/22/06]
  
  
• Bush Tax Cuts Heavily Favor the Wealthiest 0.1 Percent of Americans. Americans with annual incomes of $1 million or more, about one-tenth of one percent of all taxpayers, reaped 43 percent of all the savings on the Bush investment tax cuts in 2003. The savings for these taxpayers averaged about $41,400 each. [New York Times, 4/5/06]
  
  

President Bush's Failed Foreign Policies

Bush Let Bin Laden Escape At Tora Bora. "The Bush administration has concluded that Osama bin Laden was present during the battle for Tora Bora late last year and that failure to commit U.S. ground troops to hunt him was its gravest error in the war against al Qaeda, according to civilian and military officials with first-hand knowledge. ... After-action reviews, conducted privately inside and outside the military chain of command, describe the episode as a significant defeat for the United States." [Washington Post, 4/17/02]

Despite Bush Administration's Past Rhetoric, Coalition Death Toll Has Now Topped 3,000. "Early in the Iraq conflict, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld dismissed insurgents as 'dead-enders.' In 2004, President Bush said the battle against these fighters was 'turning a corner.' In 2005, he described a 'turning point,' and Vice President Dick Cheney said the insurgency was in its 'last throes.' Now, those descriptions lie buried beneath thousands of bodies -- U.S. troops, Iraqi police, and everyday citizens tortured and killed simply because of their religious sect. The U.S. death toll is well above 2,700, and the coalition death toll just passed 3,000. Last month 776 U.S. troops were wounded -- the highest number in nearly two years. There is no sign the insurgency is waning, and no evidence to suggest it will any time soon." [www.cnn.com, 10/17/06]

• NIE Said Iraq Made Overall Terrorism Problem Worse. The National Intelligence Estimate "says that the Iraq war has made the overall terrorism problem worse." [New York Times, 9/24/06]
  

North Korea Now Has Nuclear Weapons. In October 2006, North Korea tested a nuclear weapon. A report by the National Security Advisory Group issued in July of 2005 states that "North Korea's runaway nuclear program could be a direct path to nuclear terror ...North Korea sells missiles and other dangerous technology worldwide, with no apparent limits or compunction ...[the country's] leaders and elite engage in smuggling, counterfeiting, and other illicit activities. These same people might traffic in nuclear materials the way A.Q. Khan trafficked in Pakistan's nuclear technology." [Washington Post, 10/19/06; Worst Weapons in Worst Hands, The National Security Advisory Group, July 2005]

Experts Say Bush Administration Strategy Emboldened Iranian Nuclear Program. The Bush Administration refused to negotiate with Iran for years, when the country was willing to make real concessions on its nuclear program. Just after the U.S. takeover of Baghdad in 2003, Iran proposed a dialogue with the United States. According to former senior director of the National Security Council, Flynt Leverett, the offer was 'a serious effort.' The Bush Administration's refusal to enter into talks, according to Middle East expert Trita Parsi, "strengthened the hands of those in Iran who believe that the only way to compel the United States to talk is not by sending peace offers, but by being a nuisance." [Washington Post, 6/18/06; American Prospect, June 2006]

Violence On The Rise Over The Past Year In Afghanistan. "Hewing closely to a strategy used by Iraqi insurgents, Taliban militants are increasingly targeting top government officials in Afghanistan, which has seen a spike in assassinations and attempted killings the last six weeks. ... Violence has spiked alarmingly in Afghanistan this year, and insurgents have adopted tactics used in Iraq , such as roadside bombings and suicide attacks." [AP, 10/19/06]