Bush’s State of the Union Address: Time for a Reality Check

http://www.afscmeblog.org/category/politics-and-elections/

January 29th, 2008

Just like his previous State of the Union speeches, Pres. Bush’s address last night was nothing but a rosy painted picture of what’s going on in our country, all references to reality removed to protect the not-so-innocent.

The bottom line is that our nation is in considerably worse shape than it was when Bush took office. Do you want to know how bad? Check out this chart on “The Legacy of George W. Bush’s Presidency” prepared by the House Democratic Caucus.

Dan Brown at The Huffington Post showcases some of its lowlights:

* The number of Americans living in poverty has jumped from 31.6 million to 36.5 million.
* The uninsured population has grown from 38 million to 47 million.
* The annual total premium cost has nearly doubled from $6,230 per family to $12,106 per family.

What we saw last night was an address filtered through “BushVision®”, lacking any meaningful references to the mortgage and credit crisis, the trade deficit, or the rising cost of gasoline. Bush chose instead to trumpet his proposed economic stimulus package, the same deal that AFSCME Pres. Gerald W. McEntee has called “a band-aid, half-hearted solution to the economic crisis we’re facing.”

We don’t need more empty rhetoric. What we need is concrete measures like state fiscal relief to help states and local governments maintain health care and other vital public services.

While Lieberman was wetting himself in glee with every syllable, few Dems were ovating, let alone clapping for most of what was said. Only when * approached the truth and common concerns did the (real) Dems respond.

PBS and CSPAN were the only two outlets I'm aware of that were not focused solely on the Republic side of the house throughout the speechifying and I would have preferred they hadn't strayed at all. Having footage of how every one of "our" elected representatives responded to each of Dumbya's points would have been a valuable tool.

Regardless, most of those who were enthusiastic at inappropriate times during the speech are the same bunch we on DU have been accusing of being DINOs and DLC shills right along.