Fortunately for Bush, the economy has been sucked into a black hole by Swift Boats, Texans for Truth, the CBS blunder, and the luck of the draw that few know what’s going on in Iraq. Unfortunately for Bush, one of the debates will be on the economy and he will have to face issues regarding the economy — disappearing quality jobs, rising health costs, out of range college tuition, erosion of Pell grants, shortchanging NCLB, prescription drug plan designed to increase the profits of pharmaceutical producers and vendors at the expense of seniors, outsourcing gaining momentum, a galloping deficit and national debt — entailing classic Republican sophistry to defend.
While voters are wrapped in the flag to protect them from terrorism, they will be forced to peek through the crenels of their fortresses and acknowledge " the economy, stupid," posing a threat to the nation. The cavalier pick-up truck commanders, and SUV soccer moms wary over gas prices; quality workers praying over the viability of their pensions and the dread of their jobs being sent overseas; the once confident workers for reputable companies with low cost medical insurance now history, along with the worry they too will be on the rolls of the 45 million uninsured; borrowers on the equity of their home cringing over the probability of the unfixed loan rates skyrocketing, together with escalating real estate taxes and home insurance that could cancel out the benefit of the loans; the mom and pop businesses sweating it out that Wal-Mart doesn’t come to town: all of whom must at least set aside for a harsh reality-moment, the primacy of terrorism, and wring their hands over the catastrophic costs of making bread for their families. The probability of these threats far surpass the likelihood of getting blown up by a terrorist.
Copyright © 2004 Richard R. Kennedy All rights reserved. Revised: September 22, 2004.
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