Statement from Kerry Spokesperson Stephanie Cutter on Bush’s Unsteady Leadership
johnkerry.com
March 03, 2004
For Immediate Release
Washington, DC –
Kerry Campaign Spokesperson Stephanie Cutter issued the following statement on George Bush’s unsteady leadership.
“George Bush talks about steady leadership in his new multi-million dollar, revisionist history ad campaign, but unfortunately you can’t provide ‘steady leadership’ without credibility. And George Bush has lost credibility with the American people. He said he would create 3.9 million jobs, but 3 million more people have lost their jobs. He said he would make health care more affordable, but 2.8 million more have lost their health insurance. He said he would cut the federal debt by $1 trillion, but his policies have added $1 trillion more, leaving the federal debt at over $7 trillion. Most astonishing, George Bush’s ad features a shot of the wreckage of that tragic September day almost 3 years ago, and the firefighters who so bravely worked to save lives. What he doesn’t tell you is that only 10 percent of fire departments across the nation have personnel and equipment to respond to a building collapse, only enough radios to equip half the firefighters on a shift, and breathing apparatus for only one-third. The only thing steady about this President is his steadily leading our country in the wrong direction. It’s time for a change in America, and time to get things back on track.”
BUSH’S CREDIBILITY GAP: “UNSTEADY LEADERSHIP”
Bush says the economic conditions are out of his control. But since he took office, he and his administration have PROMISED millions of new jobs and better lives for working Americans. Instead 3 million more people have lost jobs, millions have lost health insurance, and Bush continues to only provide empty rhetoric.
“They had their moment. They have not led. We will. Now they come asking for another chance, another shot. Our answer? Not this time. Not this year. This is not a time for third chances; it is a time for new beginnings." – George W. Bush running in 2000. [Baltimore Sun, 8/4/00]
BUSH PROMISED MILLIONS OF NEW JOBS
Bush promised his 2001 tax cut would create 800,000 new jobs. Then he said his 2003 tax cut would create 1 million new jobs. This year he said he would create 2.6 million jobs by the end of this year, but took it back after his economic advisors said that was an impossible claim. Instead, under Bush:
Nationally, 2.9 Million Jobs Lost; Unemployment Rate Up 33 Percent. The national unemployment rate in January 2004 was 5.6 percent, up from 4.2 percent when Bush took office in January 2001 - a 33 percent increase. Nationally, the economy has lost 2.9 million private sector jobs under Bush. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, bls.gov]
Nationally, Nearly 2.8 Million Manufacturing Jobs Lost Under Bush. The manufacturing industry has lost 2,787,000 jobs nationwide since Bush took office in January 2001. Employment for this key sector of the American economy is at its lowest level since October 1958. Of the 2.9 million private sector jobs lost under Bush, manufacturing losses account for 95 percent. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, bls.gov]
Nationally, Workers’ Wages and Salaries Are Stagnant. In the third quarter of 2003, America's gross domestic product surged at a rate of 8.2 percent and corporate profits grew at an annual rate above 40 percent. But during this same period, wages and salaries grew by less than 1 percent. Furthermore, in the six months that ended in November 2003, income from wages rose just 0.65 percent after inflation. [Department of Commerce, 12/23/03; New York Times, 12/31/03; Charleston Gazette (West Virginia), 1/2/04]
Nationally, 3.5 Million More Americans Have Fallen Into Poverty Under Bush. In 2002, the number of Americans living in poverty increased to 34.6 million. Three-and-a-half million more Americans live in poverty under Bush. For 2002, a family with two parents and two children lives in poverty if their total household income is below $18,244. [Census Bureau, Poverty in the United States: 2002, Table 4, www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty.html;Bureau of Labor Statistics, bls.gov]
White House Report Celebrated Loss of U.S. Jobs to Outsourcing. Under the headline “Bush Supports Shift of U.S. Jobs Overseas” the LA Times reported that the Bush Administration “embraced foreign outsourcing, an accelerating trend that has contributed to U.S. job losses in recent years.” The Administration made the announcement even as analysts predict “as many as 2 million more U.S. white-collar jobs” will be exported at a time when eight million are already out of work. When asked whether the White House’s top economic advisor who touted outsourcing should resign, the Administration said the mere suggestion was “laughable.” [Source: LA Times, 2/10/04; Reuters, 12/30/03; Hastert release, 2/11/04; CNN, 2/11/04]
BUSH SAID THE DEFICIT WOULD BE SMALL AND SHORT TERM
CBPP Uses CBO Data To Show Ten Deficits of More Than $400 Billion a Year. “The new CBO report projects deficits totaling $1.9 trillion over the ten-year period from 2005 through 2014. A more realistic assessment — one that uses CBO estimates but incorporates likely or inevitable costs, following the same methodology that was used in the September 2003 report by the Committee on Economic Development, Concord Coalition, and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities — shows a ten-year deficit of $5.2 trillion. … Under the more realistic assessment, the deficit exceeds $400 billion in every year and stands at about $477 billion in 2009, the year in which the President has said that the deficit would be cut in half. The $477 billion figure is essentially identical to the projected 2004 deficit, indicating little progress toward the Administration’s goal of halving the deficit. Furthermore, by 2014, under these more realistic assumptions, the deficit reaches $708 billion.” [CBPP, “Deficit Picture Grimmer Than New CBO Projections Suggest,” 2/1/04]
BUSH SAID HE WOULD MAKE HEALTH CARE MORE AFFORDABLE AND AVAILABLE
3.8 Million More Uninsured Under Bush. According to Table H1 on the census web page, in 2000, there were 39.8 million uninsured Americans. By 2002, that number had increased to 43.6 million. [Census Bureau, Historic Health Insurance Tables, Table H1, updated 9/03]
Rising Health Care Costs Prohibit Coverage For Many Families. President Bush has no plan to deal with runaway health care costs that “soared at double-digit rates in 2002 for the third straight year” and are considered the primary cause for the lack of insurance today. The average cost of employer-based health care costs increased $1,100 (14 percent) to $9,068 last year. “Affordability remains the number one reason people lack health coverage today,” said Dr. Donald Young, president of the Health Insurance Association of America. [Los Angeles Times, 9/30/03]
BUSH SAID HE WOULD PROTECT OUR CITIES
Bush’s FY05 budget slashes $1 billion in funding for homeland security and bioterrorism grants. The Bush budget cuts $937 million from homeland security formula grants nationwide. These grants provide police, firefighters and emergency management teams with the training and equipment they need to keep communities safe. It also cuts $105 million from the Centers on Disease Control’s state and local capacity bioterrorism grants, which fund needed improvements in public health and medical infrastructure statewide. [FFIS, 2/04]
Bush is Letting Many Homeland Security Needs Fall Through the Cracks. More than two years after the 9/11 attacks, serious gaps exist in the Bush administration’s attempts to defend America against terrorism:
· Emergency Response to Public Health Threats: The Department of Homeland Security is cutting by 80 percent ($40 million) funds for its program to ready local emergency responses to public health crises. The program, the Metropolitan Medical Response System run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, plays a “significant role in [federal] mass casualty planning.” [CQ, 1/2/04]
· Cargo Containers: Only 2% of the 7 million cargo containers arriving at the nation’s 361 commercial ports each year are screened. [Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 7/10/03; Portland Press Herald, 7/5/03]
· Airline Screeners: The Transportation Security Administration’s airport screening force will be cut by 6,000 screeners, about 11%, because GOP says TSA “over hired.” [AP, 4/30/03]
· Chemical Plants: The Government Accounting Office report found that even though US chemical facilities were “attractive targets for terrorists,” there was no government oversight to assure that plants are safe from terrorist attack. In addition, Bush has declined to push for accountability from chemical companies. According to the Richmond Times Dispatch, the EPA “backed down” from using its regulatory power to oversee plant security “after the industry balked.” [GAO, Voluntary Initiatives Are Under Way at Chemical Facilities, but the Extent of Security Preparedness Is Unknown, March 2003]
· Police Equipment: The non-partisan Council on Foreign Relations criticized homeland security preparedness in a 2003 report, stating, “Many police departments lack adequate detection and personal protective equipment and training for responding to chemical, biological, or radiological incidents.” [Independent Task Force, Council on Foreign Relations, 7/29/03] |
