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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (51148)	10/23/2000 9:20:31 PM
From: ColtonGang	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

Ed Asner helps Gore with Social Security pitch By LAURA MECKLER, Associated Press WASHINGTON (October 23, 2000 8:52 p.m. EDT nandotimes.com) - Democrats have begun placing tens of thousands of recorded phone calls featuring actor Ed Asner assailing George W. Bush's Social Security plan. The calls, begun over the weekend in several battleground states, echo the message being delivered this week in more than $10 million worth of television advertising. Like the TV ads, the phone calls suggest the Republican Bush cannot maintain benefits for current retirees and allow younger workers to divert some of their tax money into private accounts. "George W. Bush has a proposal that would undermine Social Security, even threatening current benefits," Asner, 70, a liberal activist, says in the message. "Intelligent changes are needed to Social Security, but not at the cost of current retirees. That's a violation of a sacred trust." It's clearly an effort to scare senior citizens and others who care about the program, although Bush has promised he will not cut benefits for current retirees or those near retirement. Bush says he can maintain benefits while creating personal accounts by tapping into the Social Security surplus, which is about $2.4 trillion. That money, he says, can cover the $1 trillion younger workers would have paid into the current system if it wasn't diverted into personal accounts. But that plan would further aggravate Social Security's financial problems. The trust fund is already set to go broke in 2037, and Bush's plan would advance the date of insolvency. Under current law, the system will start paying out more than it takes in 2015, and under Bush's plan that date will also move up. Bush has several options for dealing with the matter, though he hasn't said which one he will take. He could borrow money, raise taxes, cut benefits or tap into general revenue. In their ads and in phone calls, Democrats suggest Bush's only option is to cut benefits, and in that sense, they are misleading. But they are working hard to drive the point into voters' minds. Both the Democratic National Committee and Democrat Al Gore's presidential campaign are making the pitch in TV ads airing in 19 states this week. The phone calls are being made in many of those states, including Michigan and Florida, said DNC spokeswoman Jenny Backus. "You can count on hearing our Social Security message in many of the states where you're hearing our advertising," she said. Asner, most famous for playing Lou Grant on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," recorded the message over the weekend. Nearly 100,000 calls will be made, said one Democratic official. Democrats also plan direct mail on the same point. Bush tried to turn the Social Security issue against Gore on Monday, saying the vice president has no real plan for the program's financial future and would have to drain $40 trillion from general revenues to pay benefits to the baby boomers. But while Gore has no long-term plan, Bush doesn't either, other than promising to appoint a commission. And Bush's plan for personal accounts, while helpful for younger workers, would make the baby boomer financial crunch even more problematic.

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (51148)	10/23/2000 9:23:20 PM
From: Rambi	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

SInce everyone loves a poll -- here is a cute one... Minor Vote Latest poll is child's play for G. W. Sunday, October 22, 2000 By Christina Nunez — George W. Bush has scored an election lead in new poll results released Sunday, but the respondents in this case are not registered voters. Children's cable network Nickelodeon anointed a Pied Piper of sorts when it announced Republican candidate Bush had won its "Kids Pick the President" poll with 55 percent of 330,798 votes. Democrat hopeful Al Gore picked up the remaining votes; other party candidates such as Ralph Nader were not on the ballot. Though not a scientific poll, Nickelodeon's results have correctly predicted three of the last four elections. If conventional wisdom holds that children and dogs can sense fear and ghosts, perhaps they can also detect election winners. The canine demographic, however, remains unpolled.

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (51148)	10/24/2000 8:46:02 AM
From: Zoltan!	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 769667

That weekend poll is inaccurate. Hey, WA and OR's largest papers endorse George Bush!: The Seattle Times Company Editorials & Opinion : Sunday, October 22, 2000 Editorial Endorsement: George W. Bush for president Gov. George W. Bush is the clear choice for president of the United States. How Bush became the candidate of this editorial page that endorsed Michael Dukakis, Bill Clinton and, as recently as last year, the fledgling campaign of Sen. Bill Bradley, is a tale of this political year and of the words and actions the two major-party candidates have chosen in their run for office. On two large themes, Bush has emerged as the superior candidate. Much about him is unknown and much about him remains untested in national office. But in the end, this was not a decision based on offices held or promises made, it was about the qualities Americans need and deserve in those who hold public trust. This endorsement is founded on two bedrock differences between Bush and Vice President Al Gore: Integrity and civility The thread that binds last year's early endorsement of Bill Bradley for president to today's endorsement of George W. Bush is ethical behavior, as a candidate and as an opponent. Gore's attacks on Bradley during the primary debates were a glimpse of his hunger to win at any cost. While Bush must still earn our trust for his own ethical behavior in the White House, Gore has already lost it. Bush promises to bring a sense of bipartisanship to the White House and has shown that ability with Democrats in the Texas statehouse. Gore shares the blame for one of the most divisive and partisan periods in recent federal history. If the Republicans in Congress get public contempt for narrow, stingy, partisan bickering, they have danced with an equal partner in the Clinton-Gore White House, a place of contrivance and delay when faced with legitimate public inquiry. Bush was elected twice in a large, multicultural state with aspects that mirror much of America. The Texas governorship is sometimes a muted office, but what emerges about Bush in public forums is his natural embrace of diversity and education. He is not an artificial man. His most intense and free-flowing talk arrives when the topic is classrooms. During the debates, his passion for education for all students overwhelmed Gore's bureaucratic approach to education reform. Taxes and trade While the economy under the Clinton-Gore administration has been spectacular, it is not a certainty that Gore's policies would allow the lighter hand of government that stimulates economic growth. On a wide range of issues, Gore shows an instinctive reach to government for nearly all solutions. Yet, the past eight years have shown it is a combination of personalities and events, from a budget-conscious Congress to the tough love of Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, that have sparked the country's remarkable boom. In policies and words, Gore has abandoned the "Third Way" of Democratic politics that was supposed to diminish the federal role traditional to his party. Bush understands, possibly better than Gore can ever know, the dynamics of taxes, regulations and enterprise that form a successful business. On singular issues such as the Northwest's dependence on trade and global commerce, Bush is certain and straightforward, Gore is hesitant. He favors trade but is quick to accommodate anti-trade forces with rationales for more studies and reviews. He equivocates on nearly everything. One simple example is the issue of removal of Northwest dams. Gore could not give a straight answer and was finally saved when President Clinton delayed a federal decision for another decade. No endorsement of a modern presidency can dodge the question of abortion. On this issue, we have a profound disagreement with Bush's record and the Republican Party platform he represents. On abortion and the wider, comprehensive spectrum of issues that deal with women's health and family planning, there is a sharp difference between this editorial page and Gov. Bush. The question is whether reproductive rights create an unreachable divide between pro-rights advocates and the Texas governor. We conclude they do not. This time and under these circumstances, we believe the overpowering need for integrity and civility in office, for a realistic balance between government and commerce, for a new, bipartisan era to confront the needs of the nation all point to the election of George W. Bush. archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com And from the Oregonian: Bush for president The Texas governor has demonstrated during the campaign that he has the talent to lead the nation Sunday, October 22, 2000 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sometime between now and election day, Texas Gov. George W. Bush or Vice President Al Gore might emerge as the nation's clear choice for president. To date, neither man has staked an indisputable claim to the job. Here in Oregon, though, our 2½-week election day is upon us. We have to decide. We recommend that voters select Bush.... oregonlive.com