Bush Says Not Backing Down on Social Security - Does He Ever?!

NEWS: Bush Says Not Backing Down on Social Security
Full Article: http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050722/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_6

In case you were thinking that the President has given up on privatizing Social Security, well, think again.

Ed Yoon’s three personal criticism of the President’s approach on Social Security, as per this article:
1. If the President has to rely on his mom to help bail him out of a deep hole he made, then it begs the question: “What is he, a kid?”
2. If the President has to limit his audience to an invitation-only crowd to talk about his #1 domestic policy priority, then it begs the question: “What’s he afraid of from the general public?”
3. If the President’s family is worried about retirement security while earning six and seven figure incomes, then there must be no hope for those earning less. (Wait, there is – don’t privatize Social Security!)

Excerpt:
AP – July 22, 2005

Former first lady Barbara Bush teamed up with her son the president on Friday in trying to drum up support among older Americans for his Social Security and Medicare plans.

At a senior center, and then before an invitation-only audience at a downtown civic center, the mother and son team promoted Bush's embattled Social Security restructuring plan and the new Medicare prescription drug program that takes effect Jan. 1.

"I'm here because I'm worried about our 17 grandchildren," said Barbara Bush.

Despite crisscrossing the country for months to promote the plan, his top second-term domestic priority, Bush has had little success in building public support for it.

Bush's trip came the same week in which House and Senate leaders threw in the towel on trying to get committee action on the legislation before the August congressional recess.

The president has run into solid Democratic opposition and scattered Republican skepticism about his proposal to let younger workers divert a portion of their Social Security withholding taxes into private stock and bond investment accounts — in return for a reduction in future guaranteed benefits.