[ Blatant blogwhoring alert ] This is from my 2 month-old blog Reality.Hole. Please come visit and comment if you feel like it.
Remember all that political capital President Bush said he'd earned after the election? And how he said he'd be spending it to advance his agenda?
Well, he's spending that virtual money as wildly as he's spending our real money ... and getting about the same results. After a month-long stump-speech-laden campaign trip (affectionately termed on Daily Kos as "Bamboozlepallooza") to drum up support for his nebulous "plan" to "reform" [destroy] Social Security, the public's opinion of him and his "plan" is worse than when he started. [it's a good time for another terror alert, don't you think?]
[more below the jump]
Economic Jedi Master
Paul Krugman was on
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart last night (the interview is online and it's very good) and basically said he was thankful that Bush was spending his
political capital on this issue, because it's almost a sure loser for him. I agree completely. Let him deplete the goodwill and self-satisfaction of his supporters as they slowly realize that their own mothers, who rely on Social Security (or soon will), might be hurt by Bush's ham-handed blundering. To this dawning realization, we reply once again:
"DUH!!!!"
Seriously meddling with Social Security had long been thought of as the "third rail" of American politics. "Third rail" is a reference to the third rail of the New York subway system; the rail that carries the massive charge of electrical power that drives the trains. To touch the third rail is said to be almost certain death. And voters have reiterated time and again, you do not play with Social Security. Ever.
So let Bush engage on his quixotic fool's errand. There are a lot worse things he could be spending his time on. [invading Iran or Syria ... or both]
Poll Bad News for Bush on Social Security
As President Bush campaigns to change Social Security, he needs to win over independents, married women and Southerners -- people who tend to support him on terrorism but have indicated doubts about his plans for the retirement program.
Just over a third of Americans, 37 percent, approve of Bush's handling of Social Security, an Associated Press poll found. When it comes to Bush's strong suit -- handling foreign policy and terrorism -- 52 percent approve of the president.
A majority of Americans, 56 percent, say they disapprove of Bush's handling of Social Security. A similar number in a recent AP poll opposed the creation of personal investment accounts, a proposal central to Bush's plans. [...]
He is campaigning for these changes at a time that more than half of Americans, 55 percent, have a general sense that the country is headed down the wrong track.
"The price of oil keeps going up, making everybody else rich, and many people here are making minimum wage," said Brian Wiatr, a laborer living on the fringe of Detroit. "You can't even afford to fill your car up with gas and buy groceries."
The public is about evenly split on Bush's job performance overall, with 48 percent approving and 50 percent disapproving. Men were more likely than women to approve of Bush's job performance.
"I lean toward disapproval," said Tammy Schneider, a stay-at-home mother of three who lives near Peoria, Ill. "I just feel he has not been judicious with our financial affairs."
"More than half of Americans" have the correct idea: "the country is headed down the wrong track". And there is one person in particular and one party is general in whose lap this situation lies.