The Bush Promises: Then And Now

Do four years make a difference ? On August 3, 2000, Texas Governor George W. Bush stood before thousands of GOP delegates in Philadelphia to accept his party’s nomination to run for president. In a speech carefully scripted to appeal to millions of voters, Bush delivered a raft of campaign promises meant to address the most pressing issues of the day. More than four years later, MediaChannel.org weighs candidate Bush’s 2000 promises against President Bush’s 2004 track record:

ON EDUCATION
Bush 2000: “Seven of 10 fourth graders in our highest poverty schools cannot read a simple children’s book. And still this administration continues on the same old path, the same old programs, while millions are trapped in schools where violence is common and learning is rare. This administration had its chance. They have not led. We will.”
America 2004: The president’s 2005 budget provides an additional $138 million for the Reading First and Early Reading First initiatives. But the administration is also proposing to eliminate Even Start, a $247 million literacy program designed to increase academic achievement of young children and their parents by helping them learn together. With this proposed elimination, Bush’s FY2005 budget actually proposes an $8 million cut to overall reading programs. (Source: House Budget Committee)

ON POVERTY
Bush 2000: “And we will extend the promise of prosperity to every forgotten corner of this country: to every man and woman, a chance to succeed; to every child, a chance to learn; and to every family, a chance to live with dignity and hope.”
America 2004: According to the Department of Labor, in the last 12 months, wages and salaries grew at the slowest rate in over 20 years. In the first two years of the Bush administration, real income has dropped by almost $1,500 per household. (Source:US Department of Labor; US Census)

ON TAXATION
Bush 2000: “Another test of leadership is tax relief. The last time taxes were this high as a percentage of our economy, there was a good reason; we were fighting World War II. Today our high taxes fund a surplus. Some say that growing federal surplus means Washington has more money to spend. But they’ve got it backwards. The surplus is not the government’s money; the surplus is the people’s money.”
America 2004: The $5.6 trillion ten-year surplus projected in January 2001 is gone, replaced with $2.74 trillion in deficits over the next ten years. By 2004, Bush’s three tax cuts reduced revenues by $276 billion. In 2003, Bush’s tax cuts contributed to 44 percent of the $375 billion deficit. (Source: Congressional Budget Office)
Bush 2000: “On principle, no one in American should have to pay more than a third of their income to the federal government, so we will reduce tax rates for everyone in every bracket. On principle, those with the greatest need should receive the greatest help, so we will lower the bottom rate from 15 percent to 10 percent and double the child credit. Now is the time to reform the tax code and share some of the surplus with the people who pay the bills.”
America 2004: Since 2001, President Bush’s tax cuts have shifted federal tax payments from the richest Americans to a wide swath of middle-class families, the Congressional Budget Office has found. Wealthiest taxpayers saw their share of federal taxes drop from 64.4 percent in 2001 to 63.5 percent this year. Middle-class families saw their tax burden jump from 18.7 percent to 19.5 percent of federal taxes. (Source: The Washington Post, 8/13/04)

ON THE MILITARY
Bush 2000: “The world needs America’s strength and leadership. And America’s armed forces need better equipment, better training and better pay.”
America 2004: In a 542-page self-assessment of the Iraq war, the Army concluded that American forces prevailed in the Iraq war despite supply and logistical failures, poor intelligence, communication breakdowns and futile attempts at psychological warfare. The Los Angeles Times characterized the findings of the report: American soldiers who defeated the Iraqi regime 15 months ago received virtually none of the critical spare parts they needed to keep their tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles running. They ran chronically short of food, water and ammunition. (Source:The Los Angeles Times, 7/3/04)

ON MEDICARE
Bush 2000: “America has a strong economy and a surplus. We have the public resources and the public will, even the bipartisan opportunities to strengthen Social Security and repair Medicare... Medicare does more than meet the needs of our elderly; it reflects the values of our society. We will set it on firm financial ground and make prescription drugs available and affordable for every senior who needs them.”
America 2004: Congress passed a $534 billion Medicare bill in fall 2003 that offered seniors a drug discount card, along with the option of prescription drug coverage starting in 2006. It is the most significant change to Medicare in decades. But in a national survey of 1,223 seniors released in August 2004, seniors identified several serious flaws in the program. The survey, conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health, found that most seniors felt that the plan offers far less relief than they had asked for, and primarily benefits drug companies. (Source: The Oregonian, 8/17/04)

ON BIPARTISANSHIP
Bush 2000: “I don’t have a lot of things that come with Washington. I don’t have enemies to fight. I have no stake in the bitter arguments of the last few years. I want to change the tone of Washington to one of civility and respect... I work with Republicans and Democrats to get things done.”
America 2004: Capitol Hill in 2004 turned into a “sinkhole for the unfinished business on Bush’s agenda,” according to a report in The Los Angeles Times. Bush and his Republican allies blame the Democrats for the stalemate, as the minority party has become more united and stubborn in its opposition to White House initiatives. Some Republicans argue that the legislative stalemate will not hurt Bush politically because Congress already has produced a broad array of major legislation since 2000: big tax cuts, a Medicare prescription drug subsidy, and the Patriot Act. (Source: The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post, 7/19/04)

ON ABORTION
Bush 2000: “When Congress sends me a bill against partialbirth abortion, I will sign it into law.”
America 2004: In November 2003, Bush signed the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act , to prevent a procedure where a living fetus is partially removed from the womb. In June 2004, in a challenge brought in San Francisco by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, US District Judge Phyllis Hamilton ruled the act was an unconstitutional limitation on a woman’s right to choose. (Source: US District Court, San Francisco)