We have ourselves an American Demosthenes. In response to how his plan can fix Social Security:
Because the — all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculate, for example, is on the table; whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There’s a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those — changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be — or closer delivered to what has been promised.
Does that make any sense to you? It’s kind of muddled. Look, there’s a series of things that cause the — like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate — the benefits will rise based upon inflation, as opposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those — if that growth is affected, it will help on the red.
Okay, better? I’ll keep working on it.
And this man is emperor of the universe. Arghhh.
Via Atrios.
1
By pete
The clip would be hilarious, if it were not the Pres speaking.
Parts of the rest of the speech were just as odd in their own way. There is the Pres congratulating himself on giving freedom to Afganis and Iraqis because there were elections in those countries, but not mentioning the warlords, the limits of Karzai’s government powers, the foreign troops there to prop up the government of Afganistan nor the foreign occupation of Iraqi. He takes credit for suppressing the “terrorists” in Iraq without even a touch on recognition that he, Pres Bush, created those so-called terrorists by illegally invading the sovereign country of Iraq.
My thinking is his persona will set back education and the country for years to come as he is telling the public it is good to be an inarticulate, ruthless, lying and deceitful person.
February 7, 2005 @ 9:42 pm | Comment
2
By Florian
Hmm,
okay i am not an English speaking person by nature, but usually i have no problem reading English texts (writing is another story). But this one was quite a task. What’s up with the grammar, sentence structure?
And Germany discusses her “ooh so bad” education system. Bush is a graduate from American top university, right? Always look on the bright sight of life. He still has a shitload of money.
February 8, 2005 @ 12:30 am | Comment
3
By boo
I think at least partly he does this on purpose because his supporters find it endearing, and he knows it’ll drive people like you nuts.
You see, Richard, time wasted making fun of the way people talk is time not spent refuting serious policy mistakes.
All part of his plan… 😉
February 8, 2005 @ 1:37 am | Comment
4
By richard
Boo, do you think it’s acceptable for the president to communicate to thie people like this — saying nothing? I’m not making fun of him so much as complaining. He’s the president of the United States and he can’t speak a coherent sentence or tell us what he’s up to.
As for refuting serious policy mistakes, I’ve done plenty of that, too, and will continue. to do so.
February 8, 2005 @ 5:56 am | Comment
5
By boo
Mainly I wanted to say he talks this way on purpose, it’s an act, and his fans seem to enjoy it.
As to whether it’s acceptable, quite frankly, even I would get tongue-tied if I had to explain his policies, so no, not acceptable, but perhaps understandable.
February 8, 2005 @ 7:46 am | Comment
6
By richard
Fair enough. Problem is, he’s incomprehensible even when discussing the most mundane things. If he thinks he’s going to rally the nation to support his whacky social security “reform” with language like this, he’s deluding himself.
February 8, 2005 @ 4:05 pm | Comment
7
By Shanghai Slim
I am not sure I buy those who call this a “speaking problem”. If you look at his quotes with a little care, you can hardly help but get the impression that it’s not a language problem at all (as I suspect his father’s really was), but an understanding problem.
It’s no secret Dubya is not a great thinker. His ideas and initiatives are from his team. As he has stated, this is his preferred management style. He sees his job as being a “leader”, not a thinker. It’s a common strategy for those who’ve bought their way into power, but once there find themselves rather out of their depth.
February 8, 2005 @ 10:26 pm | Comment
8
By bellevue
SS just reminds me that Bush Sr. once misused the word ‘enormity’. During the recent Tsunami coverage, I found many speakers stumbled on the same word!
February 9, 2005 @ 6:42 am | Comment
9
By David
I think the Social Security debt numbers don’t add up so he can’t really talk factually about this plan. So Bush fakes utter incompetence. The principal problem with the unstated real goal of Republican politics is to leverage national debt to allow bigger profits. That works in the short term like 20-30 years when our currency is the worlds top trade cash. But just when the Euro is about to bump the US dollar off the shelf, he wants one last hurrah of debt spending in a way that financially ruins the working class while the wealthy loose a relative pittance to get this done.
Also, rob a worker of his retirement and you have a skilled worker still slaving away out there in the future as an asset to the wealthy, not a bunch of small time investors competing against the wealthy with their own investment assets.
April 11, 2005 @ 11:11 am | Comment
10
By richard
Beautifully stated, and so tragic.
April 11, 2005 @ 11:20 am | Comment