August 8, 2004

Brooks is just weird...

I like how Orrin Judd responds nicely to this column by David Brooks, who complains that the Bush and Kerry campaigns are lacking in serious proposals for solving problems...

... Let us for the moment set aside the revolutionary accomplishments of the first Bush term--tax cuts; multiple free trade agreements; public school vouchers; HSA's; enhancements to retirement savings accounts; abortion limitations; government funding of religious social services; canceling the ABM treaty and spiking Kyoto and the ICC; etc.; etc.; etc..

Here are just some of the proposals that remain to be enacted once the President has a filibuster-proof Senate: Social Security privatization; comprehensive energy policy; tort reform; tax reform; voucherizing public housing; etc.. Also pending approval, though more problematic because of opposition within his own party: immigration reform and a massive new space program.

Oh, and, in the midst of all this, he's waging a global civilizational war and reforming Islam, while putting more attention, energy, and money into salvaging Africa than any world leader ever and shifting our national security policy from Atlanticism/Realism to a universalist alliance of democracies.

The question isn't "where's the beef?" but what's Mr. Brooks's beef?

Brooks writes:
...People used to complain that selling a president was like selling a bar of soap. But when you buy soap, at least you get the soap. In this campaign you just get two guys telling you that they really value cleanliness.
Well, here's a Bush campaign speech. You can read it and see what you think. Seems pretty solid to me.
...That's why I will continue to work to usher in a new era of ownership and opportunity in America. We want more people owning their own home. We want more people owning their own business. We want more people owning and managing their own health care system. We want more people owning and managing a part of their retirement systems. When a person owns something, he or she has a vital stake in the future of the United States of America...
Bush is talking about reforming Social Security...in a campaign! That's unheard-of in American politics.

Posted by John Weidner at August 8, 2004 8:22 AM
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