President Bush's economic world: tough today, sunny tomorrow

A President Bush speech on the economy these days is a cross between reality TV and a 1930s musical:

It's a tough world out there, but sunny days are coming. Just hang in there.

Or, as Bush put it today: "I know that the days are dim right now for a lot of folks. But I firmly believe tomorrow is going to be brighter."

Tough? He used the word roughly a dozen times this afternoon in a speech and question-and-answer session at an office products company in the Washington suburb of Chantilly.

Here's a sample:

"We have been through tough times before..."

"We have faced tough times, after the terrorist attack of 9/11, and we came through strongly, and we're going to come through this."

"No question that times are tough. But no question America will emerge."

"It's not an easy problem. No question about it, it's tough times."

"...I am -- I am -- I am confident in the long term for this country."

"I would remind people that, you know, we have been through tough times before. You know, one of the things that I'm concerned about is the psychology of people. They're basically saying, 'Oh, this is just too tough.' The good news is, in America, we generally don't do that."

"This isn't the first time the American economy has faced challenges, and it's not going to be the first time that we haven't recovered and come out better either."

"I'm confident we'll succeed. I really am."

Are you?

-- James Gerstenzang

Photo: Win McNamee / Getty Images 

Comments

[vicsflick]

Tough! W does not what tough is and never did. He is a goof ball who bailed out Wall Street and supported the war for his benefit and Dick Cheney's benefit.

[John Smith]

I think Bush should be impeached now on failure to discharge his duties to lead this country on economic grounds. Or he should resign on moral grounds due to his failure to lead this country.

[dr david hill]

The government’s rescue of the banks may stabilise the global financial crisis temporarily, but where the far bigger problem of economic stagnation and decline lies firmly upon the horizon now. The reason, with the US’s total debt when all is taken into account at the end of 2007 was $51.3 trillion (increasing to $53 trillion by the end of this year), sheer interest payments estimated at over $2 trillion a year, estimated toxic debts of financial institutions of over $4.1 trillion and total global debt exceeding $100 trillion, no amount of capital injection will save the global economic system from eventual collapse as it is being pursued today. I give it no more than 18 months to fail.
The only situation that could bring global stability to the economic system is the influence of China and its direct intervention. Unfortunately pride by Western politicians will not allow this to happen, but where eventually they may have no other option but to take this decision to save the world economy from decades of economic stagnation. That is what we risk now with uncoordinated political indecisiveness in the West. These are plain truths and no more.

Dr David Hill
World Innovation Foundation Charity (WIFC)
Bern, Switzerland

[JohnR]

You know, it's a little unfair to be bashing on Bush like this. He was a little man trying to fill a big job in 2001, and he hasn't grown any since then. Blame the fools who voted for a man who was clearly unfit for the office then, and who are still willing (even eager) to elect somebody equally unfit to be President now.