Milt Palacio

Another classic soundbite from our president during a trip to Omaha, Nebraska:

Last Friday when promoting social security reform with 'regular' citizens in Omaha, Nebraska, President Bush walked into an awkward unscripted moment in which he stated that carrying three jobs at a time is 'uniquely American.'

While talking with audience participants, the president met Mary Mornin, a woman in her late fifties who told the president she was a divorced mother of three, including a 'mentally challenged' son.

The President comforted Mornin on the security of social security stating that 'the promises made will be kept by the government.'

But without prompting Mornin began to elaborate on her life circumstances.

MS. MORNIN: That's good, because I work three jobs and I feel like I contribute.

THE PRESIDENT: You work three jobs?

MS. MORNIN: Three jobs, yes.

THE PRESIDENT: Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that. (Applause.) Get any sleep? (Laughter.)

http://drudgereport.com/flashss.htm

Hell, we should all work three jobs! It'll be a blast!

*Lauren

Excusing the French, but what a ****ing ****. This guy has never had to work a hard day in his life and actully has the audacity to make fun of someone who works damn hard to live? Like I said, what a ****ing ****.

Besides, "uniquely American"? Guess the fact I as an Australian work three jobs means **** all then.

Milt Palacio

There is a lot of irony in this situation, although I'm sure it's lost on our president.

No one should have to work three jobs to get by, especially in their late fifties. Bush could help prevent this by:

1) raising the minimum wage (currently at a measly $5.15 per hour) to a living wage

2) making health insurance more affordable

3) importing prescription drugs from Canada so people would be able to save a lot of money

4) raising federal funding for people with disabilities

Obviously, I don't know if this woman is making minimum wage but if she's working three jobs, she can't be making much more than minimum wage.

Not that Bush will push any of the 4 points I mentioned above. We'd need a Democratic president and a Democratic Congress for that to happen. Looks like we'll have to wait.

There is also irony in the fact that this woman is most likely a Bush supporter if she was allowed in to hear the president speak in the first place.

WalkingOnSunshine

Honestly, I do not think it was a vicious comment. It was a harmless joke after the woman volunteered information about herself. As well, most would wonder if someone who was working 3 jobs can get any sleep.

LittleMilkJug

Unique to America? I don't think so. I've has three jobs before. 1 day time, 1 in the evenings and 1 at the weekends. Lots of other people I know have or have had three jobs. I would call it a must, not fantastic

*Lauren

Of course its a vicsious quote. Either that or its a dumbarse quote (which consedering this is Bush wouldn't suprise me)

A man, who has never had to work hard for his money, makes a joke about a woman who works as hard as she can, in her older years, to provide for her children. At the same time, he's cutting nearly everything that could possible assist this woman to make her life easier, and then has the audacity to laugh about it?

Milt Palacio

The minimum wage in America hasn't been raised since 1997, almost 7 1/2 years. Definitely unacceptable.

JW77

If you've ever worked more than one job then you know it's not fantastic to be doing it. Especially if you're a mother of a disabled child.

Anyway, I agree. The minimum wage is crap right now.

Hopefully we'll get a push to change it.

Ambular

Yes, let's only consider the three paragraphs this person chose to write an article on about this five-second part of the entire interview. Let's exclude the fact that we have no idea what the interviewer said following that comment, dismissing the fact that maybe she laughed about it too and did not feel "attacked" by a "vicious" comment.

I highly doubt Bush was saying it was "fantastic" that she had to work three jobs instead of having an easy life, rather it is fantastic to see a mother willing to work as much as she can to provide for her family in light of her personal circumstances.

But as always, it's easier to take it out of context and make him out to be a monster

Milt Palacio

What interview are you talking about? There was no interview. This was at a speaking appearance by President Bush in Nebraska.

I think you're missing the point. I don't think it was a "vicious" comment by Bush, merely just an illustration of how out of touch he is with working class people in America. The irony being that he has the power to help people like this woman but obviously never thinks twice about it. Instead he makes a dumb comment like "Get any sleep?", then chuckles to himself and never thinks about it again. Pretty insensitive and dismissive in my opinion.

Also, this story was reported by several media outlets. The article I linked was from a well-known conservative journalist, Matt Drudge.

Ambular

I know it wasn't a formal interview, I didn't necessarily mean that, just the conversation in general.

And I know you weren't the one to say it was a "vicious" comment, but others were, so I wasn't directing that at you specifically.

This just bothers me because, the reason for this meeting to exist was for Bush to dicuss reform with those people, but the article didn't have anything to do with that. This thread doesn't seem to have anything to do with that. Both seem to exist only to point out how "stupid" Bush is. If this had been written to really get to the heart of the issue concerning what is wrong with social security or simply to report on what was discussed at the meeting it wouldn't bother me, but it was only about the one comment. Not to mention, since the rest of the verbal exchanges were not even acknowledged by Matt Drudge, how do you know he doesn't "think about it again" and dismisses the whole thing? We don't even see that. We don't know that she was "ironically a Bush supporter" either, we can only assume. But it didn't say that. We just see he made a "dumb" comment, end article.

I'm not really singling you out as the one person who bothers me, Milt, so please don't think so.

ceilirose

Here's a link to the transcript of his speech in Nebraska.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/relea...0050204-3.html

This woman's comments are about 3/4's of the way down.

It was an insensitive comment by Bush but on the other hand this woman voted for him so I have to think she knew what she was voting for. Just as in the elections I think anyone who goes to a Bush speech is hand picked and more than likely his supporter.

Too bad the woman didn't ask about social security reform and if it would have any immediate affect on her disabled son.

I had to work two jobs once and it was difficult but I was single. It's hard to imagine how difficult it is to work three jobs plus be responsible for others including a disabled child.

Anyway the thread on Social Security reform pretty much died. Since the privitization accounts aren't going to save it or reform it then I'm not sure what there is to talk about. Perhaps when and if other Republicans/Democrats propose something the thread will get going again.

Milt Palacio

1) There have been a ton of articles concerning the Bush administration plans for Social Security. Do a search and you'll probably find hundreds.

2) We already have a thread or two discussing Social Security on this board, so I didn't see a need for another one.

3) Reporters have a duty to report the truth, not just the good stuff. If they only reported the good stuff about our government, we would be living in a fascist country. When Bush makes a callous comment like this, I'm glad the non-biased reporters are willing to publish the story. Should we just ignore it and pretend everything is peachy?

4) You're right that I can only assume that she's a Bush supporter. But I read a lot about politics and everything I've read has stated that ONLY Bush supporters are allowed into these speaking events on Social Security.

5) I can only assume that he doesn't "think about it" seriously because he has never spoken of policies to truly help the lower class in this country. No minimum wage hike, no affordable health insurance, etc. These policies go against true Republican values. Now if he ever proves me wrong, I'll gladly retract my statement. But I'm not holding my breath.

Ambular

Well,

1) That's fine, I wasn't complaining about the lack of discussion on that issue, necessarily, just that if this had been concerning a political issue at all, and not simply yet another excuse to point out his inability at public speaking, then I probably wouldn't have been bothered. It's just that the opening line - "Another classic soundbite", not to mention whatever the hell was being said in Lauren's post (I don't read asterisk), just kind of seemed like that's what this thread was about. But whatever.

2) I didn't really have a personal desire to discuss it here, either, so that's okay. See above.

3) But should they only report the "bad stuff", either? Or make their entire report based upon a solitary comment? I'm not upset that he wrote about it at all, but it was just like the entire discussion was omitted just to point out this one "uniquely American" comment, like that was all that really mattered in his whole speech.

4) Maybe; We both agree we can only speculate what her individual politics are (maybe she lied in order to be there and hear his speech, because after all she obviously has concerns with his reform; maybe she fully supports him. Who knows). But in either case, she said she hoped the government would keep its promises of reform, thereby admitting that she has a discrepancy with the way things are now. So whether or not she personally voted for him is sort of irrelevant; Either way the circumstances of her life are still prompting her to have this sort of reaction.

Anyway I can't comment on the rest of the speech because I'm still in the middle of reading it

Milt Palacio

A reporter can report anything they want as long as it's the truth and not lies or distorted facts. They can pick which quotes they want to include. They don't have to report on the entire speech. Bush was likely just giving another stump speech on Social Security, this was likely the most interesting exchange of the day.