As a follow-up to yesterday’s post about Thune probably wanting to avoid the issue of whether we are better off than we were before Bush took office, here’s a couple items:
With respect to the poverty figures, The Daily Mis-Lead notices that the Great Misleader’s administration
had its top political appointee at the Census Bureau release the numbers a month earlier than usual, during the August congressional recess when many reporters and Americans take their summer vacations. The rescheduling of the announcement also means that the bad numbers will not come out in September immediately after the Republican National Convention, when they have traditionally been released.
And The Gadflyer points out:
The number of Americans killed in Iraq during 2004 now exceeds the number killed in 2003.
More remarkably, the 488 killed thus far this year died in just 239 days (2.04 daily average), while the 482 killed last year died during fully 287 days (1.68 daily average), which means that not only has 2004 been bloodier than 2003 in absolute terms, but in relative terms as well.
Finally, Richard Reeves sums up quite nicely the various reasons we are worse off: Bush Is Incompetent
