Bush chases Florida voters
US President George Bush courted Florida voters today in the state that decided the 2000 election, arguing his tax cuts are helping the economy and suggesting that Democrats would endanger America’s fiscal health by raising taxes.
Spending the Presidents’ Day holiday in Florida, the second day of his 19th visit to the state as president, Bush said the country is recovering from its economic downturn.
He blamed the recession, corporate scandals and the 2001 terrorist attacks for the problem but said his policies turned the economy around.
“Those were a lot of obstacles and hurdles for our nation to handle and yet our economy is strong. I will argue vociferously that one of the reasons it is strong is because the Congress wisely heeded my call and let people keep more of their own money,” Bush told employees gathered in a Tampa warehouse.
“The tax relief plan you hear some people maligning around our country helped small business growth.”
With more than eight million Americans out of work, jobs are a sensitive issue for Bush as he seeks re-election in November.
While the US economy is on the upswing, job growth has been slow, allowing Democrats to repeatedly highlight the 2.2 million jobs lost during Bush’s presidency.
Bush has laboured to defend his economic record and show he has a plan to keep things going in the right direction.
In the last three weeks, he has devoted four speeches to the economy, in other politically important states such as Pennsylvania and in key primary states like New Hampshire.
The president’s chief economic proposal is to ensure the tax cuts passed under his watch do not expire as planned, and that was the focus of his appearance here.
“From an economic perspective, I’m telling you, now is not the time to raise the taxes on the American people,” Bush said.
He did not name who might be ready to raise taxes, nor even mention Democrats. But with the election year in full swing, his meaning was clear.
