Gallup Finds Americans Optimistic About Second Bush Term
Fox News' Special Report reported, "A new Gallup poll, taken since Election Day, indicates that significantly more Americans say they are optimistic about President Bush's second term, than say they are pessimistic. Plus, far more Americans believe President Bush will unite the country over the next four years than believe he will divide it."
Members Of Congress Anticipate Strong Bush Commitment To Social Security Changes.
The Los Angeles Times reports, "Members of Congress and independent policy analysts said the president's remarks" about Social Security reform "signaled a willingness to spend his newly won political clout on an issue so sensitive that leaders had long been reluctant to grapple with it."
Reconciliation Of Bush Spending Plans, Deficit Reduction Seen As Impossible
Under the headline "Analysts Call Outlook For Bush Plan Bleak," the Washington Post reports, "President Bush signaled yesterday that he would add personal investment accounts to the Social Security system, simplify the tax code without raising taxes and cut the budget deficit in half, all before he leaves office in 2009. Ambitious as those promises are, they may be mathematically impossible, budget and policy analysts say."
Businesses Buoyed By Bush Agenda.
The New York Times reports, "Insurance and pharmaceutical executives said Thursday that they were pleased and immensely relieved at the election results. President Bush's victory, they said, guarantees that the new Medicare prescription drug program will be carried out by officials who enthusiastically support it."
