Daschle Blasts Bush Over Economy

By
ABC News
January 6, 2006, 6:18 PM ET
3 min read

W A S H I N G T O N, Jan. 4, 2002 -- Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle launched a Democratic offensive today, blaming President Bush for the recession and offering an alternative to the president's recovery plan.

Calling for a return to fiscal discipline, Daschle, D-S.D., proposed what he called "tax cuts that work" to bring the economy out of recession.

At a time when the nation is fighting war and recession, Daschle said, the president's tax cuts have taken away the flexibility to do both, and has left the country with only two choices — both bad.

"We can shortchange critical needs, such as homeland defense, or we can raid the Social Security surplus, and even run deficits to pay for those critical needs," Daschle said.

While Daschle praised the president for his handling of the war on terrorism, he pinned blame for the weak economy on Bush's tax cuts.

"Not only did the tax cut fail to prevent a recession, as it supporters said it would," Daschle said, "it probably made the recession worse. "

Bashing Bush on one hand, Daschle also used the carefully choreographed speech to pledge cooperation, not conflict, in working to revive the economy.

Daschle proposed targeted tax cuts for investment in business, education and homeland security.

Bush: Results, Not Rhetoric, Matter

White House counselor Karen Hughes found some encouragement in Daschle's approach.

"I'm hoping that this is an acknowledgement by Sen. Daschle that his posture at the end of the year in obstructing some of this important legislation was wrong, and that there is finally an acknowledgement that it's time for action," Hughes said.

Though the president did not comment directly in a speech today at the hanging of his portrait in Texas, he alluded to the fray.

"Sometimes Washington needs to figure out that politics isn't what's most important, the people are what's most important," Bush said."So I'm going to take that can-do Texas spirit to Washington for however long I'm there and remind people that … results are what matter … not rhetoric."