Special Report: The Presidential Debates; Broken Promises

Bush Attempts More Deception in the Final Presidential Debate
George W. Bush misled the American people yet again at the final presidential debate in Tempe, Arizona, on Oct. 13. According to the Washington Post, Bush was "stretching the truth" several times throughout the 90-minute debate. Bush stated that most of his tax cuts went to low- and middle-income Americans. In actuality, the wealthiest 1 percent of taxpayers got about 34 percent of Bush's tax cut, while the bottom 80 percent got only 32 percent of the tax cut. Bush also stated that his administration would continue to expand Pell Grants to low-income students. The only expansion of Pell Grants that occurred under Bush's watch, however, was due to an increased number of low-income families qualifying for the grants.

Additionally, Bush protested Sen. Kerry’s charge that he had never met with the Congressional Black Caucus. While he met with the group his first two weeks in office, he has repeatedly turned down requests to meet with the group ever since. Bush’s account of the economy was overly optimistic. The latest job figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed a net loss of 821,000 jobs during Bush’s time in office, putting him on track to be the first president in 72 years to preside over a loss of jobs. Kerry was correct in his assertion that Bush tried to cut 500,000 children from after-school programs; his 2004 budget cut funding for after-school programs from $1 billion to $600 million. Bush blamed the recession and the war for the reappearance of the deficit, but the Congressional Budget Office asserts that these are responsible for only a small portion of the deficit. They say that Bush’s tax cuts are more likely to blame.

Source: The Washington Post, "Attacks Misleading and Out of Context," Glenn Kessler and Mike Allen, Oct. 14, 2004.

The Broken Promises of George W. Bush
The American Progress Action Fund released a report last month comparing George w. Bush's rhetoric to his administration’s track record on domestic policy, the economy, and the environment.
Source: The Center for American Progress, "The Broken Promises of George W. Bush," Sept. 2004