Democrats blast health, energy proposals
WASHINGTON -- Democrats last night used the spotlight of President Bush's State of the Union address to highlight their own ideas on healthcare, the environment, and keeping US businesses competitive, previewing some of the major themes they hope will help them retake control of Congress this fall.
Party leaders blasted Bush for what they said were modest proposals to make healthcare more affordable and reduce the nation's dependence on foreign energy sources.
They said that the president hasn't done much on any of those issues, even though his party has controlled the House and the Senate since he took office in 2001.
''He's had five years to get it done," said Representative John F. Tierney, a Salem Democrat. ''Where are the big ideas? We've heard the rhetoric before."
Seeking to tie Bush to the ethical scandals that have swirled through Washington in recent months, Democrats said that the president and his Republican allies can't be trusted to make the kinds of changes the nation needs.
''There's a better way," Governor Timothy M. Kaine of Virginia said, repeating the Democrats' theme six times in delivering the party's official response. ''If we want to replace the division that grips our nation's capital, we need a change. Democrats are leading that reform effort."
Despite Bush's pleas for cooperation between parties, Democrats served notice: They're not eager to work with a president who hasn't wanted to work with them in the past.
When Bush mentioned in his speech that Congress did not act on his proposal ''to save Social Security," Democrats broke into a standing ovation, and Bush had to wait for their cheers to die down before he could continue.
Senator John F. Kerry, Bush's Democratic opponent in 2004, said the president described a ''fantasy land" that ignores the real problems Americans face. Mindful of upcoming congressional elections, Kerry hinted that he thinks the president will have a tough time scoring legislative victories this year.
''In Republican Washington, the rhetoric continues to mislead and the promises continue to be broken," said Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts. ''It's going to take more than poll-tested lines in a speech to strengthen our union. It's going to take change in Washington to make America stronger."
Bush's proposal to expand healthcare savings accounts was a choice target for Democratic critics. Senate minority leader Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, said it will do nothing to cut healthcare costs or expand access to insurance, and could add to the soaring budget deficit.
Democrats plan a press conference today to unveil portions of their own health plan, the next phase of a broad agenda that Democratic candidates will use on the campaign trail in this year's congressional elections.
Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, yesterday proposed making Medicare, a program for seniors, available to people of all ages as a way to supplement private-sector health plans.
''The cure [Bush] prescribed tonight will only make a bad situation worse," Kennedy said. The answer, he said, is to make healthcare available for all, and for the Democrats to retake Congress and make that happen.
Democrats said Bush's calls for more tax dollars to boost economic competitiveness pales in comparison to a plan they unveiled in November.
That proposal called for energy independence within 10 years, federally funded scholarships to educate 100,000 new scientists, engineers, and mathematicians, and an increase in grants and tax credits for small businesses.
The president's call for developing new sources of energy drew howls from Democrats, who pointed out that the energy bill Bush signed last summer focuses almost exclusively on encouraging drilling for oil and gas.
''We've had an energy policy in America that was bought and paid for by the oil and gas industry, and now we have to make America energy independent?" said Representative Martin T. Meehan, a Lowell Democrat. 