Although maybe if they fed the economic data through a Florida voting
machine . . .
Senior Clinton administration officials angrily charged that top
members of President-elect George W. Bush's team were ''talking down''
the economy in a campaign for tax cuts that could backfire by
spreading self-fulfilling fears of a sharp slump.
``What you're seeing is President-elect Bush and his team actually
talking down our economy, actually probably injecting more fear and
anxiety into the economy than is justified,'' said Gene Sperling, a
White House economic adviser.
REALISM, OR SCARE-MONGERING?
But Vice President-elect Dick Cheney said later the incoming Bush
administration, which will take power in January, had to be realistic.
Bush campaigned on a program of offering a $1.3-trillion tax cut to
fuel U.S. prosperity.
``There does seem to be a lot of evidence out there that in fact the
economy has slowed down some,'' Cheney said in a meeting with
reporters. ``Whether or not this ultimately results in a recession,
that is negative real growth, nobody knows at this time.''
Tom Walker
Sandwichman and Deconsultant
Bowen Island
(604) 947-2213
