Positive Press for Bush's Social Security Plan

Bush employs a gentle touch by Peter S. Canellos

The Deseret News, a very conservative newspaper in Utah, published this article in 2005 praising Bush's confident manner in a recent State of the Union address. The article expresses a positive outlook for the second term of Bush's presidency based on the uncharacteristic diplomacy and sense of initiative he portrayed in his speech. It also glosses over the positive aspects of his Social Security plan and the successful ways in which he sold his plan in the address.


All Social Security options are open by Larry Wheeler

The same newspaper published this article in 2006 discussing the open options for Social Security reform following Bush's unsuccessful attempt to privatize Social Security in 2005. The article does not even try to be non-partisan when discussing Bush's rejected plan, outlining right from the beginning of the article the benefits that would have been reality if his plan was passed. The writer uses rhetorical words, such as "failed" when discussing the abysmal support of party members and "fierce" when describing the opposition, to garner sympathy for the President and make it sound as if Bush was victimized in Congress for his efforts. A very short paragraph is devoted to the opposing viewpoint at the end of the article - the least read section of any news story.