Reply #9: He did do great - but he needs to fine tune the message -

[papau]

The You want to cut Social Security is based on the fact that in 1995 he heard another respond on what was needed for SS - and the fellow indicated that our pay as you go SS funding would need - if funding remained the current wage capped payroll tax - a change in the "normal retirement age" - perhaps to age 70, certainly to 68 from the Reagan set age of 67 (folks have forgotten how Reagan raised the retirement age - and it will be good politics to remind them). Dean sain he agreed. He has since gone to changing the funding method - by removing the wage cap on payroll taxes. The folks in the AARP understand this - I do not see how he is hurt - except in "media versus Gore" way - meaning that the media will try to screw him on this - but they are RW and and would have done so anyway. - But he needs a better response. Honesy does not sell to the whore press.

You want to cut Medicare and agree with Newt Gingrich - comes from his 1995 agreement with the GOP goal in 95 of reducing the growth medicare medical costs from a 10% growth each year to 7% growth (Gingrich claimed a $270 B "savings" would result, There were no details as I recall, so it was motherhood - and indeed as a Clintonian pragmatist, why not be in favor of the obvious?) - But again the snappy one liner would help.

The yes I endorse free trade and Nafta answer needs an explanation that Nafta sucked except that it saved a world wide economic crisis that would have occurred if Mexico was allowed to go under - yet after its success in saving Mexico, NAFTA is now screwing Mexico as our Farm welfare payment to the major Farm corporations (and God bless that a little of the money does get down to family farms - but that is not the reason the GOP passed it) are destroying farming in Mexico. Indeed that is the reason for the Cancun 26 demanding the US/EU/ and Japan end export prices that are little more than real cost less tax subsidy (I believe beef in the EU prices out at "cost less $2 per day per cow before slaugter" - a great way to teach small countries how we believe in the market pricing model).

I think Dean - and all the others - need to fine tune their message, but I also think Dean did great! - a "Clintonian pragmatist"!

:-)