White House Tells Bush to Shut Up About Economy

© 2000

NewsMax.com Wires Friday, Dec. 22, 2000

WASHINGTON (UPI) – The Clinton White House on Thursday warned President-elect Bush to watch what he says about a possible economic downturn because such statements might become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The White House claimed that most experts predict solid but modest growth and not a recession.

"When most experts are still projecting solid growth and a soft landing, a new president should not be hurting confidence by talking down his economy," White House National Economic Adviser Gene Sperling said.

White House officials sent that message Thursday on the heels of a series of public statements by Bush that the economy might be tanking.

For example, Bush noted that the economy might be headed down during a press conference in Austin Wednesday when he introduced his treasury secretary-designate, Alcoa Inc. Chairman Paul O'Neil.

"Our economy is showing warning signs of a possible slowdown," Bush warned as he introduced O'Neil. Bush said O'Neil had just the skills to guide the nation through troubled economic waters.

"It is important to be guarded and measured in what you say about the economy," White House Press Secretary Jake Siewart said Thursday. Siewart said that most analysts agreed the economy would grow by around 2.5 percent next year and that statements to the contrary could be detrimental.

"It is important for an economic team that is part of the government to be careful about what they say," Siewart said. "People take these comments very seriously."

White House officials said privately that Bush was trying to lower expectations on the economy – just as he did on his performance before the presidential debates – so that an average economic performance will seem like a win.

Vice President-elect Dick Cheney said the Bush campaign was not making any such statements for political gain.

"We have tried to be very precise and accurate about our statements," Cheney said after a meeting Thursday with Connecticut Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman. "We don't want to talk down the economy, clearly. And I think both President-elect Bush and myself have tried to be cautious in that regard. But there does seem to be a lot of evidence out there that the economy is slowing down some," Cheney noted.

But President Clinton chose Thursday to don rose-colored glasses. At a White House ceremony where he signed the last budget bill of his administration, Clinton claimed the economy was strong. "We are now in the longest economic expansion in our nation's history," Clinton said.

Copyright 2000 by United Press International. All rights reserved.

-- Uncle Bob (unclb0b@aol.com), December 22, 2000