New Delhi
23 February 2006
His father learnt at his own expense that "[It's] the economy, stupid!"
after all, as the Democrats used this slogan to win the 1992 presidential election but
United States President George W Bush has his eyes firmly set on the economy, as he
prepares the ground for his visit to the Indian sub-continent.
If Mr Bush used his Asia Society speech on Wednesday night to address Indians, he
also tried to hardsell the emerging Indo-US relations to a restive domestic audience by
suggesting that India is a potential market for American goods and services in the short-
and the long term.
It can become an even "bigger market" for America's businesses and workers and
farmers as Indian economy grows, he said in the televised address ahead of his first trip
to India, suggesting in the process that an economic component to the strategic
partnership could not be mistaken.
Allaying fears about outsourcing and job-losses, Bush also ventured to placate some
Americans by asserting that trade with India would create opportunities at home and
make the US companies more competitive. It's good, he said, "Younger Indians are
acquiring a taste for pizzas from Domino's and Pizza Hut."
"We must also recognise that India's growth is creating new opportunities for our
businesses and farmers and workers. India's middle class is now estimated at 300
million people. Think about that. That's greater than the entire population of the United
States," he observed.
"India's middle class is buying air-conditioners, kitchen appliances, and washing
machines, and a lot of them from American companies like GE, and Whirlpool, and
Westinghouse .... Today India's consumers associate American brands with quality and
value, and this trade is creating opportunity here at home," he said.
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