Dude Kinda Has a Point
Tuesday 28 September 2010 - Filed under Economy + Government + health care + Legislation
Though his rhetoric is the decisively pro-Republitard bullshit that keeps getting those fuckers elected, this dude kinda has a a point when discussing the Demotarded “blame it on Bush” meme it has hatched and nurtured over the past two years:
So in that context, let’s just see what Bush and Republicans are to blame for…
January 03, 1995, when Republicans took control of Congress, the Dow opened at 3,834.33. Twelve years later, on January 03, 2007, Democrats took over with the Dow at 12,459.54 – up 225%. And after just two years of Democrat control in Congress, the Dow had managed to shed 36%, down to 7,949.09. Yet, somehow this is Bush’s fault.
When Democrats took control in 2007, unemployment was at 4.4%… since then it’s more than doubled to over 10%. Yet, somehow this is Bush’s fault.
The National Debt was $4.8 trillion when Democrats seized control of Congress, and in just two short years, and with the help of gaining a Democrat colleague in the White House to provide a rubber stamp, they proceeded to skyrocket the debt to well over $12 trillion. Yet, somehow this is Bush’s fault.
Many DNC talking points not only blame Bush policies, but incorrectly claim that the financial meltdown was a result of those so-called “failed Bush policies”. In fact, George W. Bush publicly called for reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac 17 times in 2008 alone. And who stood in the way? Democrats controlling Congress, of course.
And who were the top recipients of campaign contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?
#1 – DEMOCRAT Chris Dodd
#2 – DEMOCRAT Barack Obama
#3 – DEMOCRAT John Kerry
The analytical approach taken by the Texas Rainmaker is a good one, looking at congressional control when analyzing spending rather than who sits in the Oval Office, because it is congress which spends cash in our system of government, not the President. They conceive of the ways in which they can fleece our hard earned money, and appropriate it however they see fit (with the help of lobbyists of course). The president can encourage certain spending or set a particular political agenda if he has a sympathetic congress that is willing to accede to his wishes, but they aren’t the ones who write the checks. The reason Obama, and Bush (term 1), can be given as much blame as they get is because they have had a sympathetic congress during time of massive spending hikes and government growth. But no agenda of Bush has been so ideologically aggressive or fucking expensive as Obama’s pet projects. Obama spent more on stimulus 1 than Bush spent on Iraq (and we have been there for 7.5 years). Obamacare will likely top all of Bush’s war efforts in terms of government spending, and, to rub salt in the wounds, has introduced an unknown number of bureaucratic governmental layers and regulations in to perhaps the most intimate portion of our lives; how we manage to deal with our body and its well being. And that’s ignoring the idea that in order to simply exist in America, one must comply with the “individual mandate”, or pay a “fine”, or, perhaps, go to jail. Which is also to forget that Obama has declared an all-out class war and engaged in the highest order of progressive ideological politicking. But despite all of those considerations, pointing out that congress is the source of government spending, and that it should take the blame for perceived misappropriations of said spending, is more intellectually honest than simply blaming the president, and an idea that deserves real consideration.
2010-09-28 » madlibertarianguy