all i want is the politicians to do whats best for the country but it seems everyone of them does whats best for themselves. very very few are willing to do what actually needs to be done because they know it's political suicide. no one wants to give up their SSI or Medicaid/care or earned income credit. the republicans and democrats both are so worried about their parties that they forget about the country. and we both know this has been going on for years.1 party does what it can to make the other look bad so they can be the party in power and neither one gives a shit that their policies have, are and will continue to weaken and slowly destroy this country.
The bottom line with you is that Obama gets a free pass no matter how poor his performance. No matter how anemic job growth is and no matter how much the deficit is increased it's always the Republican's fault. In your mind you can't possibly fathom that it's Obama's policies that are at the root of the problem. Is there any amount of debt that you feel is unmanageable or do you feel that the amount of debt is always going to take a back seat to "stimulating" the economy? The Dems had a filibuster proof Senate super majority. During that time, if they wanted to, they could have reversed the Bush tax cuts, they could have funded the wars or ended them much quicker, and funded medicare part D or dissolved it altogether. Every penny added to the debt since Obama took office is on Obama. That's how it has always been calculated with every president. I don't like some of the things the Republicans did but this is Obama's economy now.
Your assumptions about me are misguided and are actually more reflective of your lack of reason and/or objectivity. First, I have been critical of Obama on several issues but for the most part I think the guy has done a decent job. Those who expected a quick fix after the crash of 2008 were fooling themselves. In the modern era the closest thing we can compare our sitution with is Japan during the 90's. We all know that it took them around 10 years to dig out of that mess. Most economists predicted in 2009 that it would take us from 5-10 years to return to where we were before the collapse and we are on track to do just that. We could be a lot farther along if the congress would show just an iota of cooperation on things that have historically been bipartisan during tough economic times, like an infrastructure spending bill. My defense of Obama comes more so from the idiot speak that I am hearing from the Republicans. I love how you keep saying that this is Obama's economy, and I suppose that you are right in a very shallow sense, but the financial crisis happened months before Obama ever took office. The day that he was sworn into office our economy was hemoragging jobs at about 750,000 per month, GM was getting ready to declare bankruptcy and the entire nation was on hold from day to day as to whether our economy would completely collapse. These are undeniable facts and are not subject to debate. I am a very realistic person and I detest those who are willing to over look the very obvious things in order to contort a story so that it fits within the limitations of their narrow ideologies. Do you honestly think that Romney doesn't know all of this? Do you think that if Romney wins he will go into office and slash spending? Wrong answer and he has said so himself because it would be suicide for the economy and every one with half a brain knows it. Furthermore, since 1980 we have had only ONE President who actually balanced the budget and posted budget surpluses and his name was Bill Clinton. That means that Reagan, Bush 41, Bush 43 all failed to do this. Given this knowledge, why in the hell should any reasonable person trust that the Republicans are going to balance the budget and pay down the national debt? Because they say they will? What is the Republican answer for turning the economy around? Let me guess, the same shit you were doing that got us into this mess. I am actually willing to bet you money that you cannot name one thing the Republicans are promoting that hasn't been tried before and failed miserably. Nothing against Republicans because I have many Republican friends but they have a long way to go to convince anyone that they are the party of fiscal responsibility.
I have been reading all of the back and forths going on here. My take: The recession is not (soley) the Bush administration's fault. Financial deregulation in 1999, written by a Republican Congress and signed by Bill Clinton, allowed banks and other financial institutions the freedom to invest their money (our money) in risky investments. Skyrocketting commodities market (oil in particular) put a hevy strain on the economy. Greenspan keeping the interest rate low to spur investments and loans allowed more risky borrowing by business and private citizens. And the housing market bubble that popped around 2006 caused all of these influences to crash the economy. The Republicans and Democrats alike encouraged people who couldn't afford a house to get into one. People who could afford a house got a bigger one. People invested heavily into real estate and took their money out of circulation. When the subprime loans matured people couldn't afford the new payments. People lost their jobs when the economy crashed and they couldn't pay for their spending spree. It was a disaster. That is the recession in a nut shell. People are right in blaming Bush for the defecit. Unfunded wars, tax cuts, his desire to still spend so as not to lose votes all increased the debt and then the recession hit. Bailouts were needed. Bush bailed out Walstreet and AGI. Obama bailed out the auto industry.... The economy is turning around. Currently it is remaining flat. There are alot of questions that don't have to do with the USA that are causing global concern. If Romney wins he will take credit for the recovery. If Obama wins things will continue to get better, as long as the EU doesn't crash and cause another global recession. That will be neither Obama's or the Republican's fault.
Whats the Dems solution, Spend more than Bush? Spin it bro, spin it. WE ALL KNOW, that it was BOTH DEMAFAGS AND REPUBEACANS that got us here. Spin it...
this is your problem, Pride.....you always jump to a ridiculous conclusion. We are in a precarious position as I see it. We are past the point of needing bailouts but I do believe spending on infrastructure could serve several purposes: providing jobs to out of work construction workers, improving what everyone considers a crumbling infrastructure and preparing for future prosperity. That said, we are at the point where we need a comprehensive plan to balance our budgets and reduce our debt. The plan will have to implement austerity as we meet certain benchmarks in GDP so we do not derail our already fragile recovery. The plan should also reform our tax code so that it is fair but also so that it makes us more competitive internationally. Lastly, we should offer a tax free holiday for american companies to bring cash from foreign accounts back to the US tax free for a period of time. In essence, we need to start thinking about the future and legislating accordingly, regardless of who wins in November. As I have said before, even if Romney wins, you are not going to see big changes in economic policy because like it or not, our policy has been sound for the most part. I am sure there are people much smarter than I who could offer more detailed and eloquent ways of improving the economy but this is my lay attempt to answer your question. You guys say that I defend Obama and the democrats but for the most part they are the adults in the room right now. I am a registered independent but the Republicans have moved so far right that I have a hard time relating to many of their policy positions. I do believe that Obama has tried to govern from the center though many would dispute it on the Republican side, my liberal friends do not consider him a very good liberal.
And President of the United States of America for four years! And three terms in the Illinois legislature. And twelve years as a professor of Constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School.How convenient for you to forget all of that. I repeat, Romney has no national political experience. None. Zero.
