49% Say Bush Chiefly To Blame for Big Deficit, 43% Blame Obama

[Genx87]

Where were the hysterical threads about deficits while Mr Bush was in office? Where was the Tea Pary when the Bush Tax Cuts were put in place?

Who cares? Two wrongs make a right in your world? Just because bush fucked up the federal budget doesnt mean Obama should be able to do it at multiples worse.

 

[woolfe9999]

The truth is that is isn't all that difficult to track what percentage of the deficit is due to one President's policy versus another, and what portion is due to recessions, and what portion is due to mandatory spending programs (i.e. entitlements) which predate both presidencies but are affected by factors like increasing healthcare costs and recessions. Both Presidents have added to the deficit problem. With Bush it was two wars, tax cuts, and Medicare Part D. With Obama it is mainly the stimulus bill and some other, smaller things. Yet there is a subtantial part that was caused by this recession, a lesser amount caused by the 2000-2002 recession, and a hefty part that is due to entitlement spending not being containable in the longrun without serious reform. This last part is an old legacy. As for the two recessions, it is a debatable and complicated question of who or what was responsible for each.

- wolf

 

[Blackjack200]

What do the 2010 elections have to do with anything?

If you weren't a partisan hack, you'd have realized that most are consistent. I was always saying during the 2008 campaign that I believe the federal deficit is the most urgent issue to this country. Even before the financial meltdown.

Bigger question is, where are all the spending hawks from the past decade now?

You won't find them at you local watering hole cleaning drool off their chins. What's appropriate during times of economic growth (balanced budgets or a surplus) makes no sense during a recession.

You can bet that if GDP was growing 5% per year and unemployment was <4% I'd be howling from the roof tops about deficits like the ones we're seeing. But yeah, by all means, beat the drums for reduced spending when the economy is as fragile as it's been in 70 years.

 

[Zebo]

Obama is the only thing saving LA riots across the country, because credit is being cut off to the private sector and concentrating in the banks.....and the only reason the system is still functioning is because government is borrowing and handing out trillions while the private sector is dying and has been for a long time (about 30 years). About 2/3 our population today is directly/indirectly dependent on a government check to eat disturb this and you're in for a world of hurt.

Of course it's just a matter of time and you get cut off from credit. These results will be very convulsive with a shrunken industrial economy and America populated by sheep expecting so much. Prepare.

 

[Zebo]

Americans are so fkn stupid. They thought it was cool to send their jobs overseas, import cheap labor, get into debt to the same folks that have your jobs now and to the bankers who wholesaled them. Thought it was cool to consume more than you produce rack up debt to eyeballs both privately and governmental. Well that's over baby and the private economy has no wherewithal to borrow anymore, credit card is maxed out and the only thing left is the .Gov card - when that ends it won't be the end of the world, but it will be the end of the world as you know it.

What funny is they keep electing the same fools who are in on this scheme then bitch about the results. I have no sympathy. And that goes with the rest of the West as well excluding Germany.

Every other one of the looks like this:

And debt will have to be repaid since as citizens we are joint and severely liable <google it> for that debt. That puts and enormous burden on countries if you want to start re-industrializing. Not to mention about 50&#37; of the population is unemployable or uncompetitive due to poor education and entitlement ingrained.

 

[dmcowen674]

49% Say Bush Chiefly To Blame for Big Deficit, 43% Blame Obama.

Not surprised that 43% of Americans don't have a brain.

 

[CallMeJoe]

Thankfully while the clinically insane are allowed internet access they cannot run for president. Have your meds up'd.

There is no "mental health" disqualification for presidential candidates, so Anarchist420's dream can live on.

 

[Zebo]

Not surprised that 43% of Americans don't have a brain.

No more like 95% but who's counting.

 

[DAGTA]

Not surprised that 43% of Americans don't have a brain.

When did you start blaming Obama?

 

[werepossum]

Glad to see people are waking up.

Amen.

Bush got 8 years to grow the deficit, Obamas only had 18 months so far.

This, which makes this poll sound just about right. Most of Obama's stuff hasn't even started eating yet, and most of Bush's legacy he arguably couldn't just end, especially in the middle of a severe recession.

 

[Zebo]

Amen.


This, which makes this poll sound just about right. Most of Obama's stuff hasn't even started eating yet, and most of Bush's legacy he arguably couldn't just end, especially in the middle of a severe recession.

What do you mean by middle? Like it's over in 18 mo? LOLZ just getting started.

 

[werepossum]

What do you mean by middle? Like it's over in 18 mo? LOLZ just getting started.

Possibly. I know things got a bit worse these last couple of weeks, but seems to me things had really been accelerating in the previous few months.