The GOP’s Legacy.

Filed in National by on January 8, 2009

This is what Republicans do to the country: They destroy it.

From First Read:

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
Then: 4.2% (Bureau of Labor Statistics, January 2001)
Now: 6.7% (Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 2008)

DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE
Then: 10,587 (close of Friday, Jan. 19, 2001)
Now: 9,015 (close of Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009)

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE (1985=100)
Then: 115.7 (Conference Board, January 2001)
Now: 38.0, which is an all-time low (Conference Board, December 2008)

FAMILIES LIVING IN POVERTY
Then: 6.4 million (Census numbers for 2000)
Now: 7.6 million (Census numbers for 2007 — most recent numbers available)

AMERICANS WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE
Then: 39.8 million (Census numbers for 2000)
Now: 45.7 million (Census numbers for 2007 — most recent available)

U.S. BUDGET
Then: +236.2 billion (2000, Congressional Budget Office)
Now: -$1.2 trillion (projected figure for 2009, Congressional Budget Office)

About the Author ()

Comments (31)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. Von Cracker says:

    Well when you place people in government who want to destroy it….

    Something analogous?

    How about David Duke as the head of the NAACP? 😉

  2. TPN says:

    How do those statistics stack up since January 2007, when your party took over? Or does Congress only count when Republicans control it?

    What of YOUR trillion+ dollar deficit YOUR party wrote into law for 2009?

    Blame goes all around.

    (I hope this won’t add me to your “round up and shoot” list, J.)

  3. TPN says:

    U.S. BUDGET

    Then: +236.2 billion (2000, Congressional Budget Office) REPUBLICAN CONGRESS

    Now: -$1.2 trillion (projected figure for 2009, Congressional Budget Office) DEMOCRAT CONGRESS

    Questions?

  4. Unstable Isotope says:

    LOL. Bush destroyed the surplus within a year with Greenspan and Congressional Republicans cheering on. Nope, the deficit hasn’t gotten any better since 2007, we’re still under the Bush budget.

  5. anon says:

    What of YOUR trillion+ dollar deficit YOUR party wrote into law for 2009?

    I am pretty sure it is Bush’s signature on that budget.

  6. nemski says:

    That’s a good one Tyler. Bush is not to blame. Nice to see your ideas are as bankrupt as the Republican Party.

  7. TPN says:

    Who mentioned Bush, nemski??? Nice try, though. Bush is plenty to blame….HUGE.

    I am talking Congress here — they write the budgets.

    (I understand your cultish elevation of the presidency, but I don’t share it).

    Bush is pretty much a Democrat as far as our budget deficit and spending go.

    (If you want to play semantic blame games).

  8. nemski says:

    I understand your cultish elevation of the presidency, but I don’t share it.

    Good god man, where have you been over the last 28 years. Just because you don’t believe in an imperial presidency, doesn’t make it not exist.

  9. Susan says:

    Good point TPN! Enough of the blame game. Both parties are to blame so give it a rest.

  10. nemski says:

    Bush is pretty much a Democrat as far as our budget deficit and spending go.

    I imagine you are being funny here, since Ronald Reagan did the same thing.

  11. nemski says:

    Good point TPN! Enough of the blame game. Both parties are to blame so give it a rest.

    LOL, what a crock of shit!!! If the Republicans would man up, I’d be fine, but Tyler is doing the exact opposite.

  12. Unstable Isotope says:

    I think we should play the blame game. Only the Republicans says let bygones be bygones when it’s their fault. When Democrats are in charge Republicans revert back to the Clinton-hunting 90s.

    As far as the budget goes – that was the Bush budget. I agree that Congressional Democrats are pretty spineless, but they didn’t have much choice sometimes because Bush would stamp his little feet and have a hissy fit.

  13. Susan says:

    “I agree that Congressional Democrats are pretty spineless, but they didn’t have much choice sometimes because Bush would stamp his little feet and have a hissy fit.”

    And this says what for the Democrats? Spineless?

    I make no excuses for either party.

  14. anonie says:

    Look. The war machine, the oil companies and the very wealthy did great. That’s all the GOP cares about. We did out part in improving the lives of a small amount of Americans. That’s our platform. Now the dems can throw a few measly bucks at the poor. We got our ours. Now eff off.

  15. Von Cracker says:

    “Oh, they’re all equally to blame! Ooes Mize! Let’s not play the Blame Game!”

    No they are not, though the liberals are not completely blameless. What reforms could have the last Congress pass without the GOP trying to scuttlebutt it through procedural bullshit or filibustering?

    Now remember, this deflective tripe is coming from the same group of conservatives who now believe that bi-partisanship is back in style!

  16. Suzanne says:

    “Bush would stamp his little feet and have a hissy fit.”

    somehow this brings up the image of Rumpelstilzkin…

  17. Delaware Dem says:

    Wow. Tyler has become a Bush/Republican apologist.

    Indeed, his comments here, if I didn’t know better, would sound like Burris’.

    His progressive / libertarian street cred is destroyed in one post.

  18. nemski says:

    His progressive / libertarian street cred is destroyed in one post.

    Spot on, spot on.

  19. TPN says:

    Nice try, J.

    I gives a shite about my “street cred” from your view.

    Stop being such clownish versions of your usual hyper-partisan selves. My point was blame goes all around.

    Bush and the GOP Congress were profligate pigs and did this country hellishly wrong.

    Does that vitiate your party? I think not. That’s the point.

    Nemsk, we’re not talking imperial presidency. We’re talking about what branch is (or should be) most responsible for the only issue I raised : deficits and spending. It’s Congress to my eye. To yours it’s Bush….and thus Obama now.

    I have to laugh you all flip out when someone turns the tables on you a tad. (Yes, the Bush = Democrat was snark, with as much tongue-in-cheek as the rest. LOL.

    Now, distort away at will.

  20. TPN says:

    What reforms could have the last Congress pass without the GOP trying to scuttlebutt it through procedural bullshit or filibustering?

    What disgusting Bush outrages could the Democrats have blocked “through procedural bullshit or filibustering”?

    The numbers were there.

    Oh, that’s right…they were too busy signing on (until circa election 2006…and yet they still kept signing the same bill of goods).

  21. anon says:

    What disgusting Bush outrages could the Democrats have blocked “through procedural bullshit or filibustering”? The numbers were there.

    It is funny to hear Republicans blaming Democrats for not saving them from Bush!

    The numbers were not there, as lockstep Republicans played off against divided Dems. A few defections on either side could have blocked Bush.

  22. TPN says:

    Idn’t it great!?!

  23. X Stryker says:

    Bush is pretty much a Democrat as far as our budget deficit and spending go.

    And the Republican congress that passed his budgets for 6 years? Apparently all Republicans are Democrats. Who knew?

  24. Sharon says:

    Dems have been in the majority in both houses of Congress since 2006. The House writes the appropriations bills. What could Democrats have done? They could have held their resolve and shut down the government. They could have rammed through bills cutting off funding for the troops.

    Instead, a bunch of whiners sit around blaming President Bush and Republicans because, lord knows, Congress only has power when Republicans run it.

    Fortunately, you will own the whole thing in less than 2 weeks and then we’ll watch you make excuses for Obama’s trillions of dollars in deficits.

    Now remember, this deflective tripe is coming from the same group of conservatives who now believe that bi-partisanship is back in style!

    I don’t believe bipartisanship is back in style. Nancy Pelosi is the one who said that and look what she’s doing. Hardly bipartisan unless stifling the minority is bipartisanship.

  25. X Stryker says:

    And this says what for the Democrats? Spineless?

    If we’re talking about Harry Reid, Diane Feinstein, and TOM CARPER, then HELL YES, SPINELESS!

    That’s why we need more PARTISAN, LIBERAL senators like Russ Feingold, Al Franken, and Bernie Sanders (so liberal and tough that he’s partisan against the entire body) – to call out the GOP on their bullshit! Yes, the Democrats were too compliant to Bush and the GOP, but the answer to that problem sure as f*** ain’t replacing them with more GOP traitors. Ya just gotta hope they grow bolder in larger numbers, like a pack of wolves.

  26. TPN says:

    Apparently all Republicans are Democrats.

    eXactly!!

    ….and all Democrats are Republicans.

    ALL of them, I tells ya!!

    It’s mass-condemnation finger-pointing chaos!!!

  27. nemski says:

    Sharon said, Fortunately, you will own the whole thing in less than 2 weeks and then we’ll watch you make excuses for Obama’s trillions of dollars in deficits.

    Good day, ma’am.

  28. anonone says:

    Tyler,

    You’re smarter than that.

    Imagine your home was ransacked while you were away, your life savings were stolen, and your credit cards were stolen and maxed out. All the money was spent by the thieves on guns or partying. Think repubs in charge of government.

    How are you going to clean up the mess? You don’t have any savings, but you do have credit and a job. What do you expect the government to do? Do you want it to close down?

    Now, my friend, consider this: You have a chance to borrow money at 5% and safely invest it for a return of 6% – you’d be crazy not to do that, right? Well, the government is facing the same situation – they either borrow money to increase GDP or they do nothing and watch our GDP go into a death spiral.

    The only question for me is whether or not they will get an increase in return in the GDP over and above cost of borrowing. That I don’t know yet. If they borrow at 5% and get a return of 4%, well, we’re screwed.

    Finally, none of this would be happening if we had had responsible government in the last 8 years. Remember, $1.2 trillion is the cost of the Iraq war alone.

  29. Sharon says:

    I love when you have no answer.

  30. X Stryker says:

    What could Democrats have done? They could have held their resolve and shut down the government. They could have rammed through bills cutting off funding for the troops.

    Instead, a bunch of whiners sit around blaming President Bush and Republicans because, lord knows, Congress only has power when Republicans run it.

    Fortunately, you will own the whole thing in less than 2 weeks and then we’ll watch you make excuses for Obama’s trillions of dollars in deficits.

    It’s always funny when Republicans suggest that Democrats should have done things that the GOP, themselves, would have eviscerated them for (and not ever have done themselves).

    I’ll grant you this – Congressional Republicans have been more successful at fighting Democratic presidents than congressional Democrats have at fighting Republicans. On the other hand, Democratic presidents with Democratic congresses have produce the New Deal and the Great Society, whereas when you have a Republican president and a Republican congress, you get the mess in Iraq, Bridges to Nowhere, Terry Schiavo, Jack Abramoff, and the Alberto Gonzalez rules of torture.

  31. cassandra_m says:

    Very good, X — it is always amusing when the Daddy party accuses Democrats of not giving repubs enough time outs.