Monday, August 29, 2011

Obama's doing better than Bush

That's the point Dave Johnson is trying to make with the following charts. The first two charts are from Budget of the United States Government: Historical Tables Fiscal Year 2012. The third one is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 8/5/2011. They show the deficit and the rate of spending decreasing under Obama, and the jobs picture looking better.




Note that this last chart seems slanted against Bush, as it begins in 2008, whereas the two previous charts begin in 2001. Further, the starting points of the first two charts are a lot different; Bush did not wage war until he had been in office for almost a year.

The real point is not trying to prove Obama has been a better president than Bush. Bush continued driving the car that Clinton had left him - the attack on regulation - and modified it by going to war. Obama has been driving the same car as Bush. The real problem is that the car has been stuck in a quagmire for a good long time and our leaders don't seem to be trying to get it out.

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