Dems: Bush most reckless spender in White House history

 

Last week, in off-the-cuff remarks not intended for prime time, President  Bush blamed Wall Street for being "drunk" with greed and urged the financiers to "sober up."

Today the Office of Management and Budget acknowledged that its budget projections for 2009 will be even higher than expected -- now estimated at a record $482 billion.

The White House blamed a weak economy, noting that "the housing slump, tighter conditions in credit markets and continuing energy price shocks have cut into the expected growth rate." And the OMB also lowered its economic growth forecast to 1.6% for this year.

But Democrats, led by Steny Hoyer, the Maryland Democrat who's No. 2 to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, were incredulous. Rejecting White House arguments that the increased deficit stemmed from an economic stimulus package enacted by Democrats, Hoyer cited the numbers as "further evidence that the Bush administration is the most fiscally irresponsible administration in American history." Hoyer also said:

"George W. Bush inherited a projected 10-year budget surplus of $5.6 trillion, which he proceeded to turn into a projected deficit of more than $4 trillion. When President Bush took office in January 2001 the Congressional Budget Office projected a surplus of $635 billion in 2008 and $710 billion in 2009. Now, OMB projects deficits of $389 billion and $482 billion in those years respectively -- a swing of more than $1 trillion in each year."

Even Republican John McCain, campaigning for the White House as he seeks to distance himself from the incumbent, greeted the news as a bad report card on President Bush. The new estimates, he said, are a sad legacy. "There is no more striking reminder of the need to reverse the profligate spending that has characterized this administration's fiscal policy," he added.

But the line of the day goes to House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel, the Illinois Democrat who once worked in the Clinton White House. Alluding to the surplus that Bush inherited on taking office in 2001, he said:

“The president who repeatedly pledged to cut the deficit in half has instead brought it to a record high. President Bush squandered a $236 billion surplus, ran up record deficits and added nearly $4 trillion to the national debt. Mr. President, we will be forever in your debt.”

-- Johanna Neuman

Comments

[Chris]

Looks like another pro-business, corporate welfare loving republican has led America to a Depression. I feel for Obama.

[One of the People]

No likee Bush.

[Mike Dahl]

Doesn't Congress spend the money? Ah, yes...remember the surplus...that's right, Republican Congress. Blaming Bush is just ignorance, plain and simple. Luckily, most of us know better...and the idiot Democrats are blowing a slam dunk presidential race...you couldn't make this stuff up, it's hilarious.

[Someone]

We may not always rely on projections, But still the deficit is too high to digest. As far as I know the only investment I see is in war at one point every one has agreed on which could have stopped long ago.

[One of the People]

Everyone knows that this administration is a bunch of crooks and have made themselves and their cronies extremely wealthy.

[john baguta]

BUSH did not get win votes, he stole the election using right wing SC and then without looking back used his power to help all the kings men here in America by handsom tax cuts and giving no bid contarcts in Iraq and Afghanistan to his stooges. If we will not careful, the other Bush is ready to do more to help the same group and before he die or complete his term America will be a bankrupted Nation.

[Wow]

That's a sobering chart...especially for Republicans. If I was a Democrat I'd carry this with me at all times. While you all are bickering and spinning the truth. Math is Math. Every significant downturn corresponded to a Republican being in power. The significant upturns corresponded to a Democratic Executive branch. even Carter's. And this disputes the "Congress" theory as there has been a mixed bag in there.

So much for the Tax-Spend mantra. Looks to me like the country does better with Dem's in the executive office. Unless you want to "spin" the chart upside down, in which case everything is peachy.

[Sternberg]

The President has no say over the budget. It is set by Congress, and he can sign it or veto it, but not amend it. Bush 41 tried the line item veto and failed. Clinton accused the Republican House of holding the nation hostage, when they insisted on not advancing an unbalanced budget. That Republican Congress led by Gingrich in the House, gave us "Clintons" net gain. Clinton had nothing to do with it.
We now have the greatest tax revenue in our history, but we also have the greatest porkbarrell projects and earmarks in history, added onto a wartime budget.
Congress spends the money. Congress is the reckless spender. Congress knows that but hopes that you and i might not.

[theo]

yes wayne, that is usually the case. it's typical republican frat-boys who come in with one-liners literal no-brainer non-policies that wonky dems have to come in afterwards to mop and fix up.

numbers don't lie. 30% fall in dollar since w's tax cuts is because the simpleton treated greenback like free monopoly money and flooded the world with iou's full of it.

republicans claim to be all about business but in reality they are the most sentimental emotionally charged bunch who can hardly deal with dollars and cents and facts on the ground. which the graph clearly shows.

[Master]

Everyone might laugh or look down on the French, but they got one thing right... their leaders and government are afraid of their people.So when are we having our revolution? We are being stripped of everything due to greed and no one is doing anything about it. Apathy will no longer save us.

DC beware.

Can you feel it? A storm is coming.

[Barton Bean]

Bush, Chaney and their neoconservative fellow travelers have with great purpose bankrupted the US because they are totally opposed to ANY social program (except welfare to sugar producers and rich farmers) including Medicare and have designed this debacle to eliminate social programs and blame the result on the Democrats. Wimpy Democrats not willing to go to the mats have contributed to this demise.

[Joe]

Im voting for Democrats, but Im not swallowing the games hook-line-and-sinker. Sorry for the so called "inconvenient truth" but I see what the Democrat are attempting to do: If the economy is good under Obama, credit Obama. If the economy is bad under Obama, blame Bush. If I was a Democrat strategist I would be all over this game too as history is about to be made. The truth is the economy is going to suck for 2 more years and Obama is going to have to eat it. There is no way around that, so how to make Obama look good? Preemptively blame Bush for the upcoming train wreck. PUT POLITICS ASIDE PEOPLE AND SEE THROUGH THE SPIN. Every president has left some mess to the next president. The economy was going down hill before Clinton left office, and this was reported by Clinton appointies. I think Republicans were idiots for not exploiting that in the same way Democrats are preemptively giving Obama excuses here. Like my Democrat friends I look forward to Obama, but I still expect results. You and I depend on a good economy so lets put differences aside quick and demand results, otherwise all we are going to do is have disagreements turn into insults. That is part of the reason for Obama, we Americans are sick of towing our party line. Just like we are expected to perform in our jobs, so is Bush AND Obama. Clinton's time is long gone, quit the hate game and move on. While some of argue with our spin at each other, the US government is bailing out the rich's bad investments. Do you and I get bailouts when we hit bad times?

[kai]

Perfect. Well done.
Even better than those crooks in the White House are those people who still back them. An ill-faded war, a down-spiraling economy, a crushed housing market, phone-tapping, torture, a almost wiped out middle class and the loss of any respect in the world. We were sold out and brought to our knees by a the political mob, who by the way made a ton of money out of it.

It would be great to see those guys in court one day, being held accountable for what the did to this country and to the people of this country. But I guess it will never happen. They made enough cash over of the last eight years to shut us up forever.

Oh well, as long as it is enough for us that someone up there wears a star spangled banner on his jacket, blabbers something about patriotism and freedom we do not deserve any better.

the facts: the biggest deficit in history, no pay raise in 7 years, dollar is now half since w took office, tax cuts for rich while fighting two wars simultaneously.

all republicans proffer these days is useless sentimental, emotional wannabe' 'how do you feel about obama answering THE 3 o'cock phone call' blather. grow up. enough already.

[Sad Voter]

G. W. Bush was elected TWICE by the American People while the world watched in stunned disbelief. Sometimes we get the government we deserve.

It makes me sad to be an American.

[ga hammer]

If the person who actually won the election in 2000, had taken office, none of this would have happened. We could have made things right in 2004, but alas, some people never learn. They keep voting for the party, instead of the most qualified.

[fletc3her]

The President has no say over the budget? The President proposes the budget and the Congress approves it. The Congress can change the budget, sure, but the big items tend to start at the White House. As for Democrats versus Republicans. Remember, the Republicans controlled this country absolutely for the first six years of Bush's term. It was during that time that the disastrous tax cuts were enacted, along side record domestic spending increases, and record military increases.

It's simple math. President Bush inherited a budget surplus which was carved out over eight years of Clinton's fiscal conservatism. Bush's radical tax cuts, foreign adventures, domestic spending, and general fraud and waste have squandered that surplus in extravagant fashion. The money hasn't disappeared down a rabbit hole. It has been doled out to Bush and Cheney's political supporters in cost-plus no-bid government contracts.

[Greg Hanover]

I used to be a Republican about 30 years ago. No more. Clinton's conservative fiscal policy makes Bush look like a Socialist. Except Bush expanded our military spending. Meanwhile, we let our citizens die from lack of preventivie health care, we are overworked (usually getting 10 days of vacation, or less), we're getting screwed from credit card companies, we keep putting drug users in jail and have the highest per capita incarceration rate, we have a police state from all the extra money going into homeland securtiy, and we have crappy urban public schools, even though we are getting taxed to death from 4 layers of taxation.
Meanwhile, Europe, whom we helped rebuild, is enjoying prosperity because WE PAY FOR THEIR DEFENSE.
I say the next president has his work cut out for him. Maybe I'll move to Sweden.

[Rusty]

Unbelievable! How can anybody elected to Congress blame the President as the most reckless spender in White House history? Any American who has gone through 6th grade history knows the President can't spend a fricking dime of taxpayer money, other than what is earmarked under the White House budget. Every other penny, including the White House budget, is authorized by Congress. Congress spends the money, not the President. Geez, no wonder we are in the shape we are when the folks with the checkbook are blaming somebody else for blowing all the money.
Makes you wonder if reporters skipped 6th grade along with Democratic Congressmen?

[Master]

Sad to be an American?

It should make you mad that you were taken advantage of. Be proud of being an American, but still be mad.

[Ryan]

There's only one man who can really solve the problems America is facing now. And America didn't give him a chance!! Ron Paul was his name. Go check him out, read about him and remember him come the next election.

[Master]

Yes, Ryan I agree.

Ron Paul for President.

[TFD]

What can I say? It's all there in black, white and red! The graph is truly shocking. The Bush family should feel ashamed. It's obvious that once it's all over, the Big 'W' will up and trail off to the ranch where he'll kick back and live a comfortable existence while the rest of the country, if not the whole world, sinks to a depth it has not seen for a very long time. Whatever the case, no justice will be served.

It is however, an interesting strategy - plunder the country to near ruin, leave it in a mess for the next guy to clean up, rebuild and provide more cash for the next round, and just spend, spend, spend while adding to an already substantial fortune. Then it's only a matter of time (4 to 8 years max) and they're team is back! Perhaps that's even the very strategy they entered office with!

Beyond that, here's the real reason, the real strategy - bring about global economic collapse in order to deliver the NWO and a new global currency and every other mechanism for control that these people have been planning for a very, very, very long time.

Even so, we only have ourselves to blame. As the saying goes; ‘A sick society chooses a sick leader!’ God Bless America.

[TFD]

What can I say? It's all there in black, white and red! The graph is truly shocking. The Bush family should feel ashamed. It's obvious that once it's all over, the Big 'W' will up and trail off to the ranch where he'll kick back and live a comfortable existence while the rest of the country, if not the whole world, sinks to a depth it has not seen for a very long time. Whatever the case, no justice will be served.

It is however, an interesting strategy - plunder the country to near ruin, leave it in a mess for the next guy to clean up, rebuild and provide more cash for the next round and spend, spend, spend while adding to an already substantial fortune. Then it's only a matter of time (4 or 8 years max) and the team's back! Perhaps that's even the very strategy they entered office with!

Beyond that, here's the real reason, the real strategy - bring about global economic collapse in order to deliver the NWO and a new global currency and every other mechanism for control that these people have been planning for a very, very, very long time.

Even so, we only have ourselves to blame. As the saying goes; ‘A sick society chooses a sick leader!’ God Bless America.

[President GW Bush]

You people are so easily fooled. Keep waving your flags with patriotic spirit while Dick and I continue to pillage everything we can get our hands on. You degenerates won't figure out how much we've fleeced you until we've left office and find our new homes in balmy Dubai. You see, we've worked things out with that government to make sure we can never be extradited. The first clue of such an arrangement was provided when we moved the corporate headquarters of Halliburton there. Sure, I'm a bit disappointed that I'll have to visit my library “virtually” for fear of being arrested for treason, but that's a small price to pay for the accomplishments we’ve enjoyed.

As dumb as you think I am, it's telling that you sheep can't see just how much the global aristocracy plays the general public through me and my fellow “world leaders.” Here's a hint: This war we wage on you commoners isn't about money. It's about power. We have all the money we want. We use the tools of credit and firearms simply to widen the gap between you and us, while destroying the middle class and small business owners in the process. You never really deserved the lifestyle you were leading. Whoever actually is fooled by the idea of upward social mobility is clearly not well versed in the ways of social order. Democracy is a fallacy that you continue to believe in.

The best part is that since society brushes off such conspiracy theories through our subtle ways of suggestion, you will chose to believe that this was created by some random poster, rather than your chosen leader.

Thank you for not listening…you may now go back to the mindless fodder as seen on your new flat-panel TV where we subtlety tell you what to think (shouts to Rupert)

Insincerely,

George W Bush