How can I refute this?

[Worthless Teen]

One of my ridiculously right-wing friends sent me this site re: W's economic preformance:

http://members.cox.net/macallan_the/GW/GWBush1_Start.htm

How can I refute this, other than the fact that some "stats" have no sources backing them up, and that there's a huge deficit not mentioned here.

[benddem]

1. Look at the stock market now!

The chart on the market is missing this latest dive.

[Beaverhausen]

6. and the fact that it went up in a year

isn't so great considering how low it was last year.It really had no where to go but up.

and about the unemployment being the same after 3 years...how low was it when each man came to office?

[Catch22Dem]

2. Sounds like you just did.

No sources and no mention of the deficit. You done good. ;)

[IdaReggaeMon]

8. it's all highly selected statistics and spin.

This is a really obvious example of using economic results from small windows of time to show favorable results. All you need to do to convince a wingnut of something is to state it from a source that they believe. They typically put no critical thought into what was said.

This presentation totally ignores that much of the growth we've seen lately is due to record setting deficit spending. We've seen a net job loss over the Bush reign of terror and the jobs that are being created have significantly lower wages and benefits than the jobs that were lost.

It's also worth noting that the president's direct influence over the economy is pretty minimal.

[nyhuskyfan]

3. Some stats in there are outrageous

500,000 new jobs created after losing 3 million of them doesn't mean that you're policies are working. He's going to be the first president since Hoover to have a loss in jobs under his watch.

The unemployment rate comparison of an even 5.6 is equally ridiculous. Clinton brought it DOWN from over seven down to 5.6. Bush inherited an unemployment rate of 4.0 and it's gone up to 5.6. This is a selling point? Clinton inherited a deep recession, Bush inherited the best economy in U.S. history.

And there's the issue of the deficit.

[Fenris]

4. By ignoring it

I KNOW that unemployment statistic is an outright lie. I see no sources on the site for those figures. I's almost as if they just (gasp) made it up!

[noahmijo]

5. One word: INFLATION

Also loss of private jobs and the fact the the "newly created jobs" are primarily public sector and Mickey D's type jobs.

That's just for starters.

[cosmicvortex20]

7. Not to mention the stat on total family wealth ownership is bogus

44 trillion? Is that before or after inflation? Its easy to forget that inflation can make it look like you have more money, even though your actual buying power could decrease.

[shockingelk]

9. Ask him ...

"So you're saying if the election was between Bush and Clinton, Bush would be better for the economy? Or are you suggesting Bush should be a carpenter instead of President?"

[SoDesuKa]

10. Bush Impersonates a Working Man

I didn't get far into the video because I don't have broadband, but the opening pictures tell the story. Bush has never been a working man. Wearing jeans and cowboy hat makes him look phony.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

15. Wearing jeans and cowboy hat makes him look phony.

May as well look like what you prolly are.

[The Doctor.]

11. Here's a good site...

It's called factcheck.org.

They report only on the facts with little or no coloration. It's a good place to go to find information. (They also don't usually get into how loopholes are used)

http://factcheck.org/article.aspx?docid=193

[rumguy]

12. the real issue is incomes and quality of life

real incomes have gone down - more people have no health insurance - McJobs don't count for jack shit - and he still has lost more jobs than he's 'created'....

[Worst Username Ever]

13. HERE HERE HERE

http://www.forbes.com/strategies/2004/07/21/cx_da_0721presidents.html?partner=my_yahoo?partner=my_yahoo&referrer=

On edit, this actaully generalizes repub v dem more than attacks bush, but it is still ammo for dems.

[Union Thug]

14. Furthermore, these numbers mean NOTHING to..

...those who were working in decent paying jobs before and who are now having to make do on less.. less money, fewer benefits and fewer chances of social advancement.

Fuck him.

[against all enemies]

16. 5.6% Unemployed under Bush? Not if you count people who have been

thrown off unemployment (Bush ended their benefits) and they no longer count people who have given up looking for work because there is none. Also many of the "new" jobs under Bush are not "quality" jobs. with fair pay and good benefits. Interesting they show the asshole hauling brush on the ranch, probably on August 6, 2001, after the bin Laden briefing, playing cowboy when he should have been calling the FBI and CIA into action.