Some Legacies Can't Be 'Restored'

[babylonsister]

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_04/023492.php

SOME LEGACIES CAN'T BE 'RESTORED'.... A few years ago, Chris Matthews said, on the air, that "everybody sort of likes" George W. Bush, except for "the real whack-jobs, maybe on the left." Nearly five years later, we're still hearing similar talk -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) said this week that Bush "will go down as a very, very good president," adding that the former president deserves support from anyone "who is not a rank political hack."

Perry's remarks, ridiculous though they may be, were not an example of isolated nonsense. Former Rep. J.C. Watts (R-Okla.) was roundly applauded when he praised Bush at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference this month. A College Republican chapter in Kentucky this week created an annual "W Day."

snip//

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Bush's unwavering supporters created their own reality during his presidency; there's probably no reason for them to take a more reasonable course now.

But I'm hard pressed to imagine how Bush's failed presidency can be made to look like anything other than a spectacular debacle. Consider some of the messes he left for his successor to clean up: an economy in freefall, two costly and mismanaged wars, a deteriorating job market, a crushing debt, enormous budget deficits, terrorist threats, a dysfunctional health care system, a housing crisis, a collapsing U.S. auto industry, a deteriorating national reputation on the global stage, and systemic problems on energy, immigration, and detainees.

Ask even Bush's most loyal sycophants to name actual accomplishments, they'll generally point to tax cuts and 9/11. But tax cuts didn't help the economy -- during Bush's two terms, incomes fell, poverty rose, and there were two recessions -- and the attacks of Sept. 11 weren't an "accomplishment."

That said, if Republicans see value in debating the Bush/Cheney legacy going forward, I don't imagine most Democrats would mind.

—Steve Benen

[Jennicut]

1. Tax cuts for the wealthy, that is about all he mananged to do.

Move over, Andrew Johnson, Hoover, and Harding. W. IS the worst ever.

[azmouse]

2. An amazing list there but they left out deteriorating infrastructure,

A lot of the problems listed are due to the tax cuts for the wealthy, boosh's one "accomplishment".

[clarence swinney]

7. bush big legacy

DEBT When he could have had a SURPLUS

His 1700B Tax Cuts primarily for Rich

cost treasury a potential 8500B of Revenue.

1700 X 5=8500

He increased Debt from 5700(1-30-01) to 11,900(9-30-09) or 6200B

8500-6200B=2300 Surplus

Reagan Tax Cuts cost Treasury a potential 16,000B

750B per year
1985 to 2009

750 X 24=16,000B

No Tax Cuts we have 14,000 Surplus not 12,000 Debt.

TAX CUTS HAVE RESULTS. Good and Bad

Top 1% went from owning 20% of Total Financial Wealth in 1980 to 43% in 2007.

Value Added? Gambling does not add businesses and jobs. Just trading money between two Gamblers.

Jobs by 3 Conservatives over 20 years added 99,000 net new jobs per month just keeping even with add ons

Compare to 222,000 over 12 by Carter + Clinton.

ugly angry old man

[Turbineguy]

3. If they put in somebody worse

yes. It could very well turn out that way. The Bush Administration did leave some room for repairs.

[Sebastian Doyle]

4. Well, look at the Reagan myth.

Anybody who actually lived through the 12 years of President Poppy (including the 8 with his hand up Reagan's ass) knows that they were a miserable failure, and they only look tolerable now because they were dwarfed by what the Chimp did.

But if you believe what the whore media tells you, you would think Christ Himself walked among us in the 80's.

And with 99.9999999999% of anything considered "media" in their control -including high school history books following the Texas (lack of) standards- God only knows what kind of false legacy will be manufactured for the Chimp.

[clarence swinney]

8. REAGAN RECORD

Comparing Democrat’s hero-CLINTON—versus Republican’s hero--REAGAN
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.JOBS—grew by 43% more under Clinton.
2.GDP---grew by 57% more under Clinton.
3.DOW—grew by 700% more under Clinton..
4. MARKET CAP INCREASE—Clinton + 330%--Reagan + 136%
5.NASDAQ-grew by 18 times as much under Clinton.
6.SPENDING--grew by 28% under Clinton---80% under Reagan.
7.DEBT—grew by 43% under Clinton—187% under Reagan.
8. DEFICITS—Clinton got a large surplus--grew by 112% under Reagan.
9.NATIONAL INCOME—grew by 100% more under Clinton.
10.PERSONAL INCOME—Grew by 110% more under Clinton.
11.MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME-grew by 75% more under Clinton
12. DEFENSE BUDGETED-Clinton -2311B—Reagan-2062B (current $)
13.UNEMPLOYMENT—AVG—Clinton 5.2%--Reagan 7.6%
(I admit averaging averages can be dumb. I dumb.)
SOURCES—Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.BLS.Gov)--Economic Policy Institute (EPI.org)—Global & World Almanacs from 1980 to 2003 (annual issues)
www.the-hamster.com (chart taken from NY Times)
National Archives History on Presidents. www.nara.gov
LA Times 10-11-00 on Market--www.Find articles.com
Federal Budget.Com 2009

A vote for a Conservative is a vote for Less Success.
A vote to reduce the Standard of Living for all Americans.

Recall 1920’s and Wall Street under Conservative control?
Recall 2000-2008 and Wall Street under Conservative control?

Want more of those years? It will take many years to recover.


political historian
Lifeaholics Of America
author-unpublished
“All American Party”
How Democrats created a great Middle Class
and Conservatives are determined to destroy it

[Kdillard]

5. Republicans have been trying to do this from the moment GWB left office.

[clarence swinney]

BUSHALOON FIRSTS

FIRST outside of great depression to

to take predecessors 237,000 Net New Jobs created per month to 31,000
to take Dow backwards
to have recorded over 300 lies
to desire a War to be a Great President
to attack two destitute unarmed nations
to be guided to lie by clone of joseph goebbels
to speak only to his mental level in elementary and kindergarten students
to take a Great Nation toward Third World status
to espouse religion even tho seldom sat in a church service
to double federal spending
to double federal debt
to shred our constitution
to alienate most nations
to piss me off big time
to be grounded by the military
to refuse to fight in an on going war
to admit to being a recovering alcoholic
to take directions from a Darth Vader

[clarence swinney]

6. BUSHALOON FIRSTS

FIRST outside of great depression to

to take predecessors 237,000 Net New Jobs created per month to 31,000
to take Dow backwards
to have recorded over 300 lies
to desire a War to be a Great President
to attack two destitute unarmed nations
to be guided to lie by clone of joseph goebbels
to speak only to his mental level in elementary and kindergarten students
to take a Great Nation toward Third World status
to espouse religion even tho seldom sat in a church service
to double federal spending
to double federal debt
to shred our constitution
to alienate most nations
to piss me off big time
to be grounded by the military
to refuse to fight in an on going war
to admit to being a recovering alcoholic
to take directions from a Darth Vader

[Cha]

9. The gNOps are pre-occupied with

lying overtime to fabricate bush's "legacy" and destroy President Obama's. This would never be possible if we had a Free Press instead of corporatemediawhores.

Why I appreciate Jon Stewart, MediaMatters, Etc, Etc, Et al..so much!!