Why is President Bush bragging about the deficit like he's accomplished something?

Question

He inherited surpluses, now we have record deficits, and he's congratulating himself?

Answer 1

It's political double-speak. Politicians have a way of stringing a lot of words together that say absolutely nothing, knowing that the voters are too stupid to realize it until after the election. It is not unusual to see politicians bragging about overspending a little less than before, and the place the emphasis on a REDUCTION of the amount of OVERSPENDING, which is still overspending, not on ELIMINATING overspending. So if the deficit goes down that sounds good, but what it really means is they are still spending more than they take in, but not quite as much as they were before.

If you were drowning and your head was being held a foot under water, would it be that much better if your head was held only ten inches under instead?

Answer 2

You obviously don't comprehend how this all works, eh?


Bush inherited surpluses because the rich were pumping so much tax revenue into the Treasury that Congress could not spend it fast enough (remember that high tech boom). However, they did find a way, and these nasty little things like the stock market crash and 9/11 occurred and had a slight dampening effect on the economy and tax revenues (you think?)

Congress, of course, kept spending mercilessly even in the face of dire consequences. Hence the position shifted to one of deficit spending just like that. Besides that, it is all about tax receipts, which by the way, have dramatically increased (at a double digit rate) since the "devastating" tax cuts for the rich. A true shocker for Dems. who have failed to understand tax policy for decades. Seems like you better treat that goose that lays the golden eggs nice and everybody wins. Get greedy and think raising taxes is the answer to greater revenue, and everybody loses.

One day, the Dems may actually get it.

Learn lessons from history and stop thinking in such simplistic terms.

Answer 3

The President is boasting about Reagan economics, which is a good thing he's done. Clinton got surpluses riding off the dot-com boom which came at the end of the last major expansion (read R. Reagan). He also loved to tax you. It's easy to balance the budget when you eviscerate the military and raise taxes.

George Bush did it the right way. Lower taxes, give more money to people like you and me, we spend it, and put an end to the Clinton spend-generated recession.

I hope you're not one of the lunatics who think Bush was responsible for 9/11. First, how could the governor of Texas do that? Second, if fault hits the top, start with your good ol' boy, Bill.

Answer 4

My guess would be that he would say that he inherited an administration that was suffering from inflation and that 9-11 caused a lot of the current deficit issues (not to mention Iraq, tax cuts, decrease in governmental spending on farm subsidies, social programs, EPA regulations, etc.). Bush believes in trickle down economics and believes that giving people money back that they earned is rational and just. I might add that there are some economist that argue that deficit spending is not that catastrophic and that the economy will be able to bounce back quicker than most people anticipate (I don't necessarily agree with his financial policies, these are just things that senators and representatives of his party stated over the last 6 years).

Answer 5

Presidents always get bragging rights for whatever good happens. They also get blamed for whatever bad happens.

We never HAD a "surplus." It was on paper, and based on a 10-year congressional budget office projection of the stock market. Never before in US history had congress EVER projected receipts that far in advance. Clinton also cooked the books - there was indeed a social security surplus, and he added that to the budget.

But to be fair, all administrations engage in slight of hand when it comes to these things. The Clinton administration, however, took that to a whole new level.

Again, there was no "surplus." It's not like the government had all this extra money laying around. They just assumed that it would come in eventually. The dot-com bubble and 9-11 put that hope to an end.

Answer 6

Because Republican's are always and will be big spenders. Wow, I got back $200, for tax overcharges from Democrats, when he became president. Huh, I want the interest it gained over 8 years too, but Georgie Boy kept that. The deficit was gone and I lived and worked much better than I am now. But because of new rules to "trickle down economics" and him and his father's dream of a Dictatorship and the "New World Order" which is a bunch of international companies wanting to rule everything we have and buy, the little guy can't get ahead anymore unless you join them and conform to their rules. You conform and you don't care what the government says or does. People should not fear their government, the government should fear it's people. We put them there and we can take it away.

Answer 7

It's nothing but a Fox News-talk radio talking point. The whole concept of the deficit is a little too esoteric for Bush's followers. They were cheering over that $300 check they got back in August of 2001 because to most Bush Supporters $300 is a lot of money. And don't ever bother to try to explain to them that it's dangerous for countries like China and Saudi Arabia to finance our debt by purchasing our T-Bills. Bush Supporters don't know what T-Bills are, and are proud they don't. President Bush has sold a bill of goods to the population that being fat, arrogant, and ignorant is a God-Given American right. Thirty-odd percent of us still believe that.

Anyway the deficit is about to increase by another $110 billion because Bush just asked for it for Iraq. But Bush's followers won't hear about it, as FOX will run nothing but stories about Natalee Hollaway while Iraq tears itself apart in civil war with US troops in the way.

Answer 8

The deficit is lower than projected at this point of time due to increased tax revenues which is an indication the economy is doing well especially since we are at war and the administration has given the Dem's everything they wanted IE medicare reform and ted Kennedy's education bill(no child left behind)

Answer 9

LOL. Inherited surpluses on paper, not in real life. Besides, can you can cite an example of a President who didn't tout good news?

Answer 10

because even though Bush isn't the brightest... he knows that if he crows about everything he did to make the sun rise... Republicans all around the nation will rally behind him and congratulate him on a wonderful job he did on making the sun rise... it doesn't matter if he actually did anything, or even if it's a good thing he's talking about, but if he presents it in a good light and acts like he did it, then we should throw him a parade apparently...