Was Bill Clinton more fiscally conservative than Bush and Reagan?

Question

Matt (below) What about the blank check, pork barrel, republican congress under Bush?

Answer 1

No - he was more fiscally responsible.

It has become clear that fiscal conservatism is the opposite of fiscal responsibility.

And to those who credit the conservative congress for Clinton's balanced budget, just look at what that same conservative congress did with a Republican president: record debt.

I just hope we don't continue to burden our children with more of the conservative debt.

Answer 2

No, the budget balanced under Clinton because the president does not write the budget. Much of the high spending under Regan and Bush#1 was due to a democtatic house of representitives.

Presidents do not make the federal budget.
CONGRESS does that, with only vague, rarely followed advice by the president. In 1994 the buget became fiscally more conservative when the Republicans took over. Bush#1and Regan never had a republican house to write a fiscally conservative budget.

The problem with the more recent budgets is more to do with economic cycles and "mandatory spending".

Wait to see how much the budget "grows" under the first democratic house of reps in 12 years.

The attachment of a kiwifruit subsidy to a defense special appropriation bill is just a tiny hint of things to come.

Every year Clinton was in office he asked to spend more money than was appropriated in the budget by the house. It does not matter how much more he was asking for, Clinton tried to push for as much spending as he could get away with.
On the other hand most of GWB's budgets were smaller than what was appropriated by the congress, at least for the first few years.

Presidents get the blame for a budget deficit, but most of the credit or blame belongs in the house of reps, and sometimes to the economic cycle.

Since WWII the repubicans controlled the house and wrote the budget only 14 out of the 60 years. They had 6 budget surplus years. The democrats had 44 years of house control and produced 5 surplus years.

Answer 3

I didn't like Clinton too much. But overall, he was much more fiscally conservative than Bush and Reagan combined. They give our entire treasury to the military industrial lobbyists who make billions for projects that aren't even used. Yet, our soldiers in the field go unsheilded until just recently this past year. How ridiculous is that? Yet, cons want to blame that on Clinton too. The height of their ignorance and their arrogance is reaching ridiculously into the stratosphere.

Answer 4

Please study the form. Article I, area 9, paragraph 7. The Congress has the only skill of the pursestrings. The GOP Congress forced a balanced funds on Clinton and overrode his VETO, finally forcing him to settle for it, after he threw quite a few public hissy suits, even going so a techniques as to close down the federal government in a snit. Clinton and the Democrats NOW take credit for some thing that they FOUGHT like demons. yet another Democratic LIE. Ronald Reagan sent 8 balanced budgets to Congress which Democratic Speaker of the domicile Tip O'Neill pronounced "lifeless on Arrival." The DEMOCRATIC domicile and Senate then proceeded to spend the rustic deep into debt, regardless of the huge improve in federal gross revenues generated by utilising the Reagan tax cuts. in case you supply the Democrats ONE dollar, they spend 3. lower back, yet another Democratic LIE. George W. Bush's refusal to veto spending and refusal of the GOP Congress to rein in government is the main substantial reason they many Republicans are disgusted with them. we are keeping apart ourselves from that and helping McCain and Palin. McCain and Palin the two have long histories as financial conservatives. Obama has an fantastically shaky and short checklist and that's all tax and spend. Biden is a tax and spend liberal - has been for 30+ years. look on the checklist!!!! it ought to no longer be extra sparkling!!!! in case you care approximately financial duty, you have in effortless terms one determination in this election. McCain/Palin - for genuine financial reform.

Answer 5

Even Greenspan gave kudos to Clinton's vast knowledge of economics. He stated Clinton was the only President he worked with who fully understood the complex nature of economics.

Answer 6

That is a given, since Clinton cleaned up all of their messes.

Answer 7

Yes,

Bill conserved his weed and Reagan and Bush destroyed theirs.

Answer 8

In the most important ways - yes. He actually chipped away at the debt instead of increasing it.

Answer 9

Yes, that's why we had a surplus under Clinton.

Answer 10

Only because of the Newt congress.