Quote:
Originally posted by The Larry Davis Experience
I like this one. Clinton's first budget reduced the large (for that time) budget deficits inherited from Bush I and somehow the GOP "forced" him to do so by not voting for it.
This is what fascinates me about this issue. Republicans apparently can tell themselves that they support fiscal restraint, and can remember a time when their party actually did support an ideology of fiscal restraint, and somehow that allows them to look past the fiscal irresponsibility of their representatives in Congress and the White House.
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No doubt about it, if a Democrat would stand up and explain how he would tax and spend less, I'd listen with interest. Partly because I know there are ways to do it.
And not to paint you together with Ty, but I just went back and read the link (as an aside, I don't press hidden links... anyone else have this phobia). Even his article notes that Clinton's '93 budget was a deficit reducer of the magnitude as Bush I's deficit reduction. It also notes that no Republicans voted for the '93 package, and I would like to see how they explained it at the time. I don't remember how people explained things.
But, to my reading, the article certainly does not say or even imply that Clinton balanced the budget in '93. It indicates that he made moves to do so... some of which were tax increases that led to the '94 Republican takeover of congress. For example, the article notes this:
>>The balanced-budget pledge in the Republicans' "Contract with America" upped the ante on fiscal responsibility. Clinton responded with a similar pledge, which eventually led to the historic balanced-budget deal of May 1997. <<
To more directly address your point about heritage and memory though, I think the Right on this board could accurately be described as Sons of the forgotten Dead. And Cousin George ain't such a good caretaker. Unfortunately for you, we know who your daddy is, and your alternative ain't any better. (Your, as in the "left", just so you know I'm not leveling personal insults at ya).
But you don't need to tell us how embarrassed we should be about the budget right now. Every one of us is, as far as I can tell. What's the answer? In good faith, which Democrats can I support nationally besides Zell Miller and DiFi? Which Repubs should we focus on getting out of the Senate?
Don Quixote
