Are Republicans Really the Party of Fiscal Responsibility?
In a recent interaction with a staunch Republican, she mentioned she believes in spending less than she makes — because, after all, she is a Republican.
I was frankly floored by her belief that Republicans stand for fiscal responsibility.
A political party is what it does, not what it says.
And I see no evidence that Republicans are any more fiscally responsible than Democrats.
In fact, check out the chart on this Wikipedia article, which shows the National debt by presidents’ terms.
Jimmy Carter shrunk the national debt by 3.3% during his term, while Reagan increased it by 11.3% and 9.3% in two respective terms.
The debt increased under George H. Bush’s leadership by 13%, while decreasing 0.7% in Clinton’s first term and 9.0% in his second term.
George W. grew the debt by 7.1% his first term and 20.7% his second, while Obama’s first-term budget grew the debt by 13%.
As economist Mike Kimel writes:
“The last five Democratic Presidents, Clinton, Carter, LBJ, JFK, and Truman all reduced the debt, and one has to go back sixty years to find a Democratic President who, facing the Great Depression and World War 2, allowed the debt to increase. On the other hand, the last four Republican Presidents, GW Bush, GHW Bush, Reagan, and Ford all oversaw an increase in the country’s indebtedness. It has been more than thirty years since a Republican President left office (albeit in a scandal) having reduced the National Debt.”
I care nothing for political rhetoric.
No matter how much lip service the Republican party gives to fiscal responsibility, they offer absolutely no credible proof that they actually believe it.
I’m also incredibly tired of the Republicans’ blame game.
For example, check out this campaign ad from Governor Rick Perry:
Perry’s outrageous claim of “The President’s refusal to control spending,” is utterly false and shamefully misleading.
Furthermore, it demonstrates either a complete disregard for or ignorance of the Constitution.
Article 1 of the Constitution makes it very clear who holds the purse strings for the federal budget. For Perry to blame this solely on the Executive — especially given the fact that we have a Republican majority in Congress — is unconscionable.
At some point, rank-and-file Republicans must realize that their party left them a long time ago.
It’s time to view status-quo candidates and worn-out political promises through new eyes.
The republicans have the P.R. game down to a science and the Democrats are woefully lacking in that department. Both parties have lost their overall moral compass ever since the beginning of the 20th century when money’s role in politics started to become solidified and non-transparently institutionalized beginning a trend that has continued ever since.