A popular Democratic talking point since 2008 was that President George W. Bush’s economic policies were to blame for the 2008 recession. The latest version of that point, which has been adopted by the Obama campaign, is that Mitt Romney wants to return us to the same policies that caused that downturn.
The problem with this talking point is that the individuals who use it, never seem to expand on which particular policies to which it applies. This is particularly unfair because most of Romney’s proposed economic policies are radically different than those pursued by Bush.
One possible reason for this is that the argument refers to the housing policies that many blame for the crisis. However, most fair commentators would acknowledge that that was hardly a Bush policy. In fact, Bush actively attempted to reform the main culprits, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but was thwarted by members of both parties in Congress.
The main economic policy that liberals often negatively define the Bush presidency with is the Bush tax cuts. However, this again doesn’t explain the new talking point relating to the recession. Those tax cuts occurred in 2001 and 2003. In fact, President Obama and a Democrat Congress extended those same cuts in 2010. Therefore, this has really become an Obama policy, while Romney has advocated for reforming and flattening the tax code.
There are obviously many economic policy differences between Obama and Romney and there are some similarities between Romney and Bush, but I have yet to see anyone identify which specific similarity led to the 2008 recession. Therefore, unless Democrats and the Obama campaign are willing to go on record and point to a specific policy they believe led to the downturn, this talking point is unfair and dishonest.
General attacks on opponents might make for good campaign material, but they don’t create good policy. If President Obama hopes to win another term, he needs to realize that false attacks on Romney’s policies aren’t going to fix his own record.
No Comments Yet
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Brandt Hardin
Is there any doubt that a Romney administration would favor the rich and increase the income gap in our country? Mitt is a pariah in Mormon Clothing and will stop at nothing to expand an empire of greed for the rich in this country. Can his sacred Mormon underwear gain him enough donations to buy this election? See for yourself as Mitt dons his tighty-whities from the Good Lord Himself at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2012/05/mitt-romneys-magic-mormon-underwear.html
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Allen Ginzburg
Apparently some people think religious bigotry wins arguments.
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UnrepentantCurmudgeon
Your religious bigotry aside, are you seriously going to try to argue that the “income gap in our country” has lessened under Obama? With a persistent official unemployment rate of 8.2% (Actually closer to 17%) and a private sector stuck in neutral, I don’t think so.
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Nor can they ever point to which “failed policies of the last 8 years” caused the recession. Especially when you remind them that Republican policies didnt change, and the Republican congress handed Democrats low unemployment, shrinking deficits, and an economy that continued to grow for a year after the GOP handed over the reins.
Indeed, the only thing that did change before the recession, and the subsequent crisis a year later, was that Democrats took over Congress, promising massive tax increases, massive spending increases and massive regulatory increases.
Electing Democrats caused the recession, and the recession combined with Dem policies forcing banks to loan money to millions of people who couldn’t afford homes, caused the crisis.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we had representatives with the testicular fortitude to articulate that?
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Rich K
The only counter argument the Dems can offer is that Romney will favor the rich. Even if that was true, at least the business environment would flourish and unemployment would go down. As it is the Dems offer some sort of welfare state that will quickly become bankrupt and no one will flourish.
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William Sargent
If we want to see “failed” policies just look to the former Soviet Union, Nazi Germany and Cuba. Over regulation of the economy is why we are in this mess, along with the “keeping up with the Jones es” mentality fostered by the Democratic Hoard that now rides unchecked over our Country.
If we want to see economic policies that work and have worked for many years, look to North Dakota, which has a unemployment rate LOWER than the whole country. But according to Obama a “free market economy doesnt work.”
Looks to me like it does.
