Here is what is not being said. The repubs ran up the deficit on purpose after Bill Clinton left a

[upaloopa]

surplus. The reason was to use the deficit as an excuse to gut social programs. It has been their plan all along.

The difference between them and us is this. They want to use the government to enrich themselves and we want to use the government to give everyone a chance to enrich their lives.

The deficit doesn't really inhibit either side's program.

[hedgehog]

1. Thanks for the reminder - I think the same was

said about Reagen and Bush I! I'm not a Clinton fan, but I have to admit he got the budget back on track.

[Tomay]

9. This was called "Starving the Beast"

back in the 1980s. It was often used, though not publicly, as a justification by Republicans for having a huge deficit, since social welfare spending was too popular to directly cut. I think that conservative pro-deficit spending types like Cheney probably always had this in mind when they advocated the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. They had to destroy the Clinton surplus before liberals could use it for social spending.

[central scrutinizer]

11. Shock Doctrine

use a crisis, either natural disaster or create one yourself, and use it to ram through unpopular policies. See Chile.

[lumberjack_jeff]

2. "Reagan proved that deficits don't matter. This is our due" - Dick Cheney. n/t

[still_one]

3. I suspect you are correct /nt

[The Magistrate]

4. Exactly, Sir

Back in Reagan's day. Mr. Stockman acknowledged this explicitly, saying the reason deficits were piled up, and piled up deliberately, was to make social spending impossible in the long run. The criminals of the '00 Coup simply reverted to the old plan....

"Romney loves America like a tick loves a dog."

[hifiguy]

5. Ya think Bill might mention that tonight?

I have my differences with Clinton's policies, but I expect him to burn the place down tonight.

[Avalux]

6. I am counting on him mentioning it.

His legacy includes the budget surplus at the end of his term, which Bush & Co. destroyed and drove us into a massive deficit over 8 years.

He most definitely will mention it.

[mopinko]

7. the reason was that they were stuffing it in their pockets as fast as they could

where do you think dick cheney's $20M came from? think anyone else left that admin with less money than they came in with?
thievery, pure and simple.

[porphyrian]

8. . n/t

[TeamPooka]

10. k+r!

[bemildred]

12. Right, the money must be wasted (on wars and stuff) so it can't be spent on social services.

It's the old "starve the beast" strategy, Raygun did the same thing, but Bush the Lesser way outperformed Raygun when it comes to running up the debt.

[mom2threegirls]

13. That needs to be said at the convention...

....and continued after the convention.