Is it typical Republican policy to double the national debt in 9 years?

[Beachnutt]

No prez in history has accomplished that. "The orange felons" 2016 campaign promise to eliminate the national debt within eight years has instead doubled it since Trump first took office—it was $19.9 trillion in January 2017.​

[dem4decades]

1. Yes, but it's also their policy to blame Democrats.

And their idiot supporters believe them because they're too stupid to figure it out themselves.

[617Blue]

2. Yes they do it intentionally so they can say there's an "emergency" and we need to gut SS, Medi etc...

Of course the WaPo and the NYT still play dumb. Not sure why Dems don't shout this from the rooftops.

[bucolic_frolic]

3. Republicans serve private interests to the extent they can get away with it

Relieved of scruples, they see full throttle opportunity now to privatize it all and rule by force. No different from oligarchs or the Politburo. Freedom was never the same after the Civil War, it's always about feeding money up the income scale. I wonder if we lost that battle when President Jackson lost the banking wars.

[rampartd]

4. "two santa claus"

how do we end up with $60T debt? stockman's "triumph of politics is also instructive.

]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jude_Wanniski

The Two Santa Claus Theory
The Two Santa Claus Theory is a political theory and strategy published by Wanniski in 1976, which he promoted within the United States Republican Party.[15][16] The theory states that in democratic elections, if members of the rival Democratic Party appeal to voters by proposing programs to help people, then the Republicans cannot gain broader appeal by proposing less spending. The first "Santa Claus" of the theory title refers to the Democrats who promise programs to help the disadvantaged. The "Two Santa Claus Theory" recommends that the Republicans must assume the role of a second Santa Claus by not arguing to cut spending but offering the option of cutting taxes.[15]

According to Wanniski, the theory is simple. In 1976, he wrote that the Two-Santa Claus Theory suggests that "the Republicans should concentrate on tax-rate reduction. As they succeed in expanding incentives to produce, they will move the economy back to full employment and thereby reduce social pressures for public spending. Just as an increase in Government spending inevitably means taxes must be raised, a cut in tax rates—by expanding the private sector—will diminish the relative size of the public sector."[16] Wanniski suggested this position, as left-liberal observer Thom Hartmann has clarified, so that the Democrats would "have to be anti-Santas by raising taxes, or anti-Santas by cutting spending. Either one would lose them elections."[17]

[themaguffin]

5. Create a shit ton of debt and then stop the next Dem president's budget due to "debt."

[Rincewind]

6. No, they usually take

4 or 5 years to double it. trump is an overachiever.

[AZJonnie]

7. Why would the 4 years under Biden "count" in this? Why 9 years?

I mean I get the overall point, but it doesn't make sense why one would include Biden's time

[Jacson6]

8. I wish I could say the ND is the fault of R's. But both parties share in this absurdity. n/t

[D_Master81]

9. Yes

And then blame Democrats for out of control spending. And argue for tighter spending and cuts when we inevitably are back in power.