Mike Huckabee Checkmates Jeb Bush’s 4 Percent Growth Promise by Promising 6 Percent Growth

[n2doc]

By Jonathan Chait


Jeb Bush has made the ludicrous promise that, if elected, his still to-be-determined economic program will launch the United States into 4 percent economic growth. Reuters reported out the genesis of this promise a few months ago. “There were no fancy economic models or forecasts when former Florida Governor Jeb Bush first tossed out the idea that 4 percent annual growth should be the overarching goal for the U.S. economy,” it revealed. Just a bunch of guys on the phone pullin’ numbers out of thin air:

That ambitious goal was first raised as Bush and other advisers to the George W. Bush Institute discussed a distinctive economic program the organization could promote, recalled James Glassman, then the institute's executive director.

"Even if we don’t make 4 percent it would be nice to grow at 3 or 3.5,” said Glassman, now a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. In that conference call, “we were looking for a niche and Jeb in that very laconic way said, 'four percent growth.' It was obvious to everybody that this was a very good idea."

(George W. Bush’s policies didn’t produce anything close to 4 percent annual growth, but the Bush Institute has made 4 percent growth its major theme, in keeping with the general Republican practice of acting like the Bush administration never happened.)

But there’s a weakness in basing your economic message on pulling a crazy number out of thin air: Another candidate can always pull an even crazier number out of thin air. And now Mike Huckabee has done it. The obvious choice would be to one-up Bush by promising 5 percent growth. But Huckabee, thinking two steps in advance, probably realized that if he went with 5 percent, another candidate could still leapfrog him. So he went with 6 percent growth!

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http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/08/huckabee-checkmates-jebs-4-growth-promise.html

[WestCoastLib]

1. Reminds me of this.

[link:

|]

The GOP is not much more than a comedey at this point.

[bjobotts]

8. Huckabee is a despicable human who is pure lying con man

[hedda_foil]

2. Not 999% growth?

[JHB]

3. Dr. Mike's Miracle Tonic of No...

...distilled from the essence of the world's finest, rarest reserves of gua!

It cures headaches, backaches, constipation, trepidation, leprosy, stethoscopy, bureaucracy, aphasia and trade deficits with Asia!

It produces vitality, venality, constitutionality, and unreality! Six percent growth, not a measly four, show that fella out the door!

Dr. Mike knows his gua no! Get yours today!

[Katashi_itto]

4. Jindal needs to counter with 10% growth.

[n2doc]

5. Maybe Jeb can get his brother to advise him on getting to a brazillion percent growth n/t

[Katashi_itto]

16. Agree!

[ericson00]

6. Bush Family: Voodoo Economics

[stevenleser]

7. Every Presidential race has folks promising more than they can deliver, but this season is

shaping up to be particularly crazy in that regard.

[yellowcanine]

9. Starting to resemble a junior high student council election......

When one candidate promises a Coke machine in the cafeteria and another one ups him by promising a popsicle machine in the cafeteria. And of course the Student Council has no say over what kind of machine is in the cafeteria.

[Octafish]

10. Do-able, with Wolfowitz advising him.

War is just another form of welfare for the wealthy.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

11. Did they ever get around to naming that sewage plant The George W. Bush Institute?

Too bad if they didn't.

[lpbk2713]

12. They can say whatever they want. They know they won't be elected.

And if by some strange twist of fate they are elected ... they will take the GOP way out when the economy goes down the toilet. They will point their fingers and blame any Dems who happen to be nearby.

[FSogol]

13. LOL. "You heard of this thing, the 8-Minute Abs?"

Ted: Yeah, sure, 8-Minute Abs. Yeah, the exercise video.

Hitchhiker: Yeah, this is going to blow that right out of the water. Listen to this: 7... Minute... Abs.

Ted: Right. Yes. OK, all right. I see where you're going.

Hitchhiker: Think about it. You walk into a video store, you see 8-Minute Abs sittin' there, there's 7-Minute Abs right beside it. Which one are you gonna pick, man?

Ted: I would go for the 7.

Hitchhiker: Bingo, man, bingo. 7-Minute Abs. And we guarantee just as good a workout as the 8-minute folk.

Ted: You guarantee it? That's - how do you do that?

Hitchhiker: If you're not happy with the first 7 minutes, we're gonna send you the extra minute free. You see? That's it. That's our motto. That's where we're comin' from. That's from "A" to "B".

Ted: That's right. That's - that's good. That's good. Unless, of course, somebody comes up with 6-Minute Abs. Then you're in trouble, huh?

[Hitchhiker convulses]

Hitchhiker: No! No, no, not 6! I said 7. Nobody's comin' up with 6. Who works out in 6 minutes? You won't even get your heart goin, not even a mouse on a wheel.

Ted: That - good point.

Hitchhiker: 7's the key number here. Think about it. 7-Elevens. 7 dwarves. 7, man, that's the number. 7 chipmunks twirlin' on a branch, eatin' lots of sunflowers on my uncle's ranch. You know that old children's tale from the sea. It's like you're dreamin' about Gorgonzola cheese when it's clearly Brie time, baby. Step into my office.

Ted: Why?

Hitchhiker: 'Cause you're fuckin' fired!

[hatrack]

14. What's the plan, Gov. Chucklenuts, cutting interest rates?

Oh, wait . . .

[n2doc]

15. I'm sure it involves a lot of prayer and cutting social security n/t

[krispos42]

17. That much growth would put upward pressure on wages

And we know how the Republicans think about THAT.

So, it ain't going to happen.

[hay rick]

18. These candidates don't respect the electorate.

They are throwing out obvious BS with the expectation that most people won't recognize it or won't care. Another observation: they believe the media won't call them on their BS or more importantly, if the media calls them on it it won't matter. This might be the lesson candidates are taking from the Trump farce. Trump spews paranoia and nonsense and his poll numbers go up.