much as i appreciate the value of calling this the "tea party downgrade"

[unblock]

this is george w. bush's legacy.

the economy clinton handed him wasn't perfect, but we were humming along and running a surplus.

so much so that shrub and greenie used the fear of what would happen if we actually paid off the ENTIRE national debt (it sounded ludicrous at the time, but it's even more outrageous now!) as a rationalization for his disastrous tax cuts.

then, typical of a complete fanatic, he failed to modify his views when the premises completely changed and evidence stacked up against him. 9/11, sluggish growth, anemic job creation, war in afghanistan, war in iraq, and going from record-setting surplus to record-shattering deficits -- NOTHING could pursuade him and his inept enablers that maybe, just MAYBE, his economic mismanagement was a problem and that the solution might involve something other than even MORE idiotic tax cuts.


his mismanagement of the economy was hardly limited to his terrible tax policy, but it's emblematic of it.

he's our generation's hoover, a two-term nightmare, hoover on steroids.


the truth of the matter is that i think the downgrade is silly. there's no real risk of non-repayment in u.s. treasuries.

but if it's a symbolic act, if it's an indictment of anything substantive, beyond the politics of the moment, it's that george w. bush took a strong, vibrant, functioning economy and a federal surplus and he turned it into a complete disaster.

and THAT is worthy of a downgrade.

[wizstars]

1. K & R!!

[LuvNewcastle]

2. It does all go back to Dubya.

But if some want to call it a "teapression," I won't stop them.

[Tx4obama]

3. The REPUBLICAN Teaparty Downgrade. n/t

[MadMaddie]

4. I think it is the culmination of 30 years of Repug

trickle down economics possibly coming to an end. The middle class is destroyed and has to be rebuilt.

Juniors 8 years just brought it home.....

The TeaPartiers have put the exclamation point of those 30 years and that philosophy. Americans are finally seeing them for what they are....lovers of the rich....and spite for the average and poor American.

[unblock]

5. true, reagan in particular paved the way for shrub

in a sense, much as harding and coolidge paved the way for hoover.

truth be told, these mega-trends are far bigger than any one person, and shrub himself merely serves as a symbol of the rot and greed and corruption that has become the republican party.

which is why i don't hold obama responsible for not being able to do more. i understand what he's up against, and until we find a way to make helping the poor and creating an economy that actually serves the needs of as many americans as practically possible (instead of serving the interests only of the wealthiest) the overwhelmingly strong narrative of the day, one so strong our "leaders" have no choice but to ride along with, then nothing's going to change, at least nothing that will last.

[grahamhgreen]

6. Its the tax cuts downgrade