A common theme of the new administration and their media minions is that all the problems associated with the economy and the rising budget deficits are George W. Bush's fault.
On Sunday's "This Week," Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said (video available here, relevant section at 9:40):
Remember we inherited a $1.3 trillion deficit. The cumulative consequences of the policies this country pursued over the last 8 years left us with 6 trillion dollars of more debt than we would have had by making a bunch of commitments to cut taxes and add to spending without paying for those.
Sadly, host George Stephanopoulos didn't challenge Geithner on these numbers. Here are the facts:
On March 14, 2008, then Sen. Obama voted in favor of the 2009 budget which authorized $3.1 trillion in federal outlays along with a projected $400 billion deficit. The 51-44 vote that morning was strongly along party lines with only two Republicans saying “Yea.”
When the final conference report was presented to the House on June 5, 2008, not one Republican voted for it.
This means the 2009 budget was almost exclusively approved by Democrats, with “Yeas” coming from the current President, his Vice President Joe Biden, his Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Tough to claim you inherited something you voted for, isn’t it?
But that’s just the beginning, for on October 1, 2008, Obama, Biden, and Clinton voted in favor of the $700 billion Troubled Assets Relief Program designed to prevent teetering financial institutions from completely destroying the economy.
Couldn’t Obama only disavow responsibility for this if he had voted no along with the other 25 Senators disapproving the measure?
And what about the $787 billion stimulus bill that passed in February with just three Republican votes? Wouldn’t Obama only be blameless if he vetoed it and was later overridden?
Of course, he didn’t, and, instead signed it into law on February 17. Nor did he veto the $410 billion of additional spending Congress sent to his desk three weeks later.
Add it all up, and Obama has approved every penny that will be spent in fiscal 2009 either via his votes in the Senate or his signature as President.
But you couldn't tell that from what transpired on "This Week" Sunday:
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, HOST: I do want to want to get to that and as we pull out of the recession the other big worry going forward is deficits. You heard that from the Chinese this week. You hear that this week and our next guest Alan Greenspan has warned of this as well, and Senator Charles Grassley, the Republican ranking member of the Finance Committee cited CBO estimates, Congressional Budget Office estimates, that your budget will add 9 trillion dollars to the national debt over the next decade.
SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY: Our debt as a percentage of the economy will grow in excess of 80% a level that also has not been seen since this country was in World War II.
STEPHANOPOULOS: That is a very high level and I know you believe that passing health care is essential for getting the deficit under control but independent analysts say even with that you are going to need to find new government revenues. The former deputy Treasury Secretary Roger Altman said it is no longer a matter of whether tax revenues should increase but how. Is he right?
TIMOTHY GEITHNER, TREASURY SECRETARY: George it is absolutely right and very important for everyone to understand we will not get this economy back on track, recovery will not be strong enough to sustain unless we can convince the American people that we're going to have the will to bring these deficits down once recovery is firmly established. Remember we inherited a $1.3 trillion deficit. The cumulative consequences of the policies this country pursued over the last 8 years left us with 6 trillion dollars of more debt than we would have had by making a bunch of commitments to cut taxes and add to spending without paying for those.
Exit question for Mr. Stephanopoulos: Do you actually know the facts concerning this matter and didn't challenge Geithner due to your loyalty to the Democrat Party, or are you too ignorant of fiscal policy to be responsible for interviewing such a person?
Whichever the answer, people who watch this program are clearly being short-changed whenever economic or fiscal matters are being discussed.
How sad.
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.
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Blaming Bush for the huge
August 2, 2009 - 15:40 ET by Chris NormanBlaming Bush for the huge deficit that Obama has grotesquely run up is like a quack doctor defending himself for butchering a patient by saying, "Well, Mr. Smith was sick when he came to my office". Would that defense fly at the malpractice trial?
"Sadly, host George Stephanopoulos didn't challenge Geithner on these numbers..."
More like "Deliberately biased for Obama, host George Stephanopoulos didn't challenge Geithner..." - but I know you have to be somewhat drily understated here, Noel. :)
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
THE 0-TAXES THING
August 2, 2009 - 21:19 ET by reelman46THE TAXES NO-SURPRISE SURPRISE
DRUDGE AUGUST 2, 2009
SURPRISE!
TAX HIKE FOR MIDDLE CLASS?
(quote of the week…from lucianne.com:
Reply 3 - Posted by: mary Ellen, 8/2/2009 (No. 5741967)
Bush had a Democrat congress. Now we have a Democrat congress and president.
Look at the mess this country is in now. That should tell us all something about Democrats.)
CRAWFISH NOTE: J. Carter Obama following the script as predicted.
The 3 phases of the modern liberal administration (with demo congress) are:
1…wild overspending 2…taxes 3…inflation…I did a few posts on that this year…
of course, there is always an excuse for the 1st two then shock at the 3rd.
Voters learned nothing from Carter…he also had a demcorat congress.
The fog machine will crank up excuses but they love higher taxes and more control over you.
Its what they believe in…its what they do.
Of course there will be a demon or strawman that always makes them raise YOUR taxes.
(Did I mention the Bush cuts will go away next year?)
Now how is that going to help us continue any recovery?
Answer: Its NOT.
Add Cap and Tax plus Health Care and Tax…
The “hope and change” lying bandit is back in your paycheck.
Then inflation will follow. Suckas.
Doug Schexnayder, Ph.D. (theconservativecrawfish)
George is a creature of the moment
August 2, 2009 - 15:42 ET by KC MulvilleStephanopoulos is a pure Democrat mirror. He reflects back only what is projected his way, and he reflects it back without alteration. If Carville and Emanuel told him to bark, the only suspense is ruff-ruff versus bowwow.
George trades on the subtle difference between challenging someone versus giving them a soft opportunity to rebut criticism.
One note: Noel, once again, I admire the way you make your case with extensive supporting evidence. I follow the news closely, but the number of hypocritical votes that they now try to hide surprised me. It was brilliant.
Hey Geithner
August 2, 2009 - 15:45 ET by jdlybrandThe first thing you do when you find yourself in a hole is stop digging.
"What a revoltin' development this is!"
Chester Riley
Facts?
August 2, 2009 - 15:52 ET by THBarbTHBarb
Facts? We don't need no stinking facts.
They're Progressives. They make their own facts. And it's a "fact" the evil exists. It's a "fact" that Bush exists. Bush is evil. Therefore all evil must be Bush. And that is their FACT.
Sad indeed...plus Noel's
August 2, 2009 - 15:53 ET by bigtimerSad indeed...plus Noel's line regarding "Tough to claim you inherited something you voted for, isn’t it?" was spot-on...I wished more people would point this out when they keep blaming Bush for all evils, people tend to forget O was a Senator for awhile, he voted, they need to check his own voting record, it isn't as if he didn't know what he was stepping into....the phony empty-suit that he is.
I saw who was on, which direction it was going, and clicked it, could not take it this morning....same ol' same ol'.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Where does incompetent, biased jouranlism end...
August 2, 2009 - 16:10 ET by Army Bratand committing traitorous acts begin? They, the formerly "Free Press", are supposed to protect us from an abusive government by shedding light on truth.
In place of a Free Press, we now have the Obama Ministry of Propaganda and Misinformation.
This punk and those that carry Obambis water, remind me of those that played Lord Haw Haw...spewing whatever lies their masters handed them.
islam is a lie and Truth is killing it.
And, sadly, I take it
August 2, 2009 - 15:55 ET by motherbeltAnd, sadly, I take it Steffie didn't press him for an answer on why, if things are so bad, the President is proposing more spending for his pet projects when Bush has left us in such a mess, and why Joe Biden thinks we have to spend to avoid bankruptcy!!
*Taps foot*
August 2, 2009 - 15:58 ET by Roger the Shrubber*Patiently awaits expected excuse-making, er, convincing arguments from NB's resident Lefties*
Rog
August 2, 2009 - 19:45 ET by jdlybrandYou still there? I ain't seen hide nor hair of em' yet. Been pert near five hours.
"What a revoltin' development this is!"
Chester Riley
I am shocked, I tells
August 2, 2009 - 20:10 ET by Roger the ShrubberI am shocked, I tells ya!
Blame Bush
August 2, 2009 - 16:00 ET by TexndocI read on another website there was an article at Slate by a liberal editor at Slate that was so ridiculous that when Mark Steyn made fun of it in a column, they had to pull it down.
It was an explanation of Obama's disastrous foreign policy. Obama wants to be the "anti-Bush". So when Obama cozies up to the Iranian dictators who are shooting people in the street rather than supporting those being shot in the street and condeming the Iranian dictators, he's JUST doing the opposite of what Bush would have done. BLAME BUSH!! , not Obama, those who are upset at this!
See why it was removed?
Anyway, I watched George Stephanopoulis for a first (and last) time to see Michelle Malkin on the panel and was disgusted by his condescending "Hmm, there's a grain of truth to what she's saying..." or something like that after Michelle spoke. Ass.
Tex... Dang, I didn't
August 2, 2009 - 16:17 ET by bigtimerTex...
Dang, I didn't know Malkin was going to be on as a panelist...oh well, I can catch it later via the internet...if I can stand the rest of the blathering that is.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Anti-Bush
August 2, 2009 - 19:22 ET by slickwillie2001Seriously poster, the Bamster's outlook on foreign policy seems to be to instinctively do the opposite of what President George W. Bush would have done. I don't know whether that is by design, which is foolish, or because they are just so incompetent, which is just as bad.
Is he so beholden to the Koss crowd that he thinks that is the safe political position? Some liberals like Chomsky have come very close to openly criticizing his pusillanimous positions on Iran. He is losing many others by his bullheaded position on Israel. What can he mess up next?
3 1/2 more years of "the
August 2, 2009 - 16:14 ET by ThisnThat3 1/2 more years of "the last 8 years" and "I/we inherited". This was the dims party line going into the election; it's obama's and the dims back-up statement now.
And the msm buys it. And repeats it. And assumes we are all going to nod our heads whenever we hear it.
I want to start hearing our republican elected officials start to challenge it -- like Noel did.
___________________________________
"Tax the rich" is a basically unstable way of governing - The NYT
osama bin obama is
August 2, 2009 - 16:14 ET by RD Kingat the top of the ponzi CRA pyramid that he started back in the late 90's when he signed on as a stuff that money in my pockets f raines and I'll have your back, just keep loaning money to the brothers and sisters even though they can't pay it back. Were the govt and I gotta somehow spread the wealth and take reparations from whitey. We are living in the obama depression/recession and nobody else's.
"No Recovery until Nobama!!!!!" me and at least 59,934,786 other Americans.
HMMMMMM
August 2, 2009 - 16:15 ET by rick007Remember Hitler blamed the German people for loosing WWll.
They didn't fight hard enough!!!!!!!!
Same ole Same ole always blam others for your F---ups.
Damn O Freakin Crap way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Geitner is
August 2, 2009 - 16:20 ET by jessieHGeitner is lying. The reason, and the only reason, we are in this mess, is because our federal govt. doesn't know what balancing a budget means. Every year, every month, every day, the people live on a budget. Some do better than others. The govt., including the state govt., has no concept of a budget. Or they just don't give a damn about the citizens who stay on a budget & still have money to pay their taxes. I don't give a rat's ass about any of these morons in office. I do care what they do to my country. I don't like what I see. It's time for a NATIONWIDE STRIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Time for a real tea party
August 2, 2009 - 16:40 ET by rick007Time for a real tea party with tar and feathers
Hey Stephie, when
August 2, 2009 - 17:06 ET by BlazerHey Stephie, when those Chinese school kids laughed Timmy out of their classroom was that George Bush's fault too?
Pretty sad when the average Chinese teenager know's more about economics and free market capitalism than our very own Treasury Secretary does.
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
" The Cake is a lie."
Well, Geithner got it half
August 2, 2009 - 17:19 ET by fitzfongWell, Geithner got it half right...he mentioned tax cuts and excessive spending leading to the deficit. Of course, the way he phrased it was designed to appeal to the pinko scum who would see this statement as blaming the tax cuts as opposed to the excessive spending. Meanwhile, I won't be taking lectures on how lowering taxes leads to deficits from an exposed and admitted TAX CHEAT like Tim Geithner.
"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered." -George Best
I'm sick and tired
August 2, 2009 - 17:21 ET by rick007I'm sick and tired of these Liberals saying 57>?50 million Americans without insurance. They are including the scum that slip into this country agains our immagration laws. How many Terroists will we now be giving health care to????????????????????????????????????
The Dems lie at every turn!!!!!!
Seriousily
August 2, 2009 - 18:03 ET by Joe CamelI know people who still do not understand that the Democrats have had control of the house and senate since 2006. They don't see it, read it or hear it..So, they continue to wrongly assert that in fact the Republicans are running things. Just goes to show you how well the media continue to cover for things.
Neither Bush Nor Dems Deserve a Break
August 2, 2009 - 23:22 ET by BlindSightSure Geithner wants to downplayDem fiscal irresponsibility, but the fact of the matter is that Bush and Republicans were fiscally irresponsible, and with TARP last year have greased the skids for the massive expansion of government and pork that we are now seeing.
Ron Paul, George Will, Richard Viguerie, and other Republicans saythe same thing. If Bush/Republicans had governed responsibly, we wouldn`t have Dems in the White House and running both houses of Congress.
Notonly have Republicans enabled this mess, but for the next election cycle they will have little "fiscal responsibility" credibility with voters.
Pres. Bush: Our guiding principle is clear. We must lead the world to produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions and we must do it in a way that does not undermine economic growth or prevent nations from delivering greater prosperity for their people.
Dems have been running
August 3, 2009 - 00:49 ET by ckc1227Dems have been running Congress for the past 2 years now. When exactly does this stop being the fault of Republicans?
"Notonly have Republicans enabled this mess, but for the next election
cycle they will have little "fiscal responsibility" credibility with
voters."
No, only the dems will have credibility, even as they behave more irresponsibly fiscally than any party at any time in American history.
2 1/2 years
August 3, 2009 - 04:38 ET by old cro.
When there are no more Republicans.
August 4, 2009 - 09:46 ET by CobraMan"When exactly does this stop being the fault of Republicans"
That's easy, when there are no more Republicans. But, come to think of it, the Liberals will still blame them, as in "This is just another failed idea from the dead Republican Party." So, I guess there's no respite.
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.
The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus.
The US Supreme Court
And millions willy buy it,
August 3, 2009 - 05:00 ET by RR GOPAnd millions will buy it, too.
OK, hundreds of thousands...whatever.
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 61% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory (yep...approval for Congress now at 39%...do you believe that!?).