President Barack Obama is a youthful, well educated son of an immigrant, and Republicans are clearly trying to get some of his magic to rub off on them, so they asked Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal -- the youthful, well educated son of immigrants -- to give the response to Obama's speech last night. Good idea to have a fresh face given the GOP brand is in such disrepair. The problem is that he gave the same old arguments Republicans and conservatives have been giving us for a very long time.
Republicans made those arguments the last eight years, saying that tax cuts and smaller government would lead to prosperity. The results were, well, shall we say, less than delightful.
They clearly made those arguments in the 1993 budget/economic package fight. As I recount in my book, The Progressive Revolution:
Typical of the hysterical Republican arguments against the economic plan was the one from Newt Gingrich, when he said, "The tax increase... will lead to a recession...and actually increase the deficit." Dick Armey, the then House Republican conference chairman, said that the "impact on job creation will be devastating." And Senator Bob Packwood even said he would bet his mortgage that the deficit, unemployment, and inflation would all go up as a result of Clinton's economic plan. If Packwood had bet his mortgage on that, he would have lost this house: all of those Republican predictions turned out to be 100 percent wrong.
The fact is that conservatives from the beginning of our American experiment in the 1700's have argued against bold economic programs like Obama's that directly invest in jobs, education, and health care for working people. They have argued instead for giving more resources to big business and the wealthy -- if we do that, they suggest, the benefits will eventually trickle down to the rest of us. That's why when Jindal's list of solutions were simply yet another list of tax cuts, mostly to business, and it sounded awfully familiar: the conservative Republican solution to every economic problem is more tax cuts targeted to wealthy corporations, along with that wonderful elixir of less regulation and smaller government. The problem is that these ideas just don't work. They have been wrong every time.
It doesn't matter that we are in the most serious economic crisis since the Great Depression, a crisis brought on by the same economic policies conservatives like Jindal are pushing. It doesn't matter that most economists think these kinds of tax cuts don't work to stimulate the economy. Conservatives just keep calling for the same policies over and over again: more tax cuts. Smaller government. And as Jindal did last night with his Katrina Story, they tell the same anecdotal stories about stupid bureaucrats (or welfare queens, or whatever) to make their hackneyed points about the dangers of government. I'd like to remind Gov. Jindal that it was his party that ran the Katrina rescue operation so poorly in 2005. It's pretty sad for a political party when their best argument for their philosophy is their own government's incompetence.
So thanks, Gov. Jindal, for offering a fresh face to conservative Republican policies. Too bad the ideas themselves are so incredibly stale.
Mike Lux is the author of The Progressive Revolution: How the Best in America Came to Be.
Fact: Federal tax revenues increased 26.4% during the first 7 seven years of President Bush's term. The problem over the his term was out of control spending. The debt increased 5 trillion, which is 3 to 3.5 trillion of just spending after servicing the debt and the Iraq war are removed.
Before you bash Speaker Gingrich and praise President Clinton, please note that in President Clinton's first two years, the defict grew 20% (the 9.5% annual rate is greater even than the 9.1% annual rate during President Bush's term) . During the next six years when Speakers Gingrich & Hastert worked together with President Clinton, the debt grew at an annual rate of 3.2%. I would say that Speaker Gingrich saved Bill Clinton's legacy and forestalled his own dire predictions.
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-soi/histab18.xls
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt_histo4.htm
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt_histo5.htm
Well done.
Fact: The Bush-41 recession ended well before President Clinton took office - that recession lasted from1990-07-01 to 1991-03-01.
http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/help-faq/#graph_recessions
Care to try another explanation?
The Obama Administration's New Deal/Great Society Redux is just as tired as the author claims the Republican ideas to be.
Their website (www.recovery.gov) is a useless propaganda tool. Why can't an administration who holds such messianic sway over such a large percentage of the populace use its vast internet data base, lists, etc. to get its disciples who are "haves", to offer direct, citizen to citizen, help to those disciples who are either "have nots" or (as the current case may be), "used to haves"? With 50 million of these people out there, surely a dent could be made in the problem, without the country going deeper into debt.
Or what about building a few factory cities in the desert? Model them on a hybrid of a kibutz, but set them up to build green technologies and the solar panels that Obama wants to put on every roof (not a bad idea, by the way, in the right geographic areas). Let people move there. House them in the mobile homes that can't be sold. Let them build their way up, and create new models for sustainable cities.
These are new ideas. Obama hasn't come up with one.
You are following the same old ideologue that has been hashed out and failed. Try to come up with some new innovative ideas. All that I hear from your side in criticism and course it is not constructive. If you don't have any thing constructive to say, then don't say anything.
I for one hope that Jindal is NOT Barack Obama. Hoop skills are an over-rated presidential resume item, anyway.
"It doesn't matter that we are in the most serious economic crisis since the Great Depression, a crisis brought on by the same economic policies conservatives like Jindal are pushing. It doesn't matter that most economists think these kinds of tax cuts don't work to stimulate the economy."
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It cracks me up each time a progressive or liberal utters the phrase 'worst crisis since the Great Depression'. Let me see if I can educate you a minute on this subject. This current crisis isn't even as bad as the 1980-1981 recession. In 1980 the prime rate was 20.5%, it is now 3.25%. Inflation was 14.8%, it is now near 0%. The jobless rate in 1982 was 10.8%, it is now 7.6%. The 30 year mortgage rate was 18.5%, it is now 5% and falling. Don't let anyone fool you that this is the worst crisis since the great depression.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_otfwl2zc6Qc/SZoeacBhYqI/AAAAAAAAJRo/Lgyy8QAAJzA/s1600-h/1980s.bmp
The liberals in this country (and yes that means liberal Repubicans as well...) have got business and the financial markets so over regulated its not funny. Even the Dems own Chuckie Schumer and the liberal Mike Bloomberg mentioned this very fact in their joint WSJ opinion back in 2006.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116234404428809623.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries
We are in a deflationary cycle that is potentially far more damaging than an inflation rate of 14.8%. The true number of unemployed is much higher than 10.8% and we may well enter an inflationary cycle that zooms past 14.8% before this is over.
The thing about 1980 and 1981 is that cycle has ended. We don't yet know how this cycle will end.
This is the worst financial cycle since the Great Depression. Have a nice laugh.
The Conservative "kool-aid" Republican Party have wrought a DISASTER on our country - YET they can not stop themselves - they keep offering the same failed, deadly solutions - the same failed, deadly TOXIC kool-aid!
The Conservative Limbaugh "kool-aid" Republican Party are suicidal lemmings that are only concerned about conserving "THEIR" power, "THEIR" insane "kool-aid" drinking world - that as we are now seeing all around us - the end results of this INSANITY!!
ENOUGH!!!!!!
If you feel that tax cuts are bad, are you yourself giving extra money to the government?
Because if you're not paying extra money into the treasury, you're being hypocritical.
Because private property, in this case money, is really the right of the State, that about correct?
This country was founded in part against high taxation, with the founders realizing that private property rights are sacrosanct, whether they involve money or physical property. Without the right to private property, free from government seizure, we are not a free people.
I agree with Milton Friedman, I always support a tax cut because it starves the beast.
The tax increase will be for people making MORE THAN $250,000 per year - people making less than $250,000 will get a TAX CUT!!
If I was making MORE THAN $250,000 - YES I would be happy to pay more taxes & help the less fortunate people - WE are all in this boat TOGETHER!!
GREED IS DEAD!!!!!!!!!
Government is NOT the "beast" - The Limbaugh "Corporatist" Republican Party IS THE BEAST!!!!
Jindal appeals to the Republican Party's dream of universal cultural assimilation of all immigrants, who should: renounce their name, language, and religion and act like somebody whose ancestors are from Northern Europe. Cultural stasis. Bobby Jindal has taken this path.
Obama stands for cultural fusion. He is multiracial. He tried on Barry, but is more comfortable with Barack. He blends elements of the US mid west, Hawaii and Africa. Obama represents the path of change and adaptation. He also represents the formula for political success in the early 21st century. Keeping it real. Like it or not, US culture is highly adaptive. Think Korean Tacos.
Obama is just a guy from Chicago. He doesn't "represent" anything more than what's projected onto him. He's just a run of the mill liberal with above average political skills. The same could be said of Reagan, similarly.
What's important is his ideology, not his cultural blending....
Most conservatives can't get excited about the "historic" nature of his presidency, because we believe a free society will always elect people of color. If we've had a black Secretary of State, then it shouldnt come as a shock that we have a black President. If you believe in free markets, then you're not surprised by anything the market does, because it represents the will of the people.
In the end, he'll be judged not on the color of his skin, but on the content of his character-
just as Rod Blagoyavich's downfall is not representative of Polish Americans in the least, right?
Mike,
Perhaps, you may want to do a little research on Reagan's reversal of Carter's 70% upper income tax bracket, and its effect on the economy.
Or, your own John Fitzgerald Kennedy's tax cuts.
In each case, they lead to an economic boom.
Could you honestly say that the Carter years were gravy, or does 10% unemployment and 13% interest rates strike you as progressive?
The only thing Carter did that was right was to sign a bill that allowed people to home brew beer, up to 200 gallons a year. It spawned the entire craft brew industry. You might call that "deregulation", Mike.
I'm sure you didn't mean it. Please be prepared to apologize and show your papers to the appropriate authorities.
I hope he's down in Disney World taking diction lessons from Goofy.
Jindal's tired & failed notions that hard work, sacrifice, discipline and personal responsibility should result in some kind of success have no place in the New America. He will soon learn that the various appropriate politicians and bureaucracies know what's best for us, because they truly care about us.
Mr. Jindal, it's time you and the other personal responsibility dinosaurs close your mouths and begin to appreciate what the new government will allow us to have. Hopefully they will continue their trend of shutting down opposition speech so that your silly ideas will no longer see the light of day.
And be sure to smile a lot, for this is good. Really.
You can put dogfood in a fancy can labelled caviar and, guess what, it's still dogfood.
The Bush II version of the Republican kleptocracy was as follows: 1. prop up the stock market by cutting the top tax rate; 2. cook up an illegal war to line the pockets of your buddies; 3. screw black people (eg, Katrina); 4. screw the unions; 5. inflate the housing bubble with deregulation and low interest rates; 6. take lots of vacations (pre-9/11, when economy tanks, etc.); 7 step back and whine when the new president tries to salvage the country from their destructive policies.
CEO culture is an accurate picture of the Republican ethos. Rob, steal, loot, lie. Reward failure. Punish compassion. Time for the Republicans to join the Whigs in the trash can of history.
Um yeah sure you did. Funny now that Obama is president I keep hearing this line over and over again, from every day people, to the republicans in the congress and senate. I hear gov like Jindal say it. I did not hear this ONCE in the last 8 years. Let me repeat NOT ONCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was all about how good Bush was doing, that we werent in a recession at all. That the democrats were the sky is falling rhetoric. That is what I heard. The republicans had the power, and they spent like there was no tomorrow. Not just Bush either. So dont give me that. The conservative republican party of yesterday is no more. Most of you just cant admit to it. It got hijacked by the evangalicals and Rush's of our country.
Dont give me this, oh we didnt like what Bush was doing, we didnt like what he was doing! That is bs and you know it.
Picture this: a house gets seriously damaged by termites, but instead of calling a reputable exterminator and contractor, the homeowner listens to the pitch of a conman offering to get rid of the bugs and fix the house at a fraction of the legit cost. He tells the homeowner "forget all that 'licensed and bonded' crap, they just say that so they can jack up the price." The homeowner, tempted by the hope of getting something for nearly nothing, gives his money to the con man. The con man pretends to work on the house for a while, until it collapses upon itself. At which point the con man disappears absconds, and the homeowner is left penniless amid the rubble of his home - and in even more desperate need of repairs.
We the American people are that homeowner. The GOP of the past 40 years is the con man. And your argument is akin to stating that since the con man didn't fix the house, the house no longer deserves to be fixed and should be left to its own devices in the hopes that it will pull itself up by its own drywalls and put itself back into proper order.
It also doesn't help that 28 years of repeating the mantra "government is the problem" has led to a culture of weak policy behind their stale old ideas. Even if you think that addressing health care reform or education or poverty is something best left to private citizens and not government programs, those efforts need to be backed by strong policies that encourage the private sector to meet the desired objectives. Simply sitting back and declaring that the markets will solve the problem by themselves isn't going to work, because the markets will always put maximizing profits before maximizing service when left to their own devices.