The Liberal Thought Process

So, I was reading an article on the Huffington Post by Robert L. Borosage and several things jumped out at me about the way liberals think - especially about the upcoming budget.

"Fully $1.4 trillion of the largest annual "Obama" deficit -- the $1.8 billion the CBO projects for FY 2009 that ends this October -- was bequeathed to him from George Bush"

The idea is that because Obama inherited a deficit from Bush, it is OK to continue on in the deficit spending.
This is problematic for two reasons: The first is easy (and we all learned it as children) - two wrongs don't make a right. Second, Obama has significantly added onto Bush's deficit with his $787 billion "stimulus" bill, his $400 billion spending bill, Geithner's $1 trillion Public-Private Toxic Asset idea, and other spending. He didn't inherit any of that spending from Bush.

"Now as the economy verges on a depression, Republicans are indicting Obama for raising spending and deficits. This is like a gambling addict squandering the family fortune in a Las Vegas blowout and then scolding his wife for borrowing money to keep the kids in college."

Um yeah. Obama was elected to fix the problem, not make it worse. During his campaign, he claimed to have solutions. So, if he does nothing to solve the problem, yeah, he should be held accountable. He claimed that the "buck stops with him" and it rightly should. If he didn't think he could solve the mess, he should have dropped out of the race.

"Had Republican leaders any sense of decency, they would just shut up and let adults address the mess they have left."

I think it says something if you always have to resort to name calling and insults.

"The current US public debt is about 40% of our annual economic production (GDP). It's been far higher -- reaching as much as 109% of GDP coming out of World War II."

He probably doesn't realize that the debt incurred during WWII was in fighting Nazis and the Japanese (not increasing domestic entitlements). Agreed that it is necessary to spend what you have to spend to get out of a crisis and the current financial situation qualifies. But how much of Obama's $9.7 trillion debt burden is related to getting out of the financial crisis? Not most of it.

"Clinton brought it down to 33% and Bush drove it back up to about 40% even though the economy was growing. Under Obama's plans, the national debt will rise as a percentage of the economy to about 65-67%."

This one makes me laugh. He criticizes Bush for increasing the debt 7% even though the economy was growing. But then he gives Obama a pass for increasing it 25%. And guess what buddy - the projections are that the economy will be growing again in 2010. So, if Bush raises it 7% during a time when the economy is growing, it is bad. If Obama raises it 25% while the economy is growing, it is good. Be honest and just say that what Obama is doing is OK because it is spending on things you approve of (entitlements as opposed to national security).

"But what is notable about that increase is that it will leave the US carrying only about the same debt burden that Germany, France and Canada were carrying -before they began adding to it in the current economic downturn. According the analysis of the Central Intelligence Agency in 2008, Germany's public debt was at 65%, France at 66%, and Canada at 64%."

Ah, the good old "If it's good enough for France..." defense. France does a lot of things that I wouldn't want to happen in the USA. But then again, that's pretty much the difference between liberals and conservatives, right?


One more laugher:

"Richard Shelby, top Republican on the banking committee, warns Cassandra-like that Obama's budget will put the country on "the fast road to financial destruction.""

Should someone tell him that Cassandra correctly warned about the destruction of Troy? She was given the gift of prophesy but cursed so that no one would believe her.