mvscal wrote:I wrote:Oh, I'd say (not terribly proudly) that given the facts that I've been a Federal civil servant since '85, a Fed Gov't employee since '78, with Defense Acquisition Workforce Level III certifications in Program Management and Lifecycle Logistics, and Level I certification in Business and Financial Management, I have a better handle on the Federal budget process than ~ 99% of the posters here, which, admittedly, may not be saying much. But your concern is appreciated.
Then you should know that spending is (or should be) locked in for a President's first year and point out that fact.
Why should I have done that? The budget, or lack thereof, was
never included as part of either my discussion, nor that of what others posted leading to any of my posts in this thread. I simply picked up on Jsc's and poptart's debate on the comparison of job creation numbers between the two parties (job creation being a component of unemployment rate, a lagging economic indicator), and added to it facts & figures (which no one thus far has questioned) regarding recessions (an economic condition), GDP change, and peak unemployment (lagging indicators). Your wanting me to bring the President's budget and the incumbent's lack of leadership ability into the argument is nothing more than a red herring. Rather than countering anything I posted with cogent rebuttal, you predictably began swinging your purse with
ad hominems, genetic fallacies, and your usual tired assortment of bluster and rhetoric. Instead of explaining (which I'll concede is not your responsibility, but then again, no one here has
any responsibility for
anything), why the data I posted was irrelevant, insignificant, meaningless, or inaccurate, you brilliantly resorted to, "Oh yeah? Well...well...well...YOU'RE A LIBTARD!!" Great debating skills there, Socrates. With such analytical skills, it's beyond me why you're not a fellow of the Heritage Foundation.
You wrote:I wrote:On what are you basing this? I've simply posted articles & figures available in the public domain,
It's based on you posting propaganda designed for consumption by low functioning cretins.
Propaganda? Look, slappy (to bring this discussion down to a level with which you're more comfortable), if you had anywhere near the critical thinking skills you believe you possess, you'd have noticed that I was actually trying to deflect responsibility for some of the recessions under Republican Presidents
away from the GOP by showing that 80% (4/5) of the recessions since 1945 that began within the new President's first term were inherited by Republicans FROM DEMOCRATS! I have no dog in this fight. I simply provided information (as opposed to opinion and logical fallacies), and allowed others, such as you, to provide the analysis. If you choose not to, which appears to be the case, I'm ok with that. Neither you nor I have that responsibility.
You wrote:I wrote:Perhaps, since you're our acknowledged historian and self-proclaimed expert on all things government, explain the numbers I've presented and tilt them toward being the fault of Democratic policies and actions.
Is it my responsibility to explain something as simple as correlation does not equal causation?
Again, no. However, if I interpret correctly what you have lamely been trying to divert attention to, you seem to be implying that there is correlation and causation between the passage (or non-passage) of the President's budget and the performance of the economy. Maybe I'm wrong, and that you threw that out there for no other reason than as a diversion, but if not, what point were you trying to make relevant to the ongoing discussion? I admit I don't know, and I'm not going to spend the time researching, if there is any relevance or causation involved in the as-yet undisputed FACTS that, in recent
history, more jobs have been created under Democratic presidents than under Republicans, the stock market has fared MUCH better during Democratic presidencies than it has under Republicans, that the Great Depression fully coincided with a Republican presidency, and that more recessions have occurred under Republican watch than under Democrats. This is simply
prima facie data that anyone can easily find. It's not up to me to prove its credibility - it is what it is. If you believe it isn't credible, it's up to you to explain why. If you choose not to, then just STFU.
You wrote:For this boilerplate propaganda to have any credibility whatsoever, it would necessarily include specific links to the Republican and Democrat policies which led to these numbers if indeed there is any connection to made at all.
See above.
You wrote:I wrote:And while you're at it, why not present facts and figures that show Democratic Presidents historically having an adverse impact on the economy relative to Republicans.
Have you been asleep for the last three and half years? The higher the tax rate, the higher the cost of regulatory compliance, the higher the drag coefficient on the economy. This is Economics 101.
Here's the basic disconnect: I've been using historical facts & figures to show differences between what the economy has done under Democrats and Republicans, playing off of what Jsc posted about job creation, irrespective of whether it is meaningful or relevant. I have NOT discussed the individual performance of the incumbent, nor have I promoted any reasons why, as an individual, Obama should get anyone's vote. If we DID get into that discussion, I think you'd find that we agree on many points. You refuse to address the data I've presented, but rather try to derail it and take it down the track of discussing Obama's job performance. I wouldn't have a problem discussing that if it's what the original discussion was focused on. You've conveniently put yourself into what you'd hoped would be an unloseable position by saying Obama's fucked up and anyone who votes for him is an unmitigated idiot, that Romney is fucked up and anyone who votes for him is an unmitigated idiot, and that you'll be voting for neither of them nor anyone else, making you a genius. You simply wring your hands and cry that "Our Republic is completely off the rails."
If the higher tax rate and its effects are "Economics 101," you should have no problem, given your bent for history, of providing data to support this. I'm not disagreeing with you, and I'm not going to look for the evidence to support it. It seems to be common sense, but is not part of what I was discussing. You seem to be wanting to use a sample size of one (Obama) to illustrate a principle. I'd rather see the principle illustrated by a trend graph over a period of time longer than the past 3.5 yrs, but am not interested enough to look for it. Feel free to do it if you'd like, but if you don't, I won't lose any sleep.
You wrote:In any event, past Democratic Presidents are irrelevant just as past Republicans are irrelevant. This is another not so curious distraction from Bath House Barry's dismal record of failure and stupidity.
Perhaps past performance of those not running is irrelevant. And I've not defended Barry's record, nor tried to distract from it. I've simply chummed the waters, waited for the fishies to show up, and gotten a bite. However, there are those who don't vote for the individual, but rather the "D" or the "R." If someone were to try to convince me that, in general, it's better to vote for one of those letters rather than the other, I'd like for that person to explain why, using history as a guide. Surely, someone with your superior grasp of history and government who has consistently argued in favor of conservative principles & policies should be able to present irrefutable data showing why it's better to vote for the "R," in general, based on the benefits of doing so, and the consequences of voting for the "D."
You wrote:I wrote:Even though you don't explicitly include me among them, if lumping me in with them was your tacit intent, link me up to where I've shown support, or indicated that I'll be voting for, the incumbent.
You're carrying his water right here
I'm doing no such thing. Remember, history is
your strong suit, not mine. I made what should be easily shown to be a huge strategic error by choosing to engage you in a fight using your weapon of choice. I'm still waiting for you to show me that.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but haven't you gone on record saying that creating economic policy is the most important job of a President, and that fiscal conservatism (as allegedly practiced by Republicans better than by Democrats, historically) is far more preferable, more responsible, and provides better overall results than the tax-and-spend liberalism of those dangerous Democrats? If so, shouldn't there be ample data to support this? You know, stuff like unemployment figures, debt creation/reduction, and the like. Just to throw a little more chum out there...
A president is a success economically if he can help steer the country onto a longer-term path of broadly shared economic growth, and if his policies lay a foundation for sustainable prosperity for the future.
----------------------
The analysis accepts Republican economic philosophy that says the U.S. would be better off with a lower rate of federal budget growth and a smaller federal budget relative to GDP.
----------------------
Presidents Harry S Truman, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson rank first through third. Presidents George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush make up the bottom three. President Ronald Reagan is No. 8, just one slot above President Obama.
----------------------
The rankings can also be used for performance comparisons of the two political parties. Conveniently, there are six Republicans and six Democrats, so if we take the average for Democratic and Republican presidents we can make a head-to-head party comparison. The Democratic presidents scored substantially higher than the Republican presidents, with a score of 26.95. Republican presidents scored -26.95.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-2 ... onomy.html
What I might expect and hope from you would be a rational discussion of what's presented in that article explaining why the methodology used to create the scoring is flawed, why the info provided should be discredited, and/or the presentation of data using different and more sound methodologies showing contradictory results.
And just for good measure, since Barry's debt management (relative to past Presidents?) is such a critical issue...
http://www.snopes.com/politics/politici ... aldebt.asp