George Bush did plenty wrong... but he also did some things that were VERY GOOD. What amazes me is the ability to revise history before the man could even get back to Crawford, Texas.
I am very disappointed with his willingness to go along with the democrats on a number of issues, not the least of which was the move towards bailouts and an agenda reminiscent of Hoover turning the country over to FDR (and in this case Obama). The parallels are just too obvious to ignore. Nevertheless... Let's set the record straight...
Ed Gillespie wrote an article on RealClearPolitics at the end of last year, December 28, 2008. Here are his points of fact:
Myth 1: The last eight years were awful for most Americans economically and President Bush's deregulatory policies caused the current financial crisis.
*The U.S. experienced its longest run of uninterrupted job growth - 52 straight months, with 8.3
million jobs created during the Bush Administration
This reflected six consecutive years of economic growth from the Fourth Quarter of 2001
until the Fourth Quarter of 2007.
*From 2000 to 2007, real GDP grew by more than 17 percent, a remarkable gain of nearly 2.1
trillion dollars.
In the same period, real after-tax income per capita increased by more than 11 percent,
and there was a 4.7 percent increase in the number of new businesses formed.
*The current crisis: The President and his economic team have taken unprecedented actions to
stabilize the financial sector and avert a collapse.
In April 2001, three months after taking office, the President warned in his first budget
that the size of the two GSEs were a "potential problem" that "could cause strong
repercussions in financial markets, affecting Federally insured entities and economic
activity." In 2003, the Administration began calling for a new GSE regulator, and over the
next five years, the Administration continued to call for GSE reform only to be accused by
Democrats in Congress of creating artificial fears and advocating for ill-advised proposals.
Myth 2: President Bush's tax cuts only benefitted the wealthy and were paid for by sacrificing investments in health care and education.
*There are not 116 million "wealthy Americans," but that's how many taxpayers benefited from
the President's tax relief.
The across-the-board tax cuts provided tax relief to every American who pays income
taxes, created a new bottom 10 percent bracket rate, doubled the child tax credit to
$1,000, and actually increased the share of the Federal income tax burden paid by the top
10 percent of individual earners from 67 percent in 2000 to 70 percent in 2005.
Furthermore, this Administration removed 13 million low-income earners from the income
tax rolls completely.
*President Bush provided more than 40 million Americans with better access to prescription drugs
by creating the market-based Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit.
And it is one of the rare government programs that actually costs less than expected.
Projected overall program spending between 2004 and 2013 is approximately $240 billion
lower, nearly 38 percent, than originally estimated, thanks to the market-oriented
principles included at President Bush's insistence.
*Federal spending on education has increased nearly 40 percent under President Bush.
*Pell Grant funding nearly doubled during the Administration, which is expected to help more than
5.5 million students attend college in the 2008-09 school year, 1.2 million more students than
were assisted by Pell Grants in the 2001-02 school year.
Myth 3 and 4: The President's "go it alone" foreign policy ruined America's standing in the world and The war in Iraq caused us to "take our eye off the ball" in Afghanistan and with al Qaeda.
*The United States acted with a multilateral coalition of partner nations to remove Saddam
Hussein from power in Iraq after he failed to comply with the will of the international
community, including numerous United Nations Security Council Resolutions.
*In Afghanistan, approximately forty countries are currently deployed with American forces,
including every one of our NATO allies.
*The President also created a worldwide coalition of more than 90 nations to combat terrorist
networks by sharing information, drying up their financing, and bringing their leaders to justice.
Furthermore, the Administration established the Proliferation Security Initiative, which now
includes more than 90 nations.
*The President successfully pushed for expanding NATO membership, generated international
pressure on Iran to stop it from developing nuclear weapons, and organized the Six-Party
Talks, which have resulted in North Korea committing to give up its nuclear weapons and
abandon its nuclear programs.
*The United States has provided nearly $32 billion for security, political, and economic
development assistance and the international community has provided more than $55 billion to
Afghanistan since 2001.
Myth 5: This Administration has been bad for the environment and ignored the problem of global warming.
*From 2001 to 2007, air pollution decreased by 12 percent, and fine particulate matter pollution
is down 17 percent since 2001. Ethanol production quadrupled from 1.6 billion gallons in 2000 to
6.5 billion gallons in 2007, wind energy production has increased by more than 400 percent,
and solar energy capacity has doubled. In 2007, solar installations increased more than 32
percent and the U.S. produced 96 percent more biodiesel (490 million gallons) than in 2006. The
Administration also provided nearly $18 billion to research, develop, and promote alternative
and more efficient energy technologies such as biofuels, solar, wind, clean coal, nuclear, and
hydrogen.
*This Administration has improved and protected the health of more than 27 million acres of
Federal forest and grasslands, protected, restored, and improved more than three million acres
of wetlands, and established the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, the world's
largest fully protected marine conservation area (nearly 140,000 square miles).
*This administration has invested more than $44 billion in climate change-related programs.
And one last fact: Our homeland has not suffered another terrorist attack since September 11, 2001. That, too, is part of the real Bush record.
Myth 1: The last eight years were awful for most Americans economically and President Bush's deregulatory policies caused the current financial crisis.
*The U.S. experienced its longest run of uninterrupted job growth - 52 straight months, with 8.3
million jobs created during the Bush Administration
This reflected six consecutive years of economic growth from the Fourth Quarter of 2001
until the Fourth Quarter of 2007.
*From 2000 to 2007, real GDP grew by more than 17 percent, a remarkable gain of nearly 2.1
trillion dollars.
In the same period, real after-tax income per capita increased by more than 11 percent,
and there was a 4.7 percent increase in the number of new businesses formed.
*The current crisis: The President and his economic team have taken unprecedented actions to
stabilize the financial sector and avert a collapse.
In April 2001, three months after taking office, the President warned in his first budget
that the size of the two GSEs were a "potential problem" that "could cause strong
repercussions in financial markets, affecting Federally insured entities and economic
activity." In 2003, the Administration began calling for a new GSE regulator, and over the
next five years, the Administration continued to call for GSE reform only to be accused by
Democrats in Congress of creating artificial fears and advocating for ill-advised proposals.
Myth 2: President Bush's tax cuts only benefitted the wealthy and were paid for by sacrificing investments in health care and education.
*There are not 116 million "wealthy Americans," but that's how many taxpayers benefited from
the President's tax relief.
The across-the-board tax cuts provided tax relief to every American who pays income
taxes, created a new bottom 10 percent bracket rate, doubled the child tax credit to
$1,000, and actually increased the share of the Federal income tax burden paid by the top
10 percent of individual earners from 67 percent in 2000 to 70 percent in 2005.
Furthermore, this Administration removed 13 million low-income earners from the income
tax rolls completely.
*President Bush provided more than 40 million Americans with better access to prescription drugs
by creating the market-based Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit.
And it is one of the rare government programs that actually costs less than expected.
Projected overall program spending between 2004 and 2013 is approximately $240 billion
lower, nearly 38 percent, than originally estimated, thanks to the market-oriented
principles included at President Bush's insistence.
*Federal spending on education has increased nearly 40 percent under President Bush.
*Pell Grant funding nearly doubled during the Administration, which is expected to help more than
5.5 million students attend college in the 2008-09 school year, 1.2 million more students than
were assisted by Pell Grants in the 2001-02 school year.
Myth 3 and 4: The President's "go it alone" foreign policy ruined America's standing in the world and The war in Iraq caused us to "take our eye off the ball" in Afghanistan and with al Qaeda.
*The United States acted with a multilateral coalition of partner nations to remove Saddam
Hussein from power in Iraq after he failed to comply with the will of the international
community, including numerous United Nations Security Council Resolutions.
*In Afghanistan, approximately forty countries are currently deployed with American forces,
including every one of our NATO allies.
*The President also created a worldwide coalition of more than 90 nations to combat terrorist
networks by sharing information, drying up their financing, and bringing their leaders to justice.
Furthermore, the Administration established the Proliferation Security Initiative, which now
includes more than 90 nations.
*The President successfully pushed for expanding NATO membership, generated international
pressure on Iran to stop it from developing nuclear weapons, and organized the Six-Party
Talks, which have resulted in North Korea committing to give up its nuclear weapons and
abandon its nuclear programs.
*The United States has provided nearly $32 billion for security, political, and economic
development assistance and the international community has provided more than $55 billion to
Afghanistan since 2001.
Myth 5: This Administration has been bad for the environment and ignored the problem of global warming.
*From 2001 to 2007, air pollution decreased by 12 percent, and fine particulate matter pollution
is down 17 percent since 2001. Ethanol production quadrupled from 1.6 billion gallons in 2000 to
6.5 billion gallons in 2007, wind energy production has increased by more than 400 percent,
and solar energy capacity has doubled. In 2007, solar installations increased more than 32
percent and the U.S. produced 96 percent more biodiesel (490 million gallons) than in 2006. The
Administration also provided nearly $18 billion to research, develop, and promote alternative
and more efficient energy technologies such as biofuels, solar, wind, clean coal, nuclear, and
hydrogen.
*This Administration has improved and protected the health of more than 27 million acres of
Federal forest and grasslands, protected, restored, and improved more than three million acres
of wetlands, and established the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, the world's
largest fully protected marine conservation area (nearly 140,000 square miles).
*This administration has invested more than $44 billion in climate change-related programs.
And one last fact: Our homeland has not suffered another terrorist attack since September 11, 2001. That, too, is part of the real Bush record.
12 comments:
I watched the Bush Admin. closely, and from my perspective what you say is correct. My greatest disapointment was the apparent unwillingness of Bush to go on the offensive with the facts, use the bully pulpit to point out the distortions and out right lies propegated by the Democrats, their operatives and the main stream press. The few times Bush did do that he received a strong positive reaction from the public, but then he did not followup and capaitalize on the positive sentiments created. To this day I still don't understand that behavior. Nonetheless, I believe in the long run history, if not rewritten, will be very kind to Bush.
I felt Bruce wrote a piece I enjoyed reading. I would have stayed away from stretching or omitting to reach a favoring result for the right. Example is his reference to the increased GDP and "after tax household income" rose in double digits from 2000-07, without a reference to the falsely inflated income for 5 years of falsely inflated real estate prices. He nicely included his increase of education funds very few even know about today, and the earlier comment why GW Bush didn't attempt to straighten his record and he allowed the misrepresented articles and democratic lies to persist unabatedly.
If Bush hadn't got into Irag, I
think that was his dowm fall,
beside allowing Sentor Frank and
Sentor Chris Dodd to allow Fannie
Mae and the goverment housing to
give out bad loans, also allowing
stock market to go wild with their
crazy ideas. Other wise he was a
good leader, a least he wasn't a
someone who bowed down to those
who would control our country and
destroy it. God bless George Bush
for his serve to our country, no
matter what others may say.
good leader.
Three million jobs created in 8 years is anemic by any standard. 2.5 million were created on his dad's watch in only four years in a bad economy. Clinton could claim 21 million jobs created.
Of all the presidents since WWII, the biggest expansions of jobs came on Clinton, Johnson and Carter's watches, with Reagan sandwiched in. Nixon was the other bright spot on that front. The remainder of Republican presidents bring up the rear, and W is 3rd from last and Gerald Ford was only president for 2 1/2 years.
The day the democrats took over was not January 22nd 2009 it was actually January 3rd 2007 the day the Democrats took over the House of Representatives and the Senate, the start of the 110th Congress. The Democratic Party controlled a majority in both chambers for the first time since the end of the 103rd Congress in 1995.
For those who are listening to the liberals propagating the fallacy that everything is "Bush's Fault", think about this:
January 3rd, 2007 was the day the Democrats took over the Senate and the Congress:
At the time:
The DOW Jones closed at 12,621.77
The GDP for the previous quarter was 3.5%
The Unemployment rate was 4.6%
George Bush's Economic policies SET A RECORD of 52 STRAIGHT MONTHS of JOB CREATION!
Remember the day...
January 3rd, 2007 was the day that Barney Frank took over the House Financial Services Committee and Chris Dodd took over the Senate Banking Committee.
The economic meltdown that happened 15 months later was in what part of the economy?
BANKING AND FINANCIAL SERVICES!!!
THANK YOU DEMOCRATS for taking us from 13,000 DOW, 3.5 GDP and 4.6% Unemployment... to this CRISIS by (among MANY other things) dumping 5-6 TRILLION Dollars of toxic loans on the economy from YOUR Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac FIASCOS! (BTW: Bush asked Congress 17 TIMES to stop Fannie & Freddie - starting in 2001 because it was financially risky for the US economy).
And who took the THIRD highest pay-off from Fannie Mae AND Freddie Mac????
OBAMA
And who fought against reform of Fannie and Freddie???
OBAMA and the Democratic Congress
So when some one tries to blame Bush...
REMEMBER JANUARY 3rd, 2007.... THE DAY THE DEMOCRATS TOOK OVER!" Bush may have been in the car but the Democrats were in charge of the gas pedal and steering wheel they were driving.
Spot on Frank-- After watching democrats for the last 20 years or so I can only say -they are liars beyond all decency.Uheralded theives who prey on the little man while posing as helping him.And they all have a 'Do as I say not as I DO", condecension... i/e Al Gore need I say more???
Sure, on Jaunary 3rd, 2007 the Democrats controlled the gas and the steering, but Bush still had his hand on the emergency brake. Of the 12 times Bush exercised his right to veto, 11 occurred after January 3rd, 2007. Now, how is it possible to say that the Democrats took over when the president still had the ability to block legislation (which he clearly was not afraid of), and there was not a sufficient Democratic majority for and override.
Bruce you're a DeceptiCON (i.e. RINO)
The Bush bashing was all liberal media propaganda. Anyone with half a brain should be able to figure out that legislation has to pass through Congress before it gets to the President. Big mistake to turn Congress over to the Democrats in 2007. Seems like every time our country develops major financial problems Congress is being run by liberal Democrats.
I am very disappointed that Republican politicians are unable to have a uniform message countering the message "Bush run the car in the ditch". How about "the new Democratic Majority since 2007 run the car in the ditch". The Republican party needs unity and a clear message to counter Obama's criticism. That message should be on the tongue of every Republican and conservative. Obama;s lie if repeated often enough will appear to be the truth.
My personal opinion is that the failure in the construction industry which is so wide spread effecting home builders, sub contractors, suppliers, RE brokers, bankers, home furnishing sellers, title companies, etc. has led us into this recession and has caused other industries like the automobile industry to also fall on hard times. I have been told that the construction industry led us into this recession and will lead us out.
We have some bad Rebublicans but there are no good Democrats (they all cave in to the big city liberals).
One other subject that seems to be ignored by our Republican friends is "Bracket creep". In order to keep the Bush tax cuts or further cut taxes people need to understand this concept. In spite of the Bush tax cuts, inflation has pushed us into higher tax brackets over the years and has lowered our disposable net income. The Tea Party people are so right about opposing the tax increases. Increased income tax, energy taxes, cigarette taxes, local real estate taxes, state income taxes, user fees, permit fees, toll road fees, are all increasing at a alarming rate. The government burden imposed by runaway spending has created this monster. Is our only salvation to join a union and/or work for the government?
Redistribution of the wealth is not a noble cause. It is stealing from some to give to others. The Death tax takes businesses away from families. The heavy real estate taxes makes a home unaffordable for retires even after they pay off their mortgages. These unfair taxes sneak up on us and dampen our enthusiasm for providing for our siblings and our retirement. Do we just give up and let the government provide for us?
The Bush bashing was all liberal media propaganda. Anyone with half a brain should be able to figure out that legislation has to pass through Congress before it gets to the President. Big mistake to turn Congress over to the Democrats in 2007. Seems like every time our country develops major financial problems Congress is being run by liberal Democrats.
I am very disappointed that Republican politicians are unable to have a uniform message countering the message "Bush run the car in the ditch". How about "the new Democratic Majority since 2007 run the car in the ditch". The Republican party needs unity and a clear message to counter Obama's criticism. That message should be on the tongue of every Republican and conservative. Obama;s lie if repeated often enough will appear to be the truth.
My personal opinion is that the failure in the construction industry which is so wide spread effecting home builders, sub contractors, suppliers, RE brokers, bankers, home furnishing sellers, title companies, etc. has led us into this recession and has caused other industries like the automobile industry to also fall on hard times. I have been told that the construction industry led us into this recession and will lead us out.
We have some bad Rebublicans but there are no good Democrats (they all cave in to the big city liberals).
One other subject that seems to be ignored by our Republican friends is "Bracket creep". In order to keep the Bush tax cuts or further cut taxes people need to understand this concept. In spite of the Bush tax cuts, inflation has pushed us into higher tax brackets over the years and has lowered our disposable net income. The Tea Party people are so right about opposing the tax increases. Increased income tax, energy taxes, cigarette taxes, local real estate taxes, state income taxes, user fees, permit fees, toll road fees, are all increasing at a alarming rate. The government burden imposed by runaway spending has created this monster. Is our only salvation to join a union and/or work for the government?
I am a conservative and I don't understand why there is never a rebuttal to the lies coming from the Obama and the Democratic Party. The Republicans need to wake up and rebut some of this garbage expelled by the Democrats. Because they say nothing, people tend to believe the Democrats. It is time for all of us conservatives to speak up to the lies being told.
Going into Iraq,WMD ? Bush had a VETO pen? Pulled Troops out of Afghanastan to go into Iraq? No Bid muilti-million dollar contract's to Haliburton,KBR,Blackwater? TARP remember TARP,That was Bush. Bailout the Bank's that created the mess, That's an I.Q. breaker right there. Give the people with million's a tax break to create job growth ? Where does cutting personal income tax's create job growth, has not worked so far.
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