General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHistory indicates that a Romney presidency would be very difficult for the country.
Last edited Sun Jun 17, 2012, 08:59 AM - Edit history (2)
Going back at least to LBJ, Republicans have inherited better economies than they have left for their successors. Nixon had a "secret strategy" to stop the war in Vietnam in 1968 when he was running for President. However, when he was forced from office in 1974, the war was still going on and the country was sliding into our first post-WWII inflationary period. It hit hardest when Gerald Ford was in office in 1975 and 1976, when he created the WIN (Whip Inflation Now) buttons as a way to battle the high prices. At the same time, we had the first oil shock, with long lines at the gas stations for the first time. That was what Jimmy Carter inherited in January, 1977, on top of the trust lost in the Watergate scandal.
Jimmy Carter made a valiant effort to bring down the price of oil by cutting back on foreign consumption. He was ridiculed for suggesting people turn their thermostats back by 3-4 degrees and he even put solar panels on the roof of the White House. However, when Ronald Reagan took over in January, 1981, Jimmy Carter had put the country on a more stable path of energy independence. Ronald Reagan removed the solar panels and the American people sank back into complacency.
By the time Reagan and Bush I had finished their 12 years, the economy was surviving mostly on Keynesian spending and tax cuts for the wealthy. Unfortunately, they created record deficits that had the American people, including Ross Perot, very concerned about the direction our country was headed. Once again, a Democrat, Bill Clinton inherited their mess.
After 8 years of the Clinton Presidency, in which he was impeached, the economy was at full employment and for the first time since LBJ, the country had another balanced budget. Once again, the Democrat, with a shovel and a broom, had cleaned up the Republican economic mess. He left a balanced budget and a projected surplus with the entire debt paid off by 2011, to George W Bush.
Rarely in our history, if ever, has there been a presidency as disastrous as that of George W Bush. He demolished the balanced budget and the surplus after his first year in office, by passing humongous taxcuts for the wealthiest people in the country. On top of that, after the WTC was attacked, he borrowed the money to fight two wars, one in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. The wars dragged on for his entire two terms. On top of all that, he presided over the worst collapse in our economy since the Great Depression. The danger to the economy and to our system itself may have been even greater than the Great Depression.
Enter the next Democrat, Barack Obama. The economy collapsing, the stock market dropping like a rock, the mortgage bubble popping everywhere, job losses at more than a million every two months. 401K retirement incomes disappearing. That is the mess that Barack Obama inherited.
Now, as we enter into the last few months of the first term of the Obama Presidency, the economy has not fully recovered. It is still in a very fragile condition. It was in such severe condition that the Democrat could not fix it in four years. The wrong decisions could send us back into a tail spin at any time.
Unlike his Republican predecessors, Mitt Romney would not have an economy that has been fixed by the Democrat. There is no room for Republican mistakes this time around. If we attempt the same Republican policies once again, there is little Democratic cushion to save us from the impact that it will have on all of America. History indicates, in my opinion, that a Romney presidency will be devastating for the poor and average working folks.
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still_one
(92,539 posts)NAFTA a lot of damage was done
kentuck
(111,111 posts)..that Bill Clinton signed his name on. I think he was trying to stop the impeachment or keep the wolves at bay.
still_one
(92,539 posts)kentuck
(111,111 posts)...who perfected the art of political triangulation. Yes, he signed off on legislation that Reagan and Bush I could not get passed, it is true.
DonCoquixote
(13,616 posts)Why do you think the Chinese are donating to Mitt; they KNOW he could be America's cope de grace, and indeed, the whole western world.
siligut
(12,272 posts)Not mistakes, purposeful looting by the rich. This time the repugs are setting the stage for complete destruction, again, not a mistake.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)I note that it is your original post. I'm quite serious.
This is a great argument for voting for Obama even though he is not as progressive as many of us would like.
kentuck
(111,111 posts)Of course. Use it in whatever way you think it may help us keep Mitt Romney out of the White House.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Igel
(35,393 posts)US troops pulled out. CIA presence, diplomatic presence, and the military needed to protect those (Marines, mostly) stayed.
The rest was between the Vietnams (and, to a large extent, the Communist-state supporters of the North). Apart from a request to resupply the South (which was supposedly part of the treaty) and some Cambodian bombing that was stopped in '74, it was over for the US before Nixon's resignation.
People seem to think that the famous pictures of the US Embassy evacuation was part of a defeat. The defeat--if any--occurred at the negotiating table.
kentuck
(111,111 posts)...when the last American troops left that country. Kissinger was negotiating right up 'til the end.
Marcia Brady
(108 posts)kentuck
(111,111 posts)"With US forces gone from the country, South Vietnam stood alone. The situation worsened in December 1974, when Congress passed the Foreign Assistance Act of 1974, cutting off all military aid. This act removed the threat of air strikes should North Vietnam break the terms of the accords. Shortly after the acts passage, North Vietnam began a limited offensive in Phuoc Long Province to test Saigons resolve. The province fell quickly and Hanoi pressed the attack. Surprised by the ease of their advance, against largely incompetent ARVN forces, the North Vietnamese stormed through the south, finally capturing Saigon. South Vietnam surrendered on April 30, 1975, following the fall of its capital. After thirty years of conflict, Ho Chi Minhs vision of a united, communist Vietnam had been realized."
annabanana
(52,791 posts)In a World where people are encouraged to REMEMBER history, the cycle would have been broken earlier. Sadly, the war on Education will make it even harder to see the big picture.
Tennessee Gal
(6,160 posts)I agree with you wholeheartedly.
However, I would suggest you change this phrase: Now, as we enter into the last few months of the Obama Presidency,
To this: Now, as we possibly enter into the last few months of the Obama Presidency,
Or this: Now, as we enter into the last few months of the first term of the Obama Presidency,
The way you have it worded makes it seem like the Obama Presidency is definitely ending and, hopefully, it is not.
kentuck
(111,111 posts)Thanks!
Tennessee Gal
(6,160 posts)Tennessee Gal
(6,160 posts)It was owned by a local elderly couple who I just loved chatting with. They had a small soft drink cooler where they kept Dr. Peppers in those small glass bottles. The best kind! I would have a Dr. Pepper while visiting with them and discussing all the local small town issues.
It never failed to end up in a political discussion. If we had a Democratic President, their business was doing quite well. If we had a Republican President, their business was suffering. They had been in business for many, many years and said their experience had proven that Republicans were always bad for the economy as it relates to small business owners and the average hard working American. I always agreed with them and knew that you could believe in the wisdom of your elders. They were living proof of their positions.
There came a time when they retired and closed their store. The gentleman has since passed away, but I still see his wife around town sometimes and we relish those times we had with Dr. Peppers and conversations.
So, I post this story to confirm that what this OP is saying is the truth. Economic times always improve for the average hard working American when there is a Democrat in the White House.
edited for grammar
GeorgeGist
(25,327 posts)than Obama.
Autumn
(45,120 posts)rec
Fire Walk With Me
(38,893 posts)Faster than our current path, that is.