Month: January 2010

The Rachel Maddow Show has posted this debt graph to point out Republican Presidents have increased the national debt more than Democratic Presidents.

On the same page is a video, Pin the Debt on the Donkey!, in which contestants guess which presidents saddle the US with the most debt, the answer being “Republicans.” Rachel Maddow questions why Republicans are considered the “natural party of fiscal responsibility” when they don’t have a history of fiscal responsibility.

The answer is the Republican Party isn’t the natural party of fiscal responsibility, and neither is the Democratic Party.

Its a cruel trick to have you believing that one party would do a better job at handling the nation’s budget. Going by this graph, you could assume the current Democratic President is adding less to the debt than the Republican Presidents. This is not the case. In the first year of President Obama’s administration, 1.5 trillion has been added to the national debt. 1.5 trillion is half of the 3 trillion added under President Bush’s 2nd term. 1.5 trillion is equal to the amount of debt added during both President Clinton’s terms in office.

Its a good example of the damage done in the us-vs.-them of politics, because neither party has shown it has any natural fiscal responsibility. In terms of fiscal responsibility, the us vs. them mentality is simply enabling both parties to be fiscally reckless.

With both parties driving the country towards the cliff of bankruptcy, it’s a poor selling point to say our party will get you there the safest and fastest way possible.