A CHOICE ELECTION

No one’s happy with where America is today.  Too many problems, not enough solutions, everything moves too slowly in Washington — or action is blocked entirely by politicians playing games.  In this environment, Democrats tell us that they’re going to frame the November elections as “a choice election.”  Good idea.

The problems the Administration and Congress have inherited from the Bush years, and the years of Republican rule in Washington, are enormous.  It will take decades to dig our nation out of this mess caused by deregulation and tax cuts, unfunded wars, and a tax code that favors the über-wealthy.

So, everything seems a mess because it is.  But because our country is in a mess doesn’t mean we should be led by our frustration and anger to put the Republican’s back into power — the party that actually caused the mess.  Republicans are still singing from the same ole songbook:  tax cuts, deregulation, lower tax rates, repeal of the Estate Tax, privatization of Social Security and Medicare, etc.  No new ideas.  So, if we elect Republicans in November we need to be prepared to see these rejected and failed ideas brought back!

LET’S JOG OUR MEMORIES:  The Republican mantra of “tax-cuts lead to great growth in jobs and a healthy economy” has been debunked — actually debunked by W.’s economic record.  According to the Wall Street Journal (not exactly a bastion of Liberalism!) the data on the economy under Bush, “shows the worst track record for job creation since the government began keeping records.” 

While President Carter created 10.5 million jobs in his 4 year term, W. only created a pitiful 1 million jobs in 8 years.  Ron Brownstein in the National Journal Magazine does a great job comparing former Presidents’ records of job creation. 

Remember, the Republicans justified all their tax cuts by saying they would create jobs.  The data proves that tax cuts did NOT lead to a boom in job creation.  Carter created 3 times as many jobs as W., and in half the time.  And, of course, Bill Clinton created 23 million jobs while raising tax rates on the wealthy, which helped eliminate the deficit and create a surplus.  So, tax cuts gave us low job growth, and tax hikes gave us high job growth.  And President Obama is on track to create more jobs in this year alone than W. did in his entire eight.

Under W. there was a growth of 8.3 million people who fell below the poverty line.  The National Journal tells us that economically, “On every major measurement, the country lost ground during Bush’s two terms.”

CNBC recently stated that “we tried Bush’s economic plan, and we wound up with a disaster.”  And according to the Center for American Progress, W.’s supply side economics, “fostered the weakest jobs and income growth in more than six decades…sluggish business investment and weak gross domestic product growth.” 

Most Americans still blame W. and not Obama for our economic situation.  We just need to keep reminding them that even though the mess we’re in is not being easily cleaned up, we don’t want to go back to the party that created the mess in the first place.  In this election, America has a clear CHOICE.