The latest 2015 budget deficit is -$439B and in 2007 it was -$161B. OK, so that’s “lower” but not in the way we want. The latest def/GDP has 2007 at -1.1% compared to 2014 -2.8%. I guess they made up some nice big number for the 2015 GDP, a fantasy that could generate a super low number for 2015.
I think they might have divided the 2015 debt by the 2015 deficit, that is about 2.5%.