[justlurking]

Wow. That's devastating.

Of course, the Kneepad Media will be claiming that it was all Bush's fault.

I'm not sure that it will peel off any partisan Democrats, or even conservative Democrats. Carter is not exactly a popular guy in their party.

I also wonder if it will convince any independents or undecideds. They don't have a lot of respect for Carter, either.

If I had any advice for Romney/Ryan, it would be to hit Obama non-stop with facts countering the "It's Bush's fault" meme.

To wit:

• The tax code simplification in the Reagan administration lowered the top marginal tax rate, and tax revenues went up.
• The deficit still went up, because the Democrat congress refused to cut spending, despite their promises to do so.
• Clinton didn't balance the budget: a Republican Congress balanced the budget. Clinton went along because he had no choice.
• The economic boom from lower tax rates and balanced budget lasted until 2000, until the dot.com bubble burst. Then, we were hit by 9/11. We can argue all day about why they occurred, but they happened, and the double whammy hit the economy hard.
• The decision to invade Afghanistan and Libya were bipartisan decisions. No apologies, no victory dance -- just the facts, backed up by quotes from the likes of both Clintons and Al Gore.
• After the tax cuts in 2003, revenue soared again and the deficit was declining. Unemployment was under 5% in 2006. Then, the Democrats took over Congress, and both skyrocketed. That's the reason that Bush's average over 8 years was negative. If you only consider the first 6 years when the Republicans also controlled the House, it's positive.
• The mortgage crisis was building for a long time. Both parties share some responsibility, but Bush did try to deal with it and was rebuffed by Democrats. Obama had a significant role in it, even before he was elected. There was a recent article in the The Daily Caller about his lawsuit against Citygroup.

Obama's record speaks for itself. But, Romney/Ryan could do a lot to counter this "we can't go back to those failed policies" meme. Those policies didn't fail. They succeeded spectacularly, and were subsequently mucked up by the Democrats.

Stop letting the Kneepad Media frame the past. Too many people don't remember the past, don't understand the true cause and effect, or are too young to know what really happened.

[HapaxLegamenon]

Well Obama is certainly using Carter’s playbook for re-election: “Fear and Chains”

[StevenFlorida]

“Carter is not exactly a popular guy in their party.”

I would disagree. They are giving Jimmy Carter a prominent role in this week’s convention. Obama is Jimmy Carter’s second term, and is a beloved figure among the Democrat Party faithful. Obama likes him because Carter is an enemy of Israel, so they have much in common.

[hattend]

Clinton didn't balance the budget: a Republican Congress balanced the budget. Clinton went along because he had no choice.

Well, they came close but neither can take credit for a balanced budget as it never happened.