[akron]

When you fight a war, while cutting taxes, and increasing social spending, as did LBJ, it leads to inflation because you have to print money to pay the bills.

Real Annual Growth Rate of Non-defense and Non-Homeland Security Outlays by President:

Johnson +4.1%
Nixon +5.0%
Carter +1.6%
Reagan - 1.4%
Bush 41 +3.8%
Clinton +2.1%
Bush 43 +4.8%

No, history will grade Reagan much higher

[Torie]

If you put aside everything else, on fiscal policy, a Dem president with a Pubbie congress is the ticket. That is just how politics works.

[sinkspur]

When you fight a war, while cutting taxes, and increasing social spending, as did LBJ, it leads to inflation because you have to print money to pay the bills.

The deficit is going down, thanks to Bush's tax cuts. LBJ never cut taxes; that was Kennedy. There would be no inflation today if gasoline prices were factored out.

Leaving out defense spending is disingenous, and you know it. Reagan never cut spending and agreed to four tax increases.

[patriciaruth]

Interesting figures on growth rate of nondefense outlays.

Wonder if Presidents find that fighting a hot war with casualties means they find themselves giving in more to pork expenditures to keep the Congressional support for the war going.

These figures may reveal a darker universal truth.

[Txsleuth]

Gosh...if we go by THAT...then Jimmah Carter was the second best POTUS!!!

THAT is crapola.