Posted on 10/21/2008 7:33:03 AM PDT by SmithL
Republicans, alarmed by the prospect that Democrats could take back the White House and expand their majorities in the House and Senate, are starting to warn of the perils of one party controlling Washington.
It's a striking argument for Republicans, who have held all the levers of federal power for most of the past eight years. While even GOP leaders admit the Republican brand has been tarnished during President Bush's two terms, they believe they can convince voters that total Democratic control would be worse, leading to higher taxes and an expansion of government.
In his new campaign stump speech, Arizona Sen. John McCain warned Monday that Democrat Barack Obama is "measuring the drapes and planning, with Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi and Sen. (Harry) Reid, to raise taxes, increase spending and concede defeat in Iraq."
The warning is part of a new campaign to put Obama on the defensive. McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, are accusing the Democratic nominee of pushing "socialist" tax policies.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Just for the record:
During the election cycle of 1992, Bill Clinton hammered Bush the elder relentlessly for having caused the “worst economy of the last 50 years.” But in fact, as CNN’s Brooke Jackson subsequently reported in 2001: “Three days before Christmas 1992, the National Bureau of Economic Research finally issued its official proclamation that the recession had ended 21 months earlier. What became the longest boom in U.S. history actually began nearly two years before Clinton took office.”
By the same token, Clinton is generally perceived as having a stellar economic record during his own presidency, in spite of the fact that the economy was already starting to decline during the last year of his term after the stock market crashed in March 2000. According to a report by MSNBC: “The longest economic expansion in U.S. history faltered so much in the summer of 2000 that business output actually contracted for one quarter, the government said Wednesday in releasing a comprehensive revision of the gross domestic product. Based on new data, the Commerce Department said that the GDP — the country’s total output of goods and services — shrank by 0.5 percent at an annual rate in the July-September quarter of 2000.”
When GW Bush correctly warned the American voters about the nation’s declining economic performance during the 2000 presidential campaign, the same Democrats who had loudly criticized his father for “the worst economy in fifty years” had no problem at all accusing him of “talking down the economy.”
She is serious, she’s a resident lib.
But when Republicans (supposedley) get in, they don’t by principle try to control everyone’s lives and take everyone’s possessions.
The difference is, when Dems get in, they tell you they are going to CHANGE things. And come into your backyard to do it, whether you like it or not.
And if people don’t believe me, I took the above sentence from Obama’s speeches. He’s like Hitler, in a way - he’s telling people, and they aren’t hearing or believing hims.
As soon as 0 is elected the media will start changing their tune on the economy. The doom and gloom stories will become more rare.
As far as total Democrat control goes, what were the Republicans waiting for?? They should have been using this tactic for 6 months.
If the American people (or the small percentage who actually vote) are hell bent on one party rule then they will have to learn the hard way what it will bring. We can gloat and say we told you so. But unfortunately we will all be dragged down.
This is good. They need to point out who has been in control and how much worse things have gotten in this country theses 2 yrs. with Pelosi and Reid and the Demonrats taking control. They need to always state DEMOCRAT CONTROLLED CONGRESS. I think it is imperative they keep reminding people of this fact and the bad nature of Obama aligned with this.
It’s interesting to note how unpopular Bill Clintoon was his first two yrs. with that Demonrat Congress. Not to mention that Bush 41 handed over an economy that was already growing and not near the recession painted. Add the Republican takeover in ‘94 along with the Republican Governors, Legislatures, mayors(Giuliani) and Clintoon had a lot of Republicans to thank. Republicans stopped his large socialist agenda and created the myth. But let us not forget that Clintoon found Kosovo to be this great threat and let Osama Bin Laden thrive to where it led to 9/11.
” and a stagnant stock market casino. “
The stock market was doing fine until the Democrats took over Congress. Their threats to raise taxes and waste money spooked investors and businesses and made the economy worse.
Yeah social justice through home mortgages..
Thanks Bawney Fwrank
” and a stagnant stock market casino. “
The stock market was doing fine until the Democrats took over Congress. Their threats to raise taxes and waste money spooked investors and businesses and made the economy worse.
Yeah social justice through home mortgages..
Thanks Bawney Fwrank
Michele Bachmann puts it on the line, again!
ACORN & Obama - Allied How? To What End?
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guilty as charged
FALSE.
Democrats have controlled the house for 1/4th of the time. They have controlled the Senate for 40% of the time. So Republicans haven't held "all the levers" for "most" of the time.
Further, the Republicans never had effective control of the Senate, and at most had tentative control for 2 years, because of the filibuster rule.
And the simple fact is that, in most respects the country does do better with divided government, at least so long as politicians allow power to corrupt them like the Democrats for 40 years, and the Republicans up to 2006.
Most of the economic gains of the 90s started after Republicans took control in 2005, especially so if you measure from when the effects of the recession had been negated.
If you look at the performance of the economy, comparing 1993-1994 and 2007-2008 to the period from 1995-2006, it will be clear that 1995-2006 were great years, and the combined 1993-1994 and 2007-2008 sucked.
It appears that who is President doesn’t matter much, but having Republicans in control of the house was much better for our country than having Democrats in control of the house.
Also, the Democrats did everything in their power to drive oil prices through the roof. Gas prices were $2.20 when they took office, and got up to over $4.00 this summer, which essentially put the breaks on our economy. Oil prices were as instrumental in destroying our economy as the mortgage crisis (also caused by Democrats).
In September, the Democrats were still trying to maintain a ban on offshore drilling, even going so far as to push a fake “offshore drilling” bill that banned drilling permanently in the first 50 miles where all the oil was, while opening up places farther than 100 miles where little oil was known to exist.
Instead, the Republicans were able to block them, and the ban was lifted because the Democrats couldn’t pass it again.
Since then, oil prices have come down by a huge amount, and gas prices today are around $2.70 in my area, still too high but much lower.
We have proven that we could have had $2.50-$2.70 gas throughout the last two years, if not for a Democrat congress. And that would have saved us from most of the early recession, and might have held up consumer confidence enough to prevent the real estate meltdown.
Democrats are now proven to have been directly to blame for high gas prices. Reversing democrat policies lowered the gas prices.
So easy even Republicans could do it. This should be the campaign agenda of GOP House and Senate candidates and grass roots this election season, particularly in "red" states and conservative congressional districts:
2 years ago people voted for change in Congress
Are you better off than you were 2 years ago?
9% Approval, Worst Congress Ever!Electing a 'conservative' Democrat to Congress
ensures continued Democrats' majority in Congress and
the failed agendas and failed leadership of
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Republicans are such p****** and drama queens. Where was the GOP when their own congress critters were spending like drunken librats for the past 8 years? Where was the GOP when Bush/McCain and company went to the socialist dark side with the 700 Billion dollar bailout? Now they want to cry wolf that the libs will control both houses and the Presidency. Wimps and hypocrites.
All true but when the Dems control the 3 Branches, that will be really a dictatorship of socialist pacifism. And that will change our nation forever even in just 4 years.
Is this media ignorance or lies?
The Democrats held the Senate in 2001-2002. They held both the House and Senate from 2007 through today.
The REpublicans had a small majority in 2003-2006.
A DUmocrat trifecta will surely destroy this country...doubt it would survive 4 years.
*Sheesh* It's about time. If McCain wins, this will be why. I wonder what dolts thought this would be a bad idea to campaign on. I suppose they thought this would be a repudiation of the Republican one-party control (if you don't consider the endless filibusters by Senate Democrats).
Frankly, I think a Dem WH and Congress would be GOOD for America. If Americans want to elect these fools to power then America deserves what the next two years will have in store for them and then in 2010 we’ll see GOP majority Congress again.
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