I thought things looked bleak then, when Hilary tried to push through socialized medicine. I didn't fully appreciate the work of the Republican congress, although I was a fan of Gingrich. The budget was actually balanced back then. It's hard to believe.
Russia now has a flat tax. They survived communism. That's the example I'm looking to for hope now, just 25 years after the fall of The Wall.
1) Back in those days Clinton and Democrats were worried about large deficits creating inflation and high interest rates because the economy was already recovering in early 1993, the slow world+US economy has been keeping tnat from happening now but it cant last forever. It was not seen as possible back then for the Fed R. to create the ammounts of new $$$ it has been doung the past five to six years.
2) Bush Sr only had 4 years and a Dem congress, where GWB had eight and his own for a number of those years. That gave a better sounding excuse for Obama.
3) On the East coast esp Maryland (+NY) we have had massive legal immigration and thousands of new housing developments to support it, ironically wiping out enormous patches of woods and wetlands (just a side point, we got armies of deer running wild), turning solid D counties Dem.
The new immigrants are naturally not white (are Korean, Indian, Pakistan) and they are sympathetic to O and his professor like lectures that explain why its good for everyone to give to them. This is what I barely recognize.
Clinton had a whole different Demographic to deal with.
The GOP did great last year with 50+ white males, now they need to work on some others.