I once saw a graph posted here that had a line chart representing the deficit and an area chart that showed the party in charge of the house over time. It covered the last 40 years. I wish I could find that chart again.
Here is is. Of course, the fact that Clinton didn't have to budget for the Cold War had a lot to do with why he was able to balance the budget.
Note that I didn't go back past 1994 because it was a moot point - pretty much Democrat control for 50 years.
When the GOP controls Congress, regardless of who's the President, deficits fall. The power of the purse lies with Congress, not the President. And this graph pretty much proves the point. Having split control of Congress is bad (not as bad as 100% control by the Democrats); we need to focus on taking back the Senate and keeping the House in 2012, rather than bumping off Obama (that would be nice, however). It's better for the nation to get control of Congress, than just one chamber and the Presidency.
Bookmark this thread. It is an excellent resource.....
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2451468/posts