
Though the picture so far is of the Republicans as the party of austerity and the Democrats as the party of stimulus, there's a surprise when it comes to changes in the federal deficit: Republicans are more liberal with the red ink than Dems. On average, a Republican in the White House has meant a shift of –1.9% of GDP in the government's budget balance (i.e., towards smaller surpluses or bigger deficits), while a Dem has meant a 1.5% improvement in the budget position (or 1.8%, if you start in 1949, thereby omitting the huge World War II deficit). And in this case, the average is a faithful representation of the distribution, with only one Democrat in the minus column and only one Republican in the plus.
With only few exceptions, Republican administrations have presided over increases in unemployment, and Democrats over declines.
Something to keep in mind.
Cue Mark Twain quote in 3…2…1….
I've always done better under democratic administrations. My income increased quite a bit under the Clinton and even under Carter. I nearly starved to death under Nixon, Reagan, and H.W. My income has been stagnant under dubya, if you throw inflation into the mix it's gone down considerably. I may not be starving now but I am hungry.
TGF ramen!
Excellent information!
It's always good to have the facts available.
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