When will libs see that their Hero Obama is a lot like Bush? proof inside?

Question

At first glance former President Bush and President Obama seem like opposites when it comes to economic policy making. Talk of Bush as a free-marketeer and deregulator abounds as Obama’s reputation as a big spender and intervener grow stronger by the day. A closer look shows their economic policies have more in common than meets the eye.

5. They love to spend. Bush passed a $3 trillion budget for 2009. Obama posted a $3.5 trillion budget in 2010. Bush doubled the debt to almost $6 trillion and Obama’s plans would leave us with an IOU of an additional $8.5 trillion by 2020.

4. They shop at the same stores. Contrary to popular belief, defense and homeland security spending only made up about 40 percent of Bush’s new spending. He increased spending across most non-defense categories – like education, Medicare, Medicaid, income security and regional development – by four to six times the rate of inflation. In Obama’s first half year in office, as he demanded a departure from the “investment deficit” years under Bush, these budgets rose another 70 percent or 40 times the rate of inflation.

3. They dabble with stimulants. In 2001 and 2008, Bush spent billions on rebates to stimulate consumer spending. In 2009, Obama upped the ante with his $862 billion stimulus package.

2. They give sweetheart deals to failing corporations. Obama carried out Bush’s unpopular $700 billion bailout for failing corporations. Together, the presidents have bailed out over 600 businesses since Spring 2008.

1. They enjoy regulating in their free time. Once again contrary to popular belief, President Bush was the biggest regulator since Richard Nixon. Under his leadership in 2007, the number of pages of regulation added to the Federal Register reached an all-time high of 78,090 – a 21 percent increase from Bush’s first year. And spending on regulatory activities rose to $42 billion in 2009 – a 62 percent increase. Since taking office, Obama has proposed a large and sweeping increase in regulation that many worry could lead to another financial crisis in the future.

Despite rhetoric that suggests the contrary, President Obama’s economic policies are strikingly more of the same failed policies that Bush tried before him. This is unfortunate because, as New York Times columnist Paul Krugman claims, the last decade has seen declining private-sector employment and declining median household income.

http://www.bankruptingamerica.org/2010/02/16/the-odd-couple-5-unfortunate-similarities-between-bush-and-obama/

Also
Bush Passed the Patriot act. Obama extended the Patriot act and broadened it

Bush Gave us the TSA but Obama admin gave the TSA the power to grope everyone

Answer 1

Very true, but they would never admit it. 0bama is a horrible combination of Bush, Carter, and Wilson all rolled into one.

Answer 2

I dont think Mr. Obama is such a hero as we thought he would be. He has not rescinded the Patriot Act or the Domestic Surveillance Act, has not closed Guantanamo prison, or withdrawn troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. I recall the budget deficit by the time Bush left in 2008 was $1.2 trillion and the next year it increased to $1.3 trillion, now it is higher. It matters what the spending was for, yes, bank capitalization, automaker capitalization and there are tons of tax credits for the average person, and extending the reduced tax rates from 2001 are not helping the deficit. I dont agree with doing that just to get 13 months more of unemployment benefits.

Answer 3

yeah, I've read this before... half of it is wrong, half is common sense...



in short, most of those ideas were pretty well accepted by both parties to some degree...



only fringe extremists really had major problems with those...if you were paying attention at the time...



in other words... most of America wanted most of this, to some degree...



now, beyond those things that America wanted, they are quite different on the details and other policy issues...

Answer 4

Yes.

They both belong to that exclusive club known as "The United States Presidency".

Answer 5

It's sad that the worst insult that some people can come up with is "Your guy is a lot like George Bush". I mean, it's bad, but can't you come up with something real, like say "his feet are stinky", or "he's born in Kenya" or something like that?

Answer 6

I am disappointed to the extent that Obama has continued awful Bush policies. But no Republican can be expected to do better, and would in fact do worse.

Answer 7

And in many important ways, he isn't. For example:







Private Sector Job Gains/Losses:

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/privatejobs_dec10.jpg