[trailstaff]

It would be nice to see Clinton work in the next Obama administration!

In 1981, the supply siders commandeered the Reagan Presidency and employed their Voodoo economics, as Bush senior had called it in 1980. He was saying that tax cuts would not increase government revenues. As you can see above, the Voodoo performed just as Bush predicted, and the supply siders turned a 32-year winning streak into a debt disaster that continues to this day. For 20-years, under Reagan and the Bushes, the national debt increased compared to GDP every single year. In most other years it decreases. Twenty years in a row can't be just and accident, but to understand you need to learn the voodoo strategy. (Why Debt / GDP ?)
Bush senior fought against it, so the Republicans didn't support him and he lost to Clinton, who put an end to it supply-side economics. G. W. Bush brought it back full strength, with V.P. Cheney saying "Reagan proved deficits don't matter." Currently supply siders are in full control of the Republican party.

The green line shows what would have happened to the national debt if Reagan and the Bushes had balanced their budgets as Reagan claimed he would. G.W. Bush, in all modesty, claimed he would "retire nearly $1 trillion in debt over the next four years. This will be the largest debt reduction ever achieved by any nation at any time."
Conservatives are quite embarrassed by this performance, so they have invented a cover story: The Democratic Congress did it. Nice try. But for 12 of the 20 years the Congress was not Democratic. Also, presidents can veto, and when it was Democratic, Congress passed smaller budgets on average than the Republican Presidents asked for. Presidents propose the budget, and they have the most influence. Check it out.

 

[trailstaff]

ooops

Republican Leadership To Blame ??

Republican National Debt: $12 Trillion and Counting

This page explains
the green line
January 11, 2012. Republicans blame the "Democratic Congress" for their debt increases. The trouble is that Congress was only Democratic 8 out of the 20 years, and in those 8 years, on average, Congress passed smaller budgets than the Republican presidents requested. The specifics are all right here: It Was the Republicans.
So, let's add up the debt under Reagan and the Bushes. We can't blame Reagan for the debt's increase until his first budget took effect, October 1, 1981. Then, for 12 years until Sept. 30, 1993, the Republicans ballooned the debt. Later, George W. Bush took over.

• Under Reagan and Bush: $3.4 Trillion increase in the debt.
• Under George W. Bush: $6.1 Trillion.[1]
• Total: $9.5 Trillion. (without counting interest)

But wait, there's interest on that debt ... continued below the graph.

The debt went up during Clinton's years only because of $2.2 Trillion interest on the Reagan-Bush debt. Otherwise Clinton would have paid off most the remaining WWII debt. G.W.Bush got sand-bagged by Reagan.Just like a mortgage, the debt earns interest, and so the Reagan-Bush-I debt grew during the Clinton years. The average debt interest rate in those years was about 6.5%, which would increase it over 50% without compounding, but with compound interest the total debt - including interest - increased by $2.2 trillion.

• Total Republican debt from above: $9.5 trillion
• Interest on Reagan-Bush debt under Clinton: $2.2 trillion
• Interest on $11.7 trillion after G. W. Bush: $0.3 trillion
• (detailed calculation)
• Grand Total Reagan-Bushes Debt: $12 trillion (as of Sept. 30, 2010).

If the Republicans had not run up this $12 Trillion debt, we could easily have pulled out of the Great Recession.
PopNotes used above:
1: Stimulous
The Obama stimulus package spent $36 billion ($0.036 trillion) before the end of Bush's final budget years. This has been subtracted.
the green line: The Green Line
on the graph above shows what the debt would have been if Reagan and the Bushes had balanced their budgets. (Full-size graph)
sand-bagged: Not as Bad as He Looks
Almost half of the debt that Bush II ran up was from interest on the Reagan-Bush-I debt, but it was still all Republican.

• Congress? No.
• Voodoo Economics
• $12 Trillion Calc

 

[trailstaff]

and more

5 Presidents Who Raised the Debt Ceiling

Debt Ceiling Increases in Modern History

From Tom Murse, former Contributing Writer

See More About:

• national debt
• debt ceiling
• obama
• government waste
• federal budget process

Congress has tinkered with the debt ceiling, the statutory limit on amount of money the United States government is authorized to borrow to meet its legal obligations, a grand total of 78 times since 1960 - 49 times under Republican presidents and 29 times under Democratic presidents.
See also: Debt Ceiling History
In modern history, Ronald Reagan oversaw the largest number of debt ceiling increases, and George W. Bush approved a near doubling of the borrowing cap during his two terms in office.
Here's a look at the debt ceiling under modern U.S. presidents.

1. Debt Ceiling Under Obama

Alex Wong / Getty Images
The debt ceiling has been raised on three occasions under President Barack Obama. The debt ceiling was $11.315 trillion when the Democrat was sworn into office in January 2009 and increased by nearly $3 trillion or 26 percent by summer 2011, to $14.294 trillion.
See also: Did Obama Double the National Debt?
Under Obama the debt ceiling increased:

• by $789 billion to $12.104 trillion in February 2009, Obama's first year in office, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act;
• by $290 billion to $12.394 trillion ten months later, in December 2009;
• and by $1.9 trillion to $14.294 trillion two months later, in February 2010.

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2. Debt Ceiling Under Bush

The White House
The debt ceiling was raised on seven occasions during President George W. Bush's two terms in office, from $5.95 trillion in 2001 to nearly double that, $11.315 trillion, in 2009 - an increase of $5.365 trillion or 90 percent.
Under Bush the debt ceiling increased:

• by $450 billion to $6.4 trillion in June 2002;
• by $984 billion to $7.384 trillion 11 months later, in May 2003;
• by $800 billion to $8.184 trillion 18 months later, in November 2004;
• by $781 billion to $8.965 trillion 16 months later, in March 2006;
• by $850 billion to $9.815 trillion 18 months later, in September 2007;
• by $800 billion to $10.615 trillion 10 months later, in July 2008;
• and by $700 billion to $11.315 trillion three months later, in October 2008.

3. Debt Ceiling Under Clinton

Getty Images
The debt ceiling was raised on four occasions during President Bill Clinton's two terms, from $4.145 trillion when he took office in 1993 to $5.95 trillion when he left the White House in 2001 - an increase of $1.805 trillion or 44 percent.
See also: National Debt Versus Federal Deficit
Under Clinton the debt ceiling increased:

• by $225 billion to $4.37 trillion in April 1993;
• by $530 billion to $4.9 trillion four months later, in August 1993;
• by $600 billion to $5.5 trillion two years and seven months later, in March 1996;
• and by $450 billion to $5.95 trillion 17 months later, in August 1997.

4. Debt Ceiling Under Bush

Bachrach / Getty Images
The debt ceiling was raised on four occasions during President George H.W. Bush's one term, from $2.8 trillion when he took office in 1989 to $4.145 trillion when he left the White House in 1993 - an increase of $1.345 trillion or 48 percent.
Under Bush the debt ceiling increased:

• by $70 billion to $2.87 trillion in August 1989;
• by $252.7 billion to $3.1227 trillion three months later, in November 1989;
• by $107.3 billion to $3.23 trillion 11 months later, in October 1990;
• and by $915 billion to $4.145 trillion one month later, in November 1990.

5. Debt Ceiling Under Reagan

Hulton Archive
The debt ceiling was raised on 17 occasions under President Ronald Reagan, nearly tripling from $935.1 billion to $2.8 trillion.
Under Reagan the debt ceiling was raised to:

• $985 billion in February 1981;
• $999.8 billion in September 1981;
• $1.0798 trillion September 1981;
• $1.1431 trillion in June 1982;
• $1.2902 trillion in September 1982;
• $1.389 trillion in May 1993;
• $1.49 trillion in November 1983;
• $1.52 trillion in May 1984;
• $1.573 trillion in July 1984;
• $1.8238 trillion in October 1984;
• $1.9038 trillion in November 1985;
• $2.0787 trillion in December 1985;
• $2.111 trillion in August 1986;
• $2.3 trillion in October 1986;
• $2.32 trillion in July 1987;
• $2.352 trillion in August 1987;
• and $2.8 trillion in September 1987.

 

[hen3ry]

I remember when the Republican Party really was for fiscal responsibility. These days it seems like they're more interested in female reproductivity, voter supression, and watering down the influence of the people in our government.

BTW; excellent posts Mr. Trailstaff. It's nice to see all this information together in one place.

 

[trailstaff]

Gop

I remember when the Republican Party really was for fiscal responsibility. These days it seems like they're more interested in female reproductivity, voter supression, and watering down the influence of the people in our government.

I just can't find the "conservative" in any of they're party leadership??

I think they(republicans) would be better served with a new adjective??

Maybe "corporate republican"...? But conservative<< no proof!!

 

[hen3ry]

I just can't find the "conservative" in any of they're party leadership??

I think they(republicans) would be better served with a new adjective??

Maybe "corporate republican"...? But conservative...

How about "religious republican" since they are far more motivated to act out of religious furvor than for the betterment of the country.

Their fear of Siria Law is humorous when you think how often they try to force THEIR religious views down everyone else's throat.

There's a reason why our Founding Fathers didn't establish a national religion. "Conservatives" didn't seem to get the memo on that.

 

[Lundy43123]

Keep it coming, it is working great.

If there are actually any undecided voters still remaining I'm positive you both are making an impression on them

 

[trailstaff]

Impressions

Keep it coming, it is working great.

If there are actually any undecided voters still remaining I'm positive you both are making an impression on them

Anything but a "false impression"..hopefully a "realistic impression".

Thanks for your "post impression".