The Republican Debt Orgy in Pictures (chart-heavy)

[JHB]

via http://crooksandliars.com/jon-perr/republican-debt-orgy-pictures">Crooks and Liars

"In Washington more spending and more debt is business as usual," House Speaker John Boehner declared on Monday before warning, "I've got news for Washington - those days are over." The days, Boehner should have explained, before Barack Obama took the oath of office. As Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) rightly pointed on the Senate floor last year, "We would have none of this if it hadn't been for the Republican debt orgy that they went through." Which is exactly right. As a few handy charts show, Republican presidents and the current GOP leadership in Congress presided over that debt debauchery. And now they demand Democrats clean up their mess.

In case Americans had forgotten that Ronald Reagan tripled the national debt and George W. Bush doubled it, the New York Times presented the helpful reminder above.
(on DU, the first chart below -- JHB)

For their part, Republicans want to pretend history began on January 20, 2009. While Texas Rep. Jeb Hensarling claimed Friday that for Republicans raising the debt ceiling is "contrary to our DNA," House Minority Leader Eric Cantor protested two weeks ago, "I don't think the White House understands is how difficult it is for fiscal conservatives to say they're going to vote for a debt ceiling increase."

As McClatchy showed, Republicans are as bad at genetics and history as they are at economics:

(the McClatchy graph is the second one shown below -- JHB)

[Cool Logic]

1. It is a debt orgy...no doubt about that.

However, when the topic of discussion is spending, it doesn't make much sense to focus on the Executive Branch. After all, spending bills are drafted by the House and enacted by the Legislative Branch as a whole.

Having said that, it would appear that divided government has done more to restrain spending than anything else in the years represented by these charts.

[JHB]

2. Monday morning self-kick

[malaise]

3. K & R

That anyone would be bullied by these people is frightening

[pokerfan]

4. k&r

:applause:

[Leopolds Ghost]

5. See also this picture:

Note the GREY areas, representing the portion of federal debt (not shown in some graphics) which is money owed to the Social Security and other trust funds, which Obama wants to appoint a commission to find cuts so that they can simply eliminate the need to pay back those funds.

Analysis here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1628111



Source: Washington Post July 17 2011

Note that this is the spin the Washington Post puts on it. For a downloadable PDF version see here.