Well well well, aren't those some surprising facts?! Not to those of us who seek out evidence, but for those of you reading tea leaves instead.
Despite the fantasy that the GOP/Tea Partisans like to imagine, it turns out President Obama isn't the Big spender they wish he were. Mr. Reagan and Mr. Bush the smaller are battling for that honor.
One can only hope that now Republicans will drop that accusation, and come up with something, well, a little more true?
This from Forbes @
http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2012/05/24/who-is-the-smallest-government-spender-since-eisenhower-would-you-believe-its-barack-obama/
Here's a bit of the article. For his trouble, the writer of this fine bit of research Rick Unger was attacked in the comment section by Republican Tea Partisans who, as usual, go into denial when presented with evidence that proves their oft-repeated yet wholly unjustified narrative to be wrong.
"How have the Republicans managed to persuade Americans to buy into the whole “Obama as big spender” narrative?
It might have something to do with the first year of the Obama presidency where the federal budget increased a whopping 17.9% —going from $2.98 trillion to $3.52 trillion. I’ll bet you think that this is the result of the Obama sponsored stimulus plan that is so frequently vilified by the conservatives…but you would be wrong.
The first year of any incoming president term is saddled—for better or for worse—with the budget set by the president whom immediately precedes the new occupant of the White House. Indeed, not only was the 2009 budget the property of George W. Bush—and passed by the 2008 Congress—it was in effect four months before Barack Obama took the oath of office.
Accordingly, the first budget that can be blamed on our current president began in 2010 with the budgets running through and including including fiscal year 2013 standing as charges on the Obama account, even if a President Willard M. Romney takes over the office on January 20, 2013.
So, how do the actual Obama annual budgets look?
Courtesy of Marketwatch-
- In fiscal 2010 (the first Obama budget) spending fell 1.8% to $3.46 trillion.
- In fiscal 2011, spending rose 4.3% to $3.60 trillion.
- In fiscal 2012, spending is set to rise 0.7% to $3.63 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office’s estimate of the budget that was agreed to last August.
- Finally in fiscal 2013 — the final budget of Obama’s term — spending is scheduled to fall 1.3% to $3.58 trillion.
For those of you keeping score, we have proven that Obama's record on jobs is positive and far better than when he took office, his record on GDP again far better than when he took over, and now once more we find his record on spending in actually pretty good. His record is better than Mr. Bush's first three years, in fact.
All of these factors would most likely be much better if it weren't for the obstructionists in Congress and the U.S. Senate, where the minority party has decided that the will of the voters doesn't matter, and have prevented the majority from doing anything to help the country.
You know, the majority party? Those legislators the citizens of our great country chose to make the decisions this time around? The GOP minority feels that we can't be trusted to decide for ourselves, so they have taken it upon themselves to prevent anything from happening in case, horrors! Obama did well and earned a second term.
Yes, they did, but then, he has, and of course, he does. Deserve a second term, that is...for doing a good job...despite their obstruction, I mean.
