Bush's Good Fortune. Three Lucky Economic Breaks

Washington Post ^ | 8/1/05 | Sebastian Mallaby

[advance_copy]

This President guided our economy through the dot-com bust, corporate scandals, and massive terrorist attacks. It was not "luck", it was his steady leadership that prevented what would have otherwise been the worst economic catastrophe in our nation's history. Had Al Gore been elected President in 2000, we'd still be in a depression.

[KamperKen]

This is a total reprise of the criticisms against Reagan in the 80's. Reagan just happened to get "lucky" on the economy.

The last refuge for all morons is journalism.

[Betaille]

"Bush proposed enormous tax cuts to shore up his conservative credentials in the 2000 primaries. ...after the first reckless cuts were enacted"-

Stop right there! He's already assumed his conclusion. He is trying to make the case that tax cuts are reckless, but he refers to the cuts as reckless without establishing or demonstrating anything.

"the post-Sept. 11 economic trough ended in time for Bush's reelection."

Once again he is assuming his own conclusion. He is assuming that the economic growth was a result of "luck" rather than the result of the Tax Cuts he earlier referred to as "reckless" without giving any evidence or explanation.

As for the rest of the article, all he does is claim that everything that has happened has been a result of luck, ignoring the demonstrable case that the policies he has already assumed to be "reckless" could be causing them.

[tortoise]

Was it Einstein who said: "Chance favors the prepared mind"?

Thomas Jefferson has a famous quote to the effect of: "The harder I work, the luckier I am."

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I remember Clinton raising taxes after saying he wouldn't during the campaign - stating after he took office, that the situation was worse than he knew before taking office.

Then later, he joked that he raised our taxes too much. He did and he was strangling the country to grow Big Government.

After Bush takes office, the country is attacked, causing major airlines to collapse. Almost immediately the corrupt corporate house of cards built up under Clinton collapses. And STILL Bush pulls us out of the drink.

These people are nuts.

[hobson]

And all the activities associated with Y2K.

[Dr.Hilarious]

Yeah, it's all just coincidence.

So is this idiot saying that if Bush DIDN'T cut taxes these "coincidences" would NOT have happened in this way? Well, then, I guess they weren't coincidences.

[D_Idaho]

"Education:
B.A., University of Oxford...."
Rhodes Scholar perhaps?

[knittnmom]

This guy lost me when he claimed the 9/11 attacks as "good" luck.

[MNJohnnie]

the most remarkable aspect of Bush's good fortune is the way he's repeatedly avoided the retribution of markets.

The most remarkable aspect is how a complete economic illiterate was hired by the Washington Post to write on Economic topics.

To the author of this article,

Sir, You are an idiot, studying to be a moron.....an failing. Your complete ignorance of basic economics is an embarrassment to yourself and your employer. On the basis of sheer mental incompetence, you should resign today.

[tx_eggman]

Sebastian Mallaby

He looks so much smarter than me ... in an assclown sorta way.

[The_Victor]

Yet he's the mastermind of a massive conspiracy to start a war on terrorism by plotting 9/11 as a means to carry out his plan.. or steal an election... or whatever....

I just want to know, which is it? What's the excuse from the pathetic left today?

Coherent and consistent are not adjectives used frequently in describing democRATs.

[Stashiu]

I love it when these morons use unseamly metaphors thinking that we don't 'get it'.

Get a real job, bozo.

[Kozak]

The lucky one was the "Stain", X42. The economy boomed ONLY after it was clear that a Republican Congress made it clear he wouldn't be able to loot it with the Witch. He left office just before all the Chickens of the Tech Bubble came home to roost. If Bush HADN'T had that tax cut in place, we would have had a much deeper and longer recession, maybe a depression when 9-11 came along.

[BillM]

Luck is when opportunity meets preparedness!!!

[MNJohnnie]

Education:
B.A., University of Oxford...."


BA in what Creative Writing, Journalism, Literature?


It sure was not in Economics.

[MikefromOhio]

He's like a drunk who wanders across a six-lane highway and somehow never quite gets smushed.

Gee, no bias here....

[Maceman]

Luck indeed. Bush inherited a virtual recession left to him by Clinton. Conversely, Clinton inherited an economy that had been growing for two years before he took office. If you don't believe me, check out what CNN said about it back in 2001:

“Three days before Christmas 1992, the National Bureau of Economic Research finally issued its official proclamation that the recession had ended 21 months earlier. What became the longest boom in U.S. history actually began nearly two years before Clinton took office.”

So while Clinton was campaigning in 1992 he managed to sell an outright lie to the electorate, namely that an already growing economy was "the worst economy in 50 years." Then he took credit for that growth once he was in office, and of course, the MSM adoringly lapped it up and never once corrected him or called him on it.

[1Old Pro]

Luck is when opportunity meets preparedness!!!

Or Good fortune, which is often confused with luck.

[Archon of the East]

These people are nuts.

Your WAY to kind. I read the opening sentence of articles from Liberal pigs like this and I start shaking in rage. All I can think about is confronting a dirt bag like this and if nothing else really uh get in his face. OK Ive got to go now, anger management therapy appointment. Do you think I need it?