Bush Deficit vs. Obama Deficits

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2008
Bush Deficit vs. Obama Deficits
8
Mon, 05-25-2009 - 9:15pm
This seemed interesting to me.





Bush Deficit vs. Obama Deficit in Pictures






wapoobamabudget1


President Barack Obama has repeatedly claimed that his budget would cut the deficit by half by the end of his term. But as Heritage analyst Brian Riedl has pointed out, given that Obama has already helped quadruple the deficit with his stimulus package, pledging to halve it by 2013 is hardly ambitious. The Washington Post has a great graphic which helps put President Obama’s budget deficits in context of President Bush’s.


What’s driving Obama’s unprecedented massive deficits? Spending. Riedl details:



UPDATE: Many Obama defenders in the comments are claiming that the numbers above do not include spending on Iraq and Afghanistan during the Bush years. They most certainly do. While Bush did fund the wars through emergency supplementals (not the regular budget process), that spending did not simply vanish. It is included in the numbers above. Also, some Obama defenders are claiming the graphic above represents biased Heritage Foundation numbers. While we stand behind the numbers we put out 100%, the numbers, and the graphic itself, above are from the Washington Post. We originally left out the link to WaPo. It has been now been added.


CLARIFICATION: Of course, this Washington Post graphic does not perfectly delineate budget surpluses and deficits by administration. President Bush took office in January 2001, and therefore played a lead role in crafting the FY 2002-2008 budgets. Presidents Bush and Obama share responsibility for the FY 2009 budget deficit that overlaps their administrations, before President Obama assumes full budgetary responsibility beginning in FY 2010. Overall, President Obama’s budget would add twice as much debt as President Bush over the same number of years.




iVillage Member
Registered: 12-25-2008
Mon, 05-25-2009 - 9:28pm
But of course!

 


"      

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2008
Mon, 05-25-2009 - 11:52pm
All we need to do is look at the red in the chart. It tells the story better than words. Whatever the budget sins of Bush, Obama takes it up an order of magnitude.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-25-2008
Tue, 05-26-2009 - 6:55am
Yep.

 


"      

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2008
Tue, 05-26-2009 - 2:59pm
Liberals complained about Bush era deficits for years. Now that Obama is making Bush look like an amateur, somehow we must "understand" the deficits. ROFL.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-25-2008
Tue, 05-26-2009 - 5:36pm

Complaints largely based on an unnecessary and ill-advised war.

 


"      

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2008
Tue, 05-26-2009 - 9:28pm
I realize whenever Obama does you'll find an excuse for. Rationalization seems to be at the heart of liberalism.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-25-2008
Tue, 05-26-2009 - 9:49pm

Then you're not as perceptive as you give yourself credit for.

 


"      

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-23-2008
Wed, 05-27-2009 - 8:13pm

Bush had