The Bush years -- then and now

jawillie, Philadelphia, PA. — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:21:54 GMT

Americans taking a lubeless reaming for 8 years:
PRICELESS

But hey, Bush made us a stronger country, right? RIGHT?!

KEEP LIVIN' THE DREAM, FOLKS!

13 Days Until Inauguration Day!
http://jawillie.blog.com

The Bush years -- then and now

Cindy Lou, TX — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:21:55 GMT

OMG! Bush should be arrested on Jan. 20!

The Bush years -- then and now

Buzz — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:22:31 GMT

Impressive figures to say the least. I just can't believe this is all because of the MEDIA! HEY- it IS, you know? If you don't believe ME, just go over to the FoxNews blogs and read what those folks are saying.

The Bush years -- then and now

Pat Huntington NY — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:22:32 GMT

Let me guess, the decline is not at all Bush's fault, but instead, it is all the inevitable result after 8 years of Bill Clinton? I say, its time to declare that the statute of limitations has fully run on whatever you can blame on Clinton...now, its all Bush's fault!

The Bush years -- then and now

ain't the truth — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:22:36 GMT

just think there are those who think the gw was a good president or want to keep subscribing to gop ideas. what foolishness.

The Bush years -- then and now

Kevin, Austin, TX — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:23:14 GMT

I can't wait to hear the Republicans comment on that record and expect us to follow them through the abyss again, it is disgraceful the way the Republicans have been running this country - hopefully never to return to power.

The Bush years -- then and now

Bruce Oregon — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:24:35 GMT

What a sad legacy. I wonder when the 'Tell All' books by Bush Administration people will start coming out that will tell the American public what was really going on these past eight years. I'm not sure I really want to know.

The Bush years -- then and now

Diane from Illinois — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:25:28 GMT

Let's hear the Republicans that blog on here daily brag about the Bush years now. Jan 20th can't come soon enough.

The Bush years -- then and now

Anna Molly — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:27:59 GMT

No wonder Bush has to tout a failed plan to privatize Social Security as his greatest achievement.

What else is there?

The Bush years -- then and now

T. White, Philly PA — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:28:47 GMT

Attacks on the US due to the previous administrations (Clinton) negligence: 1

Attacks on the US since that time: 0

Value: Priceless

The Bush years -- then and now

Polythene Pam — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:29:40 GMT

The Democratic congress has a lower approval rating than Bush. The 1.2 Trillion budget will rise significantly when Obama gets in. Many Americans will buy new cars, TV's etc., and intentionally do without health insirance. The poverty level has been raised so naturally more people will qualify. The unemployment rate will rise to almost 10% under Obama.

These polls will get worse under Barack. The left will berate him and the big guy will fall hard.
Obama has already undermined our national security with his CIA pick. It'll get much, much worse. The guy is a blank.

The Bush years -- then and now

MSierra, SF — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:34:16 GMT

Despite reteated warnings, Bush ALLOWED 9/11
The WORST act of terrorism against the US
Bush LET IT HAPPEN !!

Bush Fiddled while New Orleans drowned
Then he said: 'You're doing a heckuva job, Brownie'
Bush ABANDONED his responsibility to protect US citizens

Bush LIED about WMDs
HE GOT US INTO AN ILLEGAL WAR OF AGGRESSION
With the compliance of the media and cowardly little Democrats !!

Bush approved TORTURE, illegal wire tapping and abolished Haebeus Corpus

Bush presided over the WORST ECONOMIC IDSASTER since the Great Depression

But, other than that he was OK ?

How's the 'Legacy Project' going George ?

You're not STUPID, EVIL and INCOMPETENT....
Just misunderstood

The Bush years -- then and now

Deb in Hartford — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:36:22 GMT

I would like to know how Ann Coulter would explain this away....

The Bush years -- then and now

Bruce Oregon — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:37:25 GMT

Unemployment rate will go to 10% under an Obama Administration? If it only goes that high Obama will have been a miracle worker!

The Bush years -- then and now

Please leave now, I"ll turn the lights out !!! — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:39:56 GMT

Mark, where is the line item, for the over 4,000 dead 30,000 injured and over 250,000 homeless veterns in the U.S., 10 billiom dollars a month spent in a war of lies, you can add that to his to his legacy resume, and for that he get a lifetime pension ????

The Bush years -- then and now

Peter Percival Patterson's Pet Pig Named Porky — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:41:01 GMT

MSierra of SAN FRANCISCO .... and THAT explains it.

The Bush years -- then and now

Joe Sepeda,Early,Texas — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:42:27 GMT

Numbers don't lie, but politicians do. How many politicians are now on poverty? How many are unemployed? How many don't have health insurance? The only time you see a politician faking concern for the people is after a disaster, and that's only for a photo-op. They lack courage to leave their world and
live in ours to feel our pain. We had a great guy at work that was promoted to Supervisor. He did every job in the department for a week from office work to cleaning toilets and working in the shipping docks. He wanted to see the problems first hand that needed fixing. Guess what? That department became the best one in the plant. Money was saved, people were motivated and production went up because he had the courage to get dirty. The only thing dirty politicians want to touch is money.

The Bush years -- then and now

MCJ Colorado — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:42:51 GMT

His wife and father think he did a great job! Where? In his pockets and his rich freinds! He was and isimcompetent. I hope he has a hard time sleeping for the rest of his life.

The Bush years -- then and now

Mollyanna — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:45:07 GMT

About the Dems, to quote Tom Smothers, another lib who should be on the farm "you're evil, wicked, mean and bad and nasty."

My apologies to those who don't understand or are brainwashed by the Daily Kos.

The Bush years -- then and now

Sick in America — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:47:13 GMT

Why don't we ever see numbers that tell the real story on the number of uninsured Americans? While it is still too high, the number is far short of the 45-47 million we always see when you take into account the people who are eligible for Medicaid but don't bother enrolling, or those who do make enough income to purchase health insurance but voluntarily make the decision to go uninsured. Simply providing access to health care through insurance does not address the bigger issue driving premiums and health care costs: Behavior. People will still smoke, not exercise, not go to the doctor, and go to the Emergency Room for tootaches.

The Bush years -- then and now

Pam — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:51:01 GMT

Thanks Bruce. You're the man!

The Bush years -- then and now

Mary, Illinois — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:54:21 GMT

The Bush years -- then and now

ain't the truth — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:57:28 GMT

it is not to say that number truly reflects the democratic congress and what they tried to accomplish, oh wise one. 6 of the 8 years of the bush administration was led by the republicans.

the gridlock the republicans created in the 2 years the dem's led congress caused so much not to get done.

by the way three facts that may have not been researched. the majority in the senate by the democrats was by 1 vote. joe the traitor was operating as an independent that worked both sides of the fence to his own advantage. which means that the democrats didn't have a filibuster proof senate.

the democrats had a one vote advantage. the republicans had a filibuster proof majority of 60 when they were in (no excuse for them screwing up the country the way they did).

in the 2 years the democrats have had that 1 vote advantage, the republicans have filibustered legislation that would have helped the country 194 times. that is a senatorial record.

before people start spouting off about the democratic congress they should educate themselves so their words can have meaning. if nothing else carry a little weight.

one other thing. anyone that knows political history would know that prior to leaving office during the transition period the clinton administration sent a memo warning condi rice and g.w that a posible attack was going to occur against the u.s using airplanes according to intelligence that had been received. the bush administration sat on that info and did not a damn thing with it. they dismissed it. it is a part of the official records. anyone can research these facts if a person wants to know the truth instead of just be partisan. a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

The Bush years -- then and now

Ralf - Seattle — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:58:15 GMT

how about - number of wars then and now - number torchered then and now - civil liberities lost then and now - preseidential lies then and now - etc

The Bush years -- then and now

Larry, Minnesota — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:01:10 GMT

9/11 happened because of years of US policies and the neglect of the Bush Administration to heed warnings of upcoming problems and dangers. Clinton warned Bush that Bin Laden was the biggest threat to us, but Bush wouldn't listen to anything that Clinton said. W and Condi were on vacation when they should have been acting on warnings from the anti-terrorist specialists.

Mary, Illinois

Mary - you're a bigger hack then Burris if you believe any of this.

Nice to keep you Illinoisians around though. It feels good knowing your state is more screwed up then ours.

The Bush years -- then and now

S.B. Stein E.B. NJ — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:07:57 GMT

With all of these statistics, it does provide a sad view of the previous 8 years. So much for him really being a compassionate conservative. Some of these things have lead to the decline that we have now. There is too much greed going on, and the current administration helpped that along I think.

The Bush years -- then and now

ace — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:09:14 GMT

say it again mary. evidently some people don't keep up with current history

The Bush years -- then and now

Norm Charles, NY NY — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:10:35 GMT

I would like to know how Ann Coulter would explain this away....
Deb in Hartford

We'll never know, at least from NBC. NBC has adopted the "We don't tolerate other peoples viewpoints" way of putting out news. With "Other people" being conservatives. Doing so puts them outside of their comfort zone, and that won't be tolerated.

The Bush years -- then and now

Katrinka, Oakland, CA — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:10:53 GMT

Polythene Pam: "The poverty level has been raised so naturally more people will qualify."

Oh, well then, THAT makes it all right!!

The Bush years -- then and now

John Bentley — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:11:12 GMT

As Bill Parcells used to say "YOU ARE WHAT YOUR RECORD SAYS YOU ARE."

The Bush years -- then and now

The - Democrat Soldier — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:12:22 GMT

Thanks Bushy - we couldn't have failed without you.

and people like "Bruce Oregon" can't wait to blame President Obama.

Sorry Republican - still beating on the blame game.

Won't work this time or anytime from now on.

Thank you and GOD BLESS AMERICA

The Bush years -- then and now

Douglas — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:20:19 GMT

9/11 happened because of years of hyper-aggressive US foreign policy. Thats what happens when you support dictatorships in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. That created a lot of opposition that turned into religious fanatics. The US then recruited these fanatics against the Soviets for no good reason. read the national security archives and you will see the soviets did not want to invade. Brzezinski admits the US pushed the Soviets to invade. Same thing with Iran. The US created that monster. Every "evil regime" can be traced to bi-partisan US foreign policy. You people fighting over bush and clinton miss the point. Keep supporting the two evil parties and you will keep getting evil. But of course...all of you rather stay uninformed. Your more interested in rooting for a team than in a complex understanding of history.

The Bush years -- then and now

JB — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:28:48 GMT

And republicans wonder why their party is doing so poorly.

The Bush years -- then and now

One of 18 Million — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:30:36 GMT

Thanks for those 8 great years Bill Clinton!

The Bush years -- then and now

Craven Moorehead — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:31:04 GMT

If you think it's bad now, wait until Obama gets done with us

The Bush years -- then and now

Craven Moorehead — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:35:35 GMT

You liberal losers. obama is an idiot. Why do you guys hate America. Why do you usupport terrorist. Please all of you get your loser Hollywood scum friends and go to Syria where you can live in filth. It's what you all deserve.

The Bush years -- then and now

Sam Handwich — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:36:00 GMT

9/11 happened because someone planted explosives in all three WTC buildings that came down and then allowed some terrorists to fly piddly little planes into two of the buildings. Then Rumsfeld and/or Cheney and/or other assorted neocons detonated the explosives causing the buildings to fall perfectly symmetrically into their own footprints. Then, by controlling the media the idea of starting two wars was sold to the sheep-like American public, all the neocons' friends became unbelievably rich and the freedoms enjoyed by previous generations of Americans were tramped down under the Patriot Act. Duh.

The Bush years -- then and now

nuanced — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:36:34 GMT

They should be very proud. They seem to have achieved most of their goals.

The Bush years -- then and now

Dookie — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:36:34 GMT

Or here's another way to look at it...

DJIA Before Dems took over Congress...12,463 12/29/2006).
DJIA Today...9,015.

Unemployment before Dems took over Congress...4.4% (Dec 2006).
Unemployment now...6.7%

So with Bush President and Republicans in charge the Dow went from 10,587 to 12,463. Once the Dems took over it went from 12,463 down to 9,015. Under President Bush and a Republican Congress, unemployment was basically stable. Under a Democratic Congress, it went from 4.4% to 6.7%.

If we're going to blindly use statistics it's going to cut both ways. But I assume that Dems will say that the President controls the economy 100%.

The Bush years -- then and now

jawillie, Philadelphia, PA. — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:38:26 GMT

>>>We'll never know, at least from NBC. NBC has adopted the "We don't tolerate other peoples viewpoints" way of putting out news. With "Other people" being conservatives. Doing so puts them outside of their comfort zone, and that won't be tolerated.

Norm Charles, NY NY (Sent Wednesday, January 07, 2009 4:10 PM)

==========
Uh, Norm, buddy? Ann Coulter was on NBC's TODAY SHOW THIS MORNING! That whole "lifetime ban" thing was her way of pimping sympathy from mindless sheep like yourself.

13 Days Until Inauguration Day!
http://jawillie.blog.com

The Bush years -- then and now

Jake in Milwaukee — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:45:48 GMT

It's all Clinton's fault, of course.

The Bush years -- then and now

Anna Molly — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:54:01 GMT

Mollyanna ~ Gee, thanks. I've never been called most of those things before. One more thing to check off my life's "to do" list.

"Evil, wicked, mean and bad and nasty." Sweet.

And thanks for the clue about Daily Kos. I truly didn't realize I was being brainwashed. I'll keep in in mind ... now that my mind is clean.

The Bush years -- then and now

Pacheck, Huntington Beach, Ca. — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:54:59 GMT

Bush accomplished a whole lot more than Osama Bin Laden ever could. He ruined a whole country, killed a million people, screwed-up a whole generation yet to come by placing them in debt up to their eyes and he still don't have a clue what or how he did it. We got the government we deserved. We let it happen.

The Bush years -- then and now

a matter of record — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:57:20 GMT

hey larry from minnesota. what mary says is true. it is a matter of record if you want to research the truth. what she is talking about has been on fox news even.

norm charles, ny, ny- anne doesn't have a view point. she has hate, lies and the idiots that believe her stupidity. i won't point fingers dumb ass. as far as anne coulter not getting on nbc (a good thing) she doesn't need to be on t.v. she spouts her lies and venom from any venue. the only people that follow and listen to her are those that refuse to spend the time to research the truth and educate themselves. to do that would mean to change the way they think. why search for true facts if you can be wrong, be ignorant and believe in lies. when we don't want to admit our ignorance we look the other way. ann will always have following. she knows there are those that will always fall in to her trap of ignorance and misrepresentation.

The Bush years -- then and now

Glenn Zukowski Sinking Spring Pa. — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:57:54 GMT

Bush did the same thing to the country that he did to the savings and loans, screwd hard working people who could least afford it while the top dogs got rich. If you are hard working middle america and don't make six figures, think about the last eight years before you vote republican. Zukester. Pa.

The Bush years -- then and now

A Little Truth Goes a Long Way — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:03:42 GMT

Yes, but how about what the numbers were in Jan. 2007 when Pelosi and Reid took control of Congress:

Unemployment rate
Then: 4.6
Now: 6.7

Dow Jones Industrial average
Then: 12,621
Now: 8,769

Consumer Confidence
Then: 110.3
Now: 38.0

The Bush years -- then and now

Dave, Tn — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:04:35 GMT

If you eliminate the stats for loser liberal states the numbers look a lot better.

The Bush years -- then and now

Chester — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:44:12 GMT

"So with Bush President and Republicans in charge the Dow went from 10,587 to 12,463. Once the Dems took over it went from 12,463 down to 9,015." (Dookie)

However, if you do a parabolic extrapolation (which gives less deviation than the expected logarithmic model) of the DJIA from 1929 to 2000, you'll see that it had no business being anywhere near 12,463 in 2007 and in fact should have been much closer to the 9,015 number you put in a negative light.

What this tells me is that counter to your argument, our economy became dangerously overvalued during the Bush Administration. The fact is, that it already was during the last years of the 1990's and was only beginning to correct itself when Bush took office and everything really started going to hell. You think that a $300k home being worth $800k is the mark of a great economy, but it's the complete antithesis of what defines a solid market. Same goes for the Dow Jones. It's just not worth that much in the real world, and damned if the "man" hasn't come to collect on our overspending... just like he always does. Only thing is, that $800k house Bush sold you is worth $450k in the real world, and now that he's finally gone for good, the real world is where we all get live again.

Anyway, my point is that the polls about the education level of the people who voted for each candidate seems to be spot on. Statistics is like the stupid man's mathematics, laughed at by everyone in math departments everywhere because it's so ridiculously fundamental. And yet, the people who still support Bush can't be expected to see beyond what's written on construction paper in bright crayon and put directly in front of their faces.

But then, I think Bill Maher said it best a few years ago when he postulated that anyone who still supported Bush at that point (which was again, a few years ago) must have a mental disability.

That anyone would still support Bush today though is unbelievable. Seriously, if you say you stand behind him right now, I'm just going to call you out right now and say you're a liar. A human being just can't be devoid of that much reason... not even a truly stupid human being.

So yeah, if you got this far, congratulations. You probably voted for Obama though as I likely lost half the conservative base reading this on the first three syllable word, and then the other half by the time they reached the second paragraph and were all "readed out."