Republican Representative Michael Grimm (NY-13) returns home to informed constituents:
“The whole deficit is due to the Bush-era tax cuts?” Mr. Grimm asked.
“A good part, a good part,” came the resounding reply.
Former President George W. Bush was one of the evening’s frequent scapegoats, prompting Mr. Grimm, at one point, to ask: “This year’s deficit is due to George Bush? That’s insanity! That’s insane.”
Later, he turned to the reporters in the room, as if looking for support.
“I want the press to document this,” he said. “The reason that the Democratic House, the Democratic Senate, and the president, who’s a Democrat, and his name was President Barack Obama, not President George Bush, they didn’t pass a budget or pass any plan to stop our debt crisis because of George Bush? It was because of George Bush?!”
In fact, today's vast deficits -- at least, a large portion of them -- are because of George Bush. Lest you forget, here is this extremely nifty chart from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:
Simply put, if President Bush had shown a modicum of fiscal discipline during his administration, or, alternatively, refrained from invading two countries at the cost of $1.283 trillion, then the budget would be in much, much better shape. Naturally, Republicans have completely forgotten about the Bush administration. We shouldn't.
