GOP Presidents systematically preside over slower economic growth and rising inequality...

[Wetzelbill]

This is from Paul Krugman's blog. The figure he talks about is at the link. Dems should take the GOP to task on this constantly. -WB

Krugman:

The figure shows income growth at different percentiles under Democratic and Republican presidents. The GOP seems to systematically preside over slower growth and rising inequality.

Now, I’m a big Bartels fan; I’ve known about this result for quite a while. But I’ve never written it up. Why? Because I can’t figure out a plausible mechanism. Even though I believe that politics has a big effect on income distribution, this is just too strong — and too immediate — for me to see how it can be done. Sure, Republicans want an oligarchic society — but how can they do that?

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/02/bartels-alfred-wegener/

[Juche]

1. GDP grows faster under dems too

http://angrybear.blogspot.com/2008/01/real-gdp-growth-over-past-seven-years.html

At least over the last 40 years. However, how much of that was due to the president and not other factors is something I don't know.

It would be interesting to know how the dems can create so much growth for the middle class though.

[Wetzelbill]

2. Yeah I'd like to know that too

Krugman says in his latest book that a couple economic historians named that middle-class growth "The Great Compression." He suggests that politics has more to do with it than was previously thought, because the GOP basically made peace with the New Deal after WW2 and the consensus on political issues like economics was broader. Then Movement Conservatism came along and destroyed all of that. The rise of serious inequality coincides with the rise of Movement Conservatism and the sharp veer to the Right of the Republican Party and even elements of the Democractic Party. Maybe a little later on in the book he might explain the growth of the middle-class beyond that, because he seems to think we could build it up again and pretty fast. I just haven't gotten that far yet.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. We've all known this for years, at least those of us paying attention

what is a wonder is that people have not made that connection empirically. You know the joes six packs who vote "values."

[Wetzelbill]

4. It's because they are trained to hear certain things

Tax Cuts! Nobody wants to pay taxes, not really. So they hear GOP politicians talking about cutting taxes and it sounds good. Then like you said: "values."

A friend of mine who makes maybe 40-50 thousand a year, if that, was all pissed off over the "death tax" a few years ago. His basic argument consisted of "What the fuck is with that?!?!" He never totally understood that it never would apply to him or anybody he would ever know, but evidently he thought the estate tax was a big deal. He pisses and moans about health care costs all the time too. I'm just like: "Well, keep voting Republican, because that's what you get." :)

[Juche]

5. estate tax facts

http://www.cbpp.org/estatetaxmyths.pdf

Send those to him, maybe he'll change his mind.

[Wetzelbill]

6. rock on

Yeah I'm not sure if he believes it still or not, but I'll keep those handy. Thanks. :)

[Wetzelbill]

7. kick

Not getting much play on this. Could use the votes!

[SammyWinstonJack]

8. K&R!

[Wetzelbill]

9. thank you very much

:)

[Wetzelbill]

10. damn another kick

Stuck on three votes all day!