Balanced Budgets- now a liberal policy?

[B0S0X87]

It's funny- for years Republicans whined that Democrats were "tax and spenders" and yelled at us for running up huge deficits during the decades we controlled Congress. Now, the GOP has Congress, and we have the biggest deficit of all time. Given Clinton's policy of balancing the budget and Bush's complete disdain for fiscal responsibility (i.e. Cheney saying "deficits don't matter), I think we can safely say that being fiscally conservative is a policy of the Democratic Party.

[tk2kewl]

1. A lot of wingnuts say that deficits don't matter

and that Reagan proved it. The magic of capitalism will take care of them in the future. Of course it will be a Democrat that will actually take care of them, but they'll never admit that.

[thefloyd]

8. Reagan did not prove anything

with deficit spending. Cons will never admit it but those kinds of deficits cause very high interest rates. One of the reasons rates have not rised much is America borrows a lot from China.

[politicaholic]

2. Didn't repubs make Clinton throw gays under the bus for the Bal Bud Amend?

Wasn't it a republican congressional majority that passed the balanced budget amendment?

It's law, not a liberal policy.

[EVDebs]

3. Actually, it is part of Keynes' economic theory. Deficits were

only to be run when the economy's natural business cycle went south, so to speak. The rest of the time a balanced budget was to be the goal. This is partly why FDR tried to go back to a balanced budget in 1937, and had to abandon that as the economy wasn't ready for it.

What's funny is the Concord Coalition seems to have more Dems than Reps these days.

[MADem]

4. It makes ME happy that is now the case

I've always been the type who didn't spend it if I didn't have it. I dislike credit, use it only for gigantic-ticket items, like, say housing, and don't carry balances on credit cards. Pay as you go.

There are exceptions, of course, for emergencies, but pisspoor planning is NOT an emergency.

I'm pleased at this "liberal" assertion!!!! The truth is finally coming out--the GOP runs up the credit card, and when the bill collectors start calling and getting ready to foreclose, it's the Democrats who have to be the ADULTS and restore fiscal discipline and appropriate priorities to the budget!!!

[EVDebs]

6. MADem, you sound just like me ! This is a great item for Dems

and progressives to take it and own the issue as their own ! They've got the ball now and if Sen Reid and Rep Pelosi want to they can RUN WITH IT !. Scores points bigtime with me too.

[purduejake]

5. I'd support deficit spending....

but not for wars, but instead domestic programs to boost the economy again. Maybe for projects like improving infrastructure, etc. It seemed to work before.

[On the Road]

7. One Compelling Reason for That

is that many people, including me, believe that the biggest thing that can be done to save social security is to limit government debt.

Another is that Democrats are really concerned about the future of the country, and Republicans have completely dropped the ball. Republicans are either delusional, simply don't care, or else actually benefit from financial distress.

I don't know what it is about the political stereotypes, but it's been over 20 years since the Reagan deficits and the "irrespensible big spender" stereotypes haven't changed much in the public minds. This in my opinion is one of the biggest challenges the Democrats face.