“Blame Bush” card played out

**Posted by Phineas

It took longer than I thought, but Obama and the Democrats’ ability to avoid responsibility for the nation’s economic woes by blaming George W. Bush has finally worn out:

Two-thirds of likely voters say the weak economy is Washington’s fault, and more blame President Obama than anybody else, according to a new poll for The Hill.

It found that 66 percent believe paltry job growth and slow economic recovery is the result of bad policy. Thirty-four percent say Obama is the most to blame, followed by 23 percent who say Congress is the culprit. Twenty percent point the finger at Wall Street, and 18 percent cite former President George W. Bush.

The results highlight the reelection challenge Obama faces amid dissatisfaction with his first-term performance on the economy.

These are numbers that should terrify Democrats. The result of “bad policy?” Well, gee, who was the author of those policies? Couldn’t have been George W. Bush; he’s been out of office since 2009, and was really in no position to make long-term policy after the election in 2008. So, who could it have been? Hmmm…

Oh, yeah. That guy.

I’ll willingly grant that Obama came into office facing a terrible mess, and that President Bush had made serious mistakes in dealing with the financial crisis that began in late summer of 2008. But Obama became president in January, 2009, and and enjoyed a nearly unbeatable majority in Congress. At that moment, the responsibility became his and theirs alone. And what a record they’ve accumulated:

  • Unemployment at over 8% for over 40 months, the longest stretch since the Great Depression. Remember, in return for borrowing nearly a trillion dollars for Obama’s centerpiece stimulus program in 2009, we were assured unemployment would be below 5% by now. How did that work out?
  • And speaking of borrowing, our current national debt is almost $16 trillion dollars. It was about $10 trillion when Obama took office. Bad enough, but he has done nothing to even slow its growth, let alone bring it under control or reduce it.

The public’s patience with excuses has run out. No more blaming “headwinds from Europe,” or natural disasters in Japan, or obstructionist Republicans… or even the demon “Bush.”

American voters have started holding President Obama and the Democrats accountable, and that account will be settled in November.

via Moe Lane

(Crossposted at Public Secrets)

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