On Thursday, Virginia’s Gov. Robert McDonnell attempted to
draw contrasts between the “sensible” speech that former president Bill Clinton
gave at the Democratic National Convention and the “incompetent” policies that
President Barack Obama has pursued over the past four years.[1]
According to McDonnell, “This is the most liberal president
in the history of the United States. And this is the most liberal groups of
delegates, I think, that have ever attended a national platform…”[2] Me
thinks that Gov. McDonnell, like many of his fruit-loop colleagues in the
Republican Party, is completely distorting the historical record for political
ends. The most liberal president ever?
If by “the most liberal president in the history of the
United States,” McDonnell is referring to the establishment of universal health
care, the elimination of Osama Bin Laden, and the reconstruction of America’s
economy, then yes, President Obama is guilty as charged, a true blue liberal.
As inconvenient as the facts may be to some in the
Republican Party, electing Democratic presidents has had many advantages. As
Bill Clinton noted, Democratic presidents spur greater
job creation in the private sector. Is this a liberal policy too, Gov.
McDonnell?[3]
In fact, under the
last Republican president, George W. Bush, there was a net loss in
private-sector employment to the tune of 646,000 jobs.[4] Is
this the conservative answer to America’s economic troubles?
Add to these numbers public-sector job creation and
Democratic presidents pull even further ahead in overall job creation numbers.
Those darn liberals and their job creation! What’s next, erasing America’s
debt?!
Again, as Bill Clinton noted in his Democratic National
Convention speech in Charlotte, “This economy that [President Obama] inherited
was profoundly ruined…The economy failed and hit bottom six months after
Republicans took office.”[5]
The truth, as the saying goes, hurts. For Republicans, it
must hurt a lot more. But even their self-deceit can’t hide the facts of their
broken policies.
[1] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/virginia-politics/post/mcdonnell-praises-clinton-dings-obama/2012/09/06/fe356da6-f84a-11e1-8253-3f495ae70650_blog.html
[2] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/virginia-politics/post/mcdonnell-praises-clinton-dings-obama/2012/09/06/fe356da6-f84a-11e1-8253-3f495ae70650_blog.html
[3] http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/sep/06/bill-clinton/bill-clinton-says-democratic-presidents-top-republ/
[4] http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/sep/06/bill-clinton/bill-clinton-says-democratic-presidents-top-republ/
[5] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/04/bill-clinton-speech_n_1850525.html
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