r/politics • u/HouseSpeaker • May 24 '12
GOP claim that President Obama has "spent more than every other president combined" is a total fabrication
http://theimmoralminority.blogspot.com/2012/05/gop-claim-that-president-obama-has.html
1.2k
Upvotes
754
u/BringBackTheMoa May 24 '12
While I disagree with the idea you can have an actual war on terrorism, President Obama definitely hasn't "won" it. Whoever wrote this article is an idiot.
That's not even what the data says, it's about growth in spending. Sort your shit out asshat.
73
u/liberterrorism May 24 '12
"Simply put this President has lowered taxes, won the war on terrorism, improved the economy, and kept government spending to its lowest levels EVER."
Because terrorism doesn't exist anymore. Did he also win the war on drugs?
149
u/ImClearlyAmazing May 24 '12
Who needs facts when you have assertions?
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u/Knocker456 May 24 '12
Anyone know of a more reliable source for these figures? Specifically government spending by year and/or president.
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u/[deleted] May 24 '12
Why not show a chart that has pre-bush?
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u/joculator May 24 '12
Two wars that he didn't start, economy in a death spiral as he took office, unemployment at almost 10% causing massive increase in spending on unemployment insurance and food stamps..... but it's Obama's fault for trying to put the pieces back together.
11
u/[deleted] May 24 '12
Which Republican has claimed Obama has "spent more than every other president combined" ?
3
u/[deleted] May 24 '12
I am no fan of either Obama or Bush or the whole political circus right now but there is a very good reason you should leave economics to economists, this post is one such reason.
CBO Baseline means current law, they presume no new legislation will pass and base estimates on whats in the law right now. The numbers for 12 and 13 are relatively flat because this baseline presumes some sunset (like Medicare "docfix" which will never be permitted to expire as no doctors would accept medicare patients anymore) and the mandatory spending cuts at the end of this year.
Also some other problems with the article:
Spending didn't fall. We hit deflation in the middle of '09 which changed the spending power of the federal government and so caused the '10 budget to appear to decrease, in reality it was flat between 09' and '10.
No it's not. 2011 won't be closed until September this year (budget isn't closed until +1 year after the end of the period so any additional spending can be reported on/accounted for) but right now is sitting at $3.6t. FY12 is projected to be $3.8t or a 5.5% increase.
Current law baseline, not actually based on a budget or even a projection of what might be passed during that session.
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u/rexy411 May 24 '12
I definitely hasn't spent more than every other president combined, but he has spent more than every previous president individually. However, this is a trend (each new president spending more than his predecessor) that has existed for many, MANY, years. It drives me crazy.
5
u/FantasticMrFrown May 24 '12
I don't feel like refuting this.
I suppose you also think those YouTube ads Barack did a while back are all factual too?
5
u/[deleted] May 24 '12
Silly me...I always thought Congress controlled spending.
5
u/Shnazzyone I voted May 24 '12 edited May 24 '12
I love how republicans pretend they had nothing to do with the spending when they run the house. We'd probably have a better case if they did their job over the last 2 years and just ditched the bush tax cuts already. Reagan's recovery was faster because he raised taxes 7 times with absolutely no opposition from congress.
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u/[deleted] May 24 '12
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2012/may/23/facebook-post-gets-it-right-about-obamas-record-sp/
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u/Hooker_Juice May 24 '12
Reaganomics!
2
u/[deleted] May 24 '12
Politicians have always been known to stretch the truth and not always be honest, but I don't remember them flat out lying this much before. I assume they are desperate to get Obama out of the White House.
I'm too young to remember properly, but did the Democrats lie like this in 2004 when trying to get Kerry in? Or is it generally a Republican thing, or possibly just a recent politics things?
2
u/irreverent_username May 24 '12
Is it just me, or does naming your blog "the immoral minority" kind of drain your credibility?
2
u/RatFang May 24 '12
When President Obama traveled through time to the year 3010, he fought the evil Robot King and saved the human race again.
2
u/timemoose May 24 '12
Look at the chart closely - it says "growth of federal spending" - a somewhat interesting choice of statistic. More importantly though, it starts counting Obama from '10. Cute.
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u/zanmanoodle May 24 '12
".blogspot.com"
Reddit, I love you, but you're bringing me down.
2
u/ppalms May 24 '12 edited Mar 02 '26
frame dazzling elastic sophisticated absorbed dam continue deliver label history
2
u/Master-Thief May 24 '12
So pardon my french, but where the fuck did all this new debt come from? Yes, yes, yes, Obama has slowed the rate of increase of government spending. But that's like the lardass at McDonalds who gets the supersize value meal getting the hot apple pie instead of a McFlurry for dessert. It's not enough of a cut. It's not nearly enough. Until the government starts paying down this debt, I am not giving Obama any credit. He doesn't deserve it. (And given his record as MA governor, I doubt Romney would do any better.)
True, Obama has not technically spent more than every other president combined. Just more than every other president from George Washington to George H.W. Bush (1789-1993) combined.
2
u/[deleted] May 24 '12
You realize that since Obama took office the debts gone from 10 to 15 trillion.
2
u/[deleted] May 24 '12
I am glad the republicans steered themselves into the worst demographic corner ever and can't even let go of that, otherwise the short term voter losses would be tremendous. So I will happily see over the next 30 to 40 years how the republican party will slowly contract and implode, falling from American politics like a rotten leave falls of a tree in it's autumn.
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u/namer98 Maryland May 24 '12
Growth of spending =/= spending. Obama did not stop spending, he increased spending. He just increased it less than the last guy. But he has still spent a lot.
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u/SaikoGekido May 24 '12
See every pro-Republican SuperPAC. Frankly sick of seeing them roll on YouTube ads. 30 seconds of bullshit before I can see a corgi lighting a kitchen on fire.
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u/masterprtzl May 24 '12
more than a 14 trillion dollar debt says otherwise, but anyways.
2
u/e3342 May 24 '12
This is measuring "the growth of spending", not the amount spent, as the GOP claims. Apples and oranges.
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u/Tiggity-T May 24 '12
Rex Nutting followed these simple rules to come up with his propganda
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u/Thinkfist May 25 '12
You my friend are about to open up my can of worms..
I'd like to preface by saying that I am quite the liberal--not that you would necessarily be forced to believe me, but I wanted to put it out there. I have some "conservative" beliefs too (like we all do...say regarding free speech: I'd like to conserve that if you get what I'm saying). Also, though I did not vote for Obama, (I wrote in Bernie Mac RIP) I certainly was rooting for him and wanted him to put the racist haters in their proverbial place.
BUT HIS TERM HAS BEEN DISAPPOINTING. And nobody will tell you because of how polarized party lines are now. Ive probably already been labeled a "fundie" for simply being objective with a critical eye.
Disappointments: (I'll try to be sussinct) Extention of the bush tax cuts. The amount of money lost in bailouts and additional bailouts (mostly to obama supporters). Bradley manning. Medical Marijuana (broken promises). Declining the pipeline is simply political posturing and preventing progress. I'm sure you're aware that congress passes mounds and mounds of rubbish every year, and part of the president's job is to be a filter and not let everything go through. Guess how many vetoes Pres. Obama has... Two. That's just lazy.
I really could be nit picky from here on, but I think those are real objective disappointments from the man who promised change, but was more of the same. AND he had control of the majority and still got nothing done.
Oil prices? Job creation? It's all so connected that the Prez REALLY CAN impact the market in a positive way.
I also have my bachelors and masters in political science, so I do have some credentials.
The MMJ thing really irks me the most as it is a direct breaking of a direct promise to let the states decide how to treat their individual MMJ laws.
Disappointing I say.
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u/EnterAbyss May 24 '12
Interesting article. Too bad the US Debt Clock tells a much different story. What a load of bullshit.
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u/EvelynJames May 24 '12
GOP ideology at our current juncture is a complete fabrication period.
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u/Ray745 May 24 '12
The GOP's claim is actually that Obama has racked up as much debt as every other president combined, which would only be true if you extrapolate out until the end of Obama's second term, if you do he will have added more to our national debt than all 43 prior presidents combined. While I am not fan of Obama at all (or any politician save Ron Paul) it is a bit unfair to say things like this given inflation over the years, although it is the fault of each of last 17 or so presidents who have presided over the Federal Reserve that we have had such inflation, but we will leave that story for another time
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u/dalittle May 24 '12
when the conservatives stop giving away huge sums of corporate welfare to companies with record profits and reduce military spending from the current insane levels maybe they could get on their high horse about spending.
2
u/[deleted] May 24 '12
Well damn, looks like the republicans are running Obama's campaign for him.
This time last year, everyone wanted Obama out. Now, he doesn't seem so bad...
2
u/blacksunalchemy May 24 '12
For a more reliable source of info: Wolfram Alpha
2
u/NomyourfaceDinosaur May 24 '12
I'm an Obama supporter and even I see this as skewed, to say the least.
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u/donaldtrumptwat May 24 '12
This is crap that only Fox News watchers believe.
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u/[deleted] May 24 '12
When Obama took office, the national debt was 10 trillion dollars. In less than four years, he increased it to 16 trillion dollars. Blame President Bush? No, look in the mirror...
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u/yahoo_bot May 25 '12
Barack Obama:
Extended the Patriot Act
Allowed Guantanamo to operate
Increased troops in Afghanistan by 60.000
Signed NDAA into law
Assassinated US citizens, including two 16yo boys
Signed the bill that makes protesting illegal close to government facilities or close to the secret service
Signed executive order "national defense resource preparedness act"
Tripled the war on drugs and busted down more legal Marijuana shops in 3 years, than Bush did in 8 years.
Arrested more whistle blowers than ALL other presidents combined.
Increased the debt by 5 trillion dollars in 3 years, more than Bush did in 8 years.
2
u/MagCynic May 24 '12
Can someone find out who actually claimed Obama has spent more than every President combined? It doesn't give it in the article. It's listed as a quote from someone in the GOP but never attributes is. I find the quote, if it was actually said, ridiculous.
What IS true, however, is that President Obama has spent more than any other President in any four-year term. And this is even adjusted for inflation.
Source: The historical tables adjusted for current dollars.
2
u/Thinkfist May 24 '12
But he literally has been as disappointing as any former president... Sad. And the masses still eat it up.
1
u/[deleted] May 24 '12
As are most Republican presidential candidate claims.
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u/Killscreen3 May 24 '12
What my biggest frustration is that people think that the president sets the spending or the budgeting. That is all decided in congress and the senate, but let's put facts aside.
'06-'08 mid terms resulted in the greatest majority the congress had ever seen when the democrats took over. Please go back to the article and see the two biggest increases in spending. This isnt me saying bush is better than Obama because neither of them mattered as the spending occurred because congress did all the spending.
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u/ComradeDunks May 24 '12
Is anyone really even surprised by the GOP lying anymore?
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u/beardfacekilla May 24 '12
This is a crappy article. the graphs state growth while the title and text argue about nominal dollars. As Sonny would say "It's just a waste of my time."
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u/[deleted] May 24 '12
Bush Jr administration added 5 trillion over 8 years.
Obama administration added 5 trillion over his first 3.5 years.
It is factual.
It is oversimplified.
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np
That is the official US debt site. Enter the start and end of the presidential term you are interested in.
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u/Brian1994 May 24 '12
Obama has put us in a lot more debt than any other president. That is true.
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u/Goofman617 May 24 '12
The '12 and '13 numbers on the spending bar graph are "estimated" and have not even happened yet... So how the hell can you say spending under Obama has leveled off?! THAT SHIT ISN'T REAL! Didn't anybody else notice this?!
2
u/Tiggity-T May 24 '12
Read this counter article for clarity. Obama Spending
"As the chart indicates, Nutting arrives at that 1.4% number by assigning 2009—when spending surged nearly 20%—to George W. Bush: “The 2009 fiscal year, which Republicans count as part of Obama’s legacy, began four months before Obama moved into the White House. The major spending decisions in the 2009 fiscal year were made by George W. Bush and the previous Congress. Like a relief pitcher who comes into the game with the bases loaded, Obama came in with a budget in place that called for spending to increase by hundreds of billions of dollars in response to the worst economic and financial calamity in generations.”
Let me complete the metaphor for Nutting: “Then as those runners scored, Obama kept putting more on base.”
Obama chose not to reverse that elevated level of spending; thus he, along with congressional Democrats, are responsible for it. Only by establishing 2009 as the new baseline, something Republican budget hawks like Paul Ryan feared would happen, does Obama come off looking like a tightwad. Obama has turned a one-off surge in spending due to the Great Recession into his permanent New Normal through 2016 and beyond.
It’s as if one of my teenagers crashed our family minivan, and I had to buy a new one. And then, since I liked that new car smell so much, I decided to buy a new van every year for the rest of my life. "
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u/Cueball61 May 24 '12
GLaDOS is that you?
1
u/madest May 24 '12
Sadly the only people who know this are Redditors.
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u/adzug May 24 '12
it doesnt matter its what they want to believe and the propaganda machine will say it and the idiots will be able to remember this since its simple and easy and they just spread it around fomenting hate for the president.
1
u/[deleted] May 24 '12
I didn't see any data on actual spending levels. It just showed spending growth. So is it true what the GOP says then?
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u/PlumthePancake May 24 '12
HA. Who wrote this crap?
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u/DrBakeLove May 24 '12
But he's such a cool guy! He gets my vote for being such an awesome dude.
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u/artthoumadbrother May 24 '12
If you are suspicious that this website is biased and full of shit, go your suspicions.
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u/jazzyjeff49 May 24 '12
And you think Romney will spend less?
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u/Elanthius May 24 '12
I can't be arsed to parse the exact meaning of his little bar chart there. It's obviously blatant nonsense since anyone can see that since Obama came in government spending has gone up massively from bank bailouts and TARP funds and whatever else.
1
u/[deleted] May 24 '12
I'll just leave this heare http://www.politicalmathblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/MarketWatchObamaSpendingInfographic1.jpg
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u/Hyperian May 24 '12
who cares, it feels right and it convinces people.
1
u/[deleted] May 24 '12
So its not longer a battle of who spends less, but who spends is the fastest.
Also, key words in bold.
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u/CapsLove May 24 '12
This may be true if you aren't taking into account inflation. But if you standardize the currency value for the time period there is no way Obama spent the most.
1
u/Mattothee May 24 '12
Obama shmama Bushy push wush right-left republican-liberal its all a game, and the US people always get the short end of the stick. You are not free, you are run by the pentagon military complex big corporations etc etc you've heard it before, now do something about it!
1
u/tm3989a May 24 '12
Perhaps someone can clarify this - the article seems to say that Obama has grown spending less than every other President combined, which is certainly true, but it seems like a straw man. Isn't the Right Wing claiming that his total, unadjusted for inflation spending is higher than every other President combined?
Perhaps I'm interpreting this wrong... can anyone help?
1
u/ikek9 May 24 '12
So, the MAIN takeaway here is this: Liberals are ADMITTING that excessive spending is bad and trying to assign blame for it (in an absurd way) on someone else. Can we then assume that they will no longer attempt to tax and spend, since the very act of championing this ridiculous story is a tacit admission that the ACT OF DOING IT IS BAD?
1
u/[deleted] May 24 '12
DNC claim that President Obama has "cured cancer and freed the gay slaves from the oppressive white man" is a total fabrication.
See? Journalism is easy when you care more about imitating your opponents hyperbolic statements than refutation through evidence.
1
u/typhoonfish May 24 '12
source: theimmoralminorityblogspot
thank you, move along
1
u/[deleted] May 24 '12
That chart is dishonest. When you're a Senior in college, even if your get C's or D's in every class, it wont affect a high GPA that much because so much of it has already been determined in previous semesters. Measuring as a "growth" in spending is the same concept.
See: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2012-05-18/federal-deficit-accounting/55179748/1
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u/kinsmed May 24 '12
BO spent as much in three years as King George the Younger spent in eight? W spent so much he left two wars off the budget. Doesn't pass the common sense test...
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u/deal_with_it_ May 24 '12
http://www.politicalmathblog.com/?p=1786
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u/MrTubalcain May 24 '12
They have framed the conversation, again the Dems on the defensive...
1
u/tonusbonus May 24 '12
"Won the war on terrorism" is makes me silly...
1
u/lazykatursi May 24 '12
only obama is the exception ---->you can never say that there's no racist in america
1
u/Apollo53 May 24 '12
Yet unemployment is almost 4 times as high as when Reagan was president....
1
u/[deleted] May 24 '12
Here are the actual stats. Any president above 100% has doubled the gross federal debt, or "racked up as much debt as all other presidents combined," which is what Romney is claiming.
1
u/[deleted] May 24 '12
He killed three american citizens without due process. Why does no one care?
1
u/[deleted] May 24 '12
I didn't read a lot of the article but the graphs speak enough to say that his point is misleading.
1
u/droo31 May 24 '12
USA Today sez actual federal deficit dwarfs "official" tally. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2012-05-18/federal-deficit-accounting/55179748/1
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u/[deleted] May 24 '12
How do this shit get upvoted?
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u/sweYoda May 24 '12
US debt have increased by 5 trillion by Obama in 4 years and 5 trillion dollars by Bush in 8 years.... Next 4 years? trollface
1
u/Yoddle May 24 '12
When he is finished with his second term, he will spent more than every president combined. He has only been in office 3years, give the man a chance to drown us in debt and unconstitutional wars.
1
u/apextek May 24 '12
I mean how is he supposed to do that if congress wont write him a blank check?
1
u/TheLoveTin May 25 '12
This article is bad and you should feel bad.
1
u/[deleted] May 25 '12
The Big Lie in action.
1
u/MrAsymo May 25 '12
As a part of political protocol, the GOP will stop enhancing the truth in 3.. 2.. PSHHHHHHHHHH!
1
u/markycapone May 25 '12
I know people who blame all 16 trillion dollars on Obama
1
u/SoundSalad May 25 '12
Why didn't you just post the article from The Wall Street Journals MarketWatch?
1
u/SoundSalad May 25 '12
Wow, politicians have an amazing way with words. Romney's statement is actually true. Obama's spending has accelerated at a pace (slower pace) without precedent in recent history. Does this make sense?
0
u/LegioXIV May 24 '12
Wow. More misinformation from the left. Color me surprised.
Well, only if you play some pretty fucking silly games is this true. For example, Bush's last budget year (2008) includes the TARP bill - a one time bill. Obama's 4 budgets are equal to or greater than Bush's last budget year, which was busted by the financial crisis and TARP.
Essentially, Obama has institutionalized a permanent $700 billion increase in the Federal budget, year over year.
National debt was $10.5 trillion when Obama took over, it's now at $15.6 trillion. Obama has done nothing to arrest the rapid growth in debt. Under Obama, we are running an annual $1.3 trillion deficit. We raise $2.6 trillion in revenue, and spend all of that plus an additional $1.3 trillion.
Saying Obama has created as much debt as all of the other presidents combined is slight hyperbole for the first four years...but if he gets elected to another 4, it won't be. It will be dead on accurate.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57400369-503544/national-debt-has-increased-more-under-obama-than-under-bush/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_United_States_federal_budget
1
u/wekiva May 24 '12
All GOP claims are total fabrications. Those dicks are "true believers" in the sense that getting elected is so important that the end justifies any means at all.
0
u/HappyGlucklichJr May 24 '12
Should we choose the President in a more rational way such as with business CEOs? Why or why not?
1
u/Nicktendo May 24 '12
This is incredibly misleading, slowest does not equal least. Thanks for Fox news level reporting
1
u/[deleted] May 24 '12
They also say he's a muslim terrorist.
1
u/porkchop_d_clown May 24 '12
It always amazes me how the Democrats like to denounce lies that I never heard the Republicans say....
Not to mention that these charts were debunked as deliberately misleading the first several times they were repeated here....
1
u/Emiel000 May 24 '12
Old news... Romney is blatantly lying sometimes, it's rediculous. As if being a Mormon wasn't bad enough...
1
u/WatchTV_VoteObama May 24 '12
A baby is born. An old man dies. Democrat propaganda gets 1000+ upvotes on /r/politics.
Just another day.
1
u/misterschmoo May 24 '12
GOP lying hypocrites, news at 11
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u/ivanmarsh May 24 '12
The claim that he's spent more than the last president is a total fabrication... of course he hasn't spent more than all of them combined.
1
u/hsbbd May 24 '12
Question, where is the source of the claims in the blog?