The Bush Economy
Well, I don’t care what the critics say, 5.6% growth in a mature economy like ours is outstanding:
The economy sprang out of a year-end rut and zipped ahead in the opening quarter of this year at a 5.6 percent pace, the fastest in 2 1/2 years and even stronger than previously thought.
The new snapshot of gross domestic product for the January-to-March period exceeded the 5.3 percent growth rate estimated a month ago, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. The upgraded reading — based on more complete information — matched economists’ forecasts.
The stronger GDP figure mostly reflected an improvement in the country’s trade deficit, which was much less of a drag than previously estimated.
I’ll say it again; if the Republicans need a message for November, they ignore this one at their own peril…
Bush will be giving a state of the economy address, but Rove doesn’t want him to speak to soon.
His promise of cutting the deficit in half has already occurred, the CBO still has to crunch the numbers. He has to wait until Congress completes their budget cutting measures, to allow the CBO time to assess the improvement.
It is worth noting that his 04 campaign promise was to reduce the deficit in half by 08, and its is only 06. The dems know that he has the ace, and are loathe to discuss it. When is the last time you heard a big dem give a major speech, that discussed anything other than the war and their nuanced position? By their silence, the devastation this news will cause is apprent.
The dems are in a political quagmire, fighting over Iraq, with Rove in his Enola Gay, circling the conflict-waiting to drop the bomb(ie. good economic news for America) onto the battlefield.
Patience on the economy. The more time that it is ignored, the more persuasive and powerful it will grow. It essential not to peak too soon.
It will be the centerpiece of everything Republican for november 06 campaign.
Worth noting Allen has a 20 pt lead over Webb.(RCP)
I thought that he was going to get some big ‘mo’ after his primary victory.
I wonder if the crickets are chirping over at Kos.
I’m just not seeing a groundswell of support for dems, do they have an issue they can win on?
Bush’s numbers on Iraq are consistent with his numbers from oct 04.
He has been hurt by immigration, but the only way dems can capitlize on it is to get to the right of Bush, and at best they would just be joining the chorus in the House.
The economy is zipping along, better than 04.
What is the issue that the dems have to propel them?
Going heavy on Iraq in 04, drove 20% more support for Bush.
The economy is also tilted to Bush.
They don’t want to touch immigration.
No platform for 06 democrats.
I must say, mtl, this ought to win some kind of “Colorful Metaphor of teh Year” award.
Economic facts are overwhelmingly decisive in Presidential elections. For the House and Senate, I am sure they are less so but the Democrats fool themselves perpetually that their own outrage is contagious to the electorate at large. As the anti-Clintons learned, the trend is always conservative in the strictest sense: status quo. Rail all you like at the fictive “joblessness” of the recovery, the malignity of an increased spread between rich and poor (all the while, the poor get richer too) or cherry-pick this or that statistic that shows less than stellar growth and come election day, as Bill Murray said so well… It just doesn’t matter! Growth rates, inflation and unemployment account for the vast majority of electoral decisionmaking no matter what the people tell exit pollsters. Add to this the not-so-sad fact that for the Dems to tip EITHER house they will have to sweep nearly all open seats. Sorry Howie, it just ain’t gonna happen and if I were a betting man, given our experience with Reagan and other electoral groin-punches served up to the Dems in recent history, I would put a Benjy or two on teeny Rep gains in the House and dead flat even (+/- 1) in the Senate. In any event, a Chairperson Conyers is the most forlorn of forlornities. Get all pointy objects and lengths of rope away from your wacky cousins NOW!