Why Obama Will Win

(originally written Sept 24th, 2008)

This is my prediction. The time we are in now reminds me of the time just before Clinton was elected. It was after 8 years of Reagan and 4 years of Bush Sr. The economy had slumped into a recession, the national debt was out of control, and people were angry at the state of the union.

Back then...

"In 1990, the American economy plunged into a recession. Factors contributing to the slump included rising oil prices following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, a sharp increase in interest rates, and declining availability of credit." (Nation Encyclopedia). Sound familiar? War, oil and credit.

As the next president serving from 1993-2001, "Clinton presided over the longest period of peace-time economic expansion in American history, which included a balanced budget and a reported federal surplus.[6][7] Based on Congressional accounting rules, at the end of his presidency Clinton reported a surplus of $559 billion." (Wikipedia)

The national debt was 400 Billion when Clinton started.

"After peaking at 7.5%, unemployment declined steadily throughout the early and mid-1990s, falling to 5.6% in 1995, 5.3% at the end of 1996, and in 1998, remaining below 5%. After 1993/94, inflation mostly remained under 3%. One exception to the generally moderate character of the economy was the stock market, which rose 60% between 1995 and 1997, buoyed by the combination of low unemployment and low inflation, as well as strong corporate earnings." (Wikipedia)

So now...

The Outstanding Public Debt as of 15 Oct 2008 at 10:47:11 PM GMT is:

$10,297,883,720,499.55

or

10.2 TRILLION

(U.S. NATIONAL DEBT CLOCK)

"Long-term problems include inadequate investment in economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs of an aging population, sizable trade and budget deficits, and stagnation of family income in the lower economic groups. The merchandise trade deficit reached a record $847 billion in 2007. Together, these problems caused a marked reduction in the value and status of the dollar worldwide in 2007." (CIA Factbook)

"The unemployment rate rose from 5.7 to 6.1 percent in August[, 2008]."
(Sept. 05, 2008 US Dept of Labor)

"From January 2005 through December 2007, 3.6 million workers were dis-placed from jobs they had held for at least 3 years, the Bureau of LaborStatistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The number of displaced workers was about the same as the level (3.8 million) recorded in the previous survey that covered the period from January 2003 to December2005." (Bureau of Labor Statistics) Gotta love consistency!

"Though U.S. unemployment is at its highest level since July 1994, it's still a lot lower than its peaks after recessions in the early 1980s [Reagan] and 1990s [Bush Sr.]." (CNNMoney.com)

So...

Democratic President = surplus + low unemployment + economic strength + peace

Republican President = deficit + high unemployment + recession + war

It's too bad we, as a nation, continually forget our past. Especially the parts we were even around for.

Um... tell me I'm wrong.

Interesting Factiod:

Since 1975, practically all the gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households. (CIA Factbook)