3 Facts That Could Change This Election (If We Share Them)

Email Print posted by ihavenobias 07/02/2008 12:54:43 PM EST

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3 Facts That Could Change This Election (If We Share Them With Enough People)

Here are 3 Stunning facts that could not only change the outcome of this election, but with regard to the first two points, they could change the results of every election for years to come *if* we make enough people aware of them.

I want to keep this as simple and short as possible, so that the people who need to read this actually do. And again, I encourage you to share this information with as many people as you can, either by recommending and commenting on this thread, by emailing these points out and or by posting a link to this thread on the appropriate websites.

Click Here For The 3 Work-Safe Facts (and or look below)

(NOTE: Please click here for additional links that support the information below)

1)-Over 70% of our National Debt was created by just 3 Republican presidents.

Go ahead, get out your calculator and add up debt by president/party (keep in mind the link above is from 2007 and Bush's debt is even higher now). Apparently the party that claims fiscally responsibility thinks it's ok to borrow massive amounts of money from foreign countries like China. Consider that we spend hundreds of billions of dollars in interest payments on this debt each year.

That means more and more of your hard earned money is going to make interest only payments on what is basically a Giant National Credit Card. Not to mention the fact our debt/deficits are largely behind the weakness of our dollar, which in turns makes gas more expensive and creates other serious problems.

2)-According to new research from Larry Bartels out of Princeton, real middle class wage growth is double when a Democrat is president compared to when a Republican is president.

"...Even more remarkable, the real incomes of working-poor families...grew six times as fast when Democrats held the White House. Only the incomes of affluent families were relatively impervious to partisan politics, growing robustly under Democrats and Republicans alike..."

3)-90% of Americans would pay less taxes under Obama's proposed tax plan compared to McCain's.

People making under $112,000 a year in individual (not household) income would pay less taxes under Obama's plan.

By contrast, John McCain's tax cuts mostly benefit the top 10% of Americans.

Conclusion: Countless millions of Americans vote Republican because they believe they'll pay less taxes and that they'll have their money spent more responsibly.

As you can see, those beliefs are directly contradicted by the facts. Of course we can choose to ignore the facts and instead focus on which candidate is wearing a flag pin (you ever notice that Hillary and McCain don't wear them?) but I think we're a smarter country than that.

PS---If you're not sure how to respond to those laughably bad, factually inaccurate anti-Obama smear emails and or you want more information on John McCain, here is a nice resource guide of articles, videos and commentary.
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3 Facts That Could Change This Election (If We Share Them) | 20 comments (20 topical, 0 hidden)
Sad to say, no surprise (none / 0)
Me being me, there was no "shocking revelation" as it's what I've been seeing for years. One thing I didn't notice was if there was a corrolation between growth with a Dem Pres AND Congress. We KNOW what the other half looks like - fiscal disaster - but is there any difference when Dems are fully in charge? Wasn't the so-called 'Clinton Recession' something that came into being after the Repubs took over the House?

by MedfordTim on 07/02/2008 02:14:17 PM EST

I think some people are aware generally (none / 0)
Aware that the Democratic party is traditionally for "the little guy" and that the Republicans are for the rich and business interests, etc.

But many people don't provide tangible, concrete evidence on these issues which is what I hope I have done.

Also, conventional wisdom is that Republicans are "fiscally responsible" which as you can see here is pure and utter BS. Not to mention that I'm guessing 90% of Americans (if not more) are not aware that 90% of Americans will pay less taxes under Obama's proposed tax plan.

That fact alone would likely be stunning to most people and get them to vote for Obama.

Honestly, I don't see how someone who identifies most strongly with being a 'fiscal conservative' can read this and continue to vote Republican, unless they just pretend it's not true and or ignore it.

by ihavenobias on 07/02/2008 02:24:30 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Wonderful job! (none / 0)

Once again, Tom, you've compiled a well-researched piece.

I encourage folks to e-mail it to everyone they know.

Will I pass this link along to the Web Soldiers? Of cooouuurrrssseeee.... 

Keep up the awesome work, Tom.

Abby 

by abby on 07/02/2008 02:48:15 PM EST

Thanks Abby (none / 0)
I appreciate it.

by ihavenobias on 07/02/2008 02:52:54 PM EST

[ Parent ]
I love it. (none / 0)
But I always feel like I'm screaming at the walls on these issues.  The Reps controlled the dialogue on taxes for so long that it's damn near impossible to get this stuff to sink in.  Almost every political discussion I have ends with someone throwing out the "I'll just vote my pocketbook" line, so these articles will be great to smack them in the face with.

by Spencer on 07/02/2008 02:58:00 PM EST

Stop screaming (none / 0)
and start emailing the posting the link.

If nothing else you're throat will thank you for it.

by ihavenobias on 07/02/2008 02:59:36 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Gotta give Tom credit here (none / 0)

We are all frustrated, most of us dejected, a few of us clinically depressed about what is going on with our beloved country.

Tom is consistently positive and proactive.  I really like the quote "I would rather light one small candle than curse the dark."  I think it is a powerful truth.  Tom exemplifies that and I admire it in him.

Now I gotta go kick a dog, buy a fifth of Ten High whiskey and scream at the TV.

by ProfRich on 07/02/2008 03:13:06 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Always positive? (none / 0)
Apparently you don't know me well enough.

;)

But I do agree with Hartmann when he says "despair is not an option".

by ihavenobias on 07/02/2008 09:36:46 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Depression (none / 0)
Yes Rich. I actually made my husband jump a little on the sofa a couple of nights ago when I uncharacteristically shouted "shut up" at the top of my lungs at an idiotic prep school conservative Tucker-Carlson-clone talking head on the TV. Ben M. was talking on the TYT the other day about how angry and accusatory everyone seems to be these days. I'm sure it's the chronic frustration we have all endured over the past 7 years of helplessly watching our beloved democracy slip slowly into the muck. If McCain somehow manages to win (or steal) this year, I suspect there's going to a serious uprising. This national anger and powerless rage has to vent sometime. It may be time for one of Jefferson's 50 year revolutions.

by Verified1 on 07/03/2008 02:26:40 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Shoot (none / 0)
We really need an edit feature for these comments, at least on a time limited basis.

Yes, I meant to say "your" not "you're".

by ihavenobias on 07/02/2008 09:35:30 PM EST

[ Parent ]
How do you explain the 80s? (none / 0)
Didn't the Dems control congress basically from 1970 - 1994? How do you explain how it was the republicans fault for that panacea I remember as the late 70s and all of the 80s? I understand Reagan was president, but the last time I checked, the president doesn't control spending - the congress (namely the House) does? Wasn't it the dems in control when we began this downward spiral into Hell? Think about it... :)

by bobo1 on 07/02/2008 03:46:05 PM EST

Reagan had a massive tax cut agenda (none / 0)
He was responsible for the largest tax cut in modern history, primarily for wealthy Americans.

Kind of like the current Bush who also slashed taxes primarily for the wealthiest Americans.


Presidents often have veto power, not to mention the fact that they shouldn't keep pushing for federal revenue cuts tax cuts if they know they won't be able to rein in spending, regardless of which party controls Congress.

You can argue that Dems are "tax and spend" but I'll argue back that Repubs are "borrow and spend" which ultimately costs us far more, not only in interest payments by also also by seriously hurting the value of our currency (which effects how much we pay for oil and much, much more).

Also, you might enjoy this WRT the "tax and spend" myth:



by ihavenobias on 07/02/2008 05:04:53 PM EST

[ Parent ]
same old bullshit song (none / 1)

 

So how do you explain that the congress/senate remained GOP through Clinton and Bush jr. yet the graphs are completely different under each?  Look at the graph.  The horrendous deficit spending is a phenomenon that was started by Reagan while supported by a friendly senate.  As usual, beneath the complicated details is a simple truth, he cut taxes dramatically without cutting spending, in fact while increasing spending.  Any 6th grader can figure out if you spend more and bring in less you're going to end up in greater debt.  He began the era of buying voters with tax cuts, making them believe that you can get something for nothing.  All he did was pass the debt on to his sucessor, who had to raise taxes or see the deficit shoot through the roof.  It cost him his second term election because his base still believed in Reagan's magic money theory (the senile bastard).  Clinton managed just barely to bring the curve back down in spite of a Republican congress, not because of it.  They bucked him so hard that the government came to a standstill while they fought back and forth.  What happened when Clinton left and the leash came off the GOP house/senate?  Debt went through the roof.  Why? - because those f#cking idiots still believe you can spend twice what you bring in and money will magically appear to save your ass from debt.

by bfaul on 07/02/2008 05:24:15 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Beautiful (none / 0)
You just brought a tear to my eye.

by ihavenobias on 07/02/2008 05:33:14 PM EST

[ Parent ]
weep for our country (none / 0)

This stuff makes me cranky as hell.  They're killing our economy while they blame the other guy.  The worst thing about it is that the average Joe Blow has given them the keys to the country because they taxed him three or four hundred dollars a year less, enough to buy a low-end easy chair.  Joe Blow conservative never seems to understand that the government borrowed the money for this tax break, that he still owes it, and that he now also owes interest on it.  He thinks of this as "government debt" and believies it has nothing to do with him.  Only when the weight of that debt causes the entire economy to come down on his baffled and bewildered head does Jow Blow start to get mad.

The Republicans have been riding this tax-break horse at a full gallop and it's fixing to drop dead underneath them.

by bfaul on 07/02/2008 06:10:04 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Yeah well (none / 0)
My GF's classmate's conservative dad just sent an email about how 30% of Americans pay 70% of the taxes and therefore McCain's tax plan makes more sense because they need more tax relief than the bottom 90% of Americans.

He added that he and his wife make a combined $250k a year putting them in the top 5% of Americans and that they are nowhere close to being wealthy.

I am amused. Oh, and he mentioned how he's a very fact based person and he goes on facts, not emotions and biases.

The best part is he watches Fox News and is a loyal Limbaugh listener.

by ihavenobias on 07/02/2008 06:38:28 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Remember (none / 0)

These are the scions of the richest people in the world.

When they get up to their eyeballs in debt, money does magically appear to save them.  They can't seem to grasp that this principle does not transfer over to the government.

by ProfRich on 07/02/2008 09:26:30 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Yeah (none / 0)
Good point.

by ihavenobias on 07/02/2008 09:33:47 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Well DUH! (none / 0)
Haven't I been saying this my whole time here? American's if they really want a change, will have to challenge the Democratic party to abandon the Reaganomic (neoliberal) model which has transfered wealth from the working classes to the rich through regressive taxation. The reality is that all Americans pay less taxes under Republicans, but their SHARE of their income going to taxes increases bc the rate of the tax cut is not sufficient to compensate for stagnant or shrinking wages. In real terms, Americans are MUCH MUCH poorer than they were in 1975.

Blog: http://perspectivos.blogspo t.com/

by Nick86 on 07/02/2008 06:58:15 PM EST

I wish it was a "well duh" thing... (none / 0)
Sadly, it isn't for most people. This really IS shocking information to the majority of Americans..

And again, even though some people may know these things in the broader sense, it's hard to communicate the message well without consolidating it into easily digestible bits.

Hopefully that's what this is, but only time will tell.

by ihavenobias on 07/02/2008 07:17:41 PM EST

[ Parent ]
3 Facts That Could Change This Election (If We Share Them) | 20 comments (20 topical, 0 hidden)
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