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The Republican View of the Economy

By TChris, Section Elections 2008
Posted on Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 10:19:43 PM EST
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Delegates to the Republican National Convention are as divorced from reality as is John McCain. Like McCain, they think the nation's economic outlook is rosy. Nine out of ten Democratic delegates think the economy is in a recession, while nearly three out of four Republican delegates disagree with that assessment. The Republicans have proof:

"If we were in a recession, people would not be eating out — they would be in the grocery store and cooking at home," said Phyllis Gorman, 59, a business owner and delegate from Oklahoma, in an interview after the delegate poll was taken. "When I drive by McDonald’s, there are so many people in line there."

Right. Because if you can afford a Big Mac with fries, you must be doing well.

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    The Republican View of the Economy | 28 comments (28 topical)

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    Millionaires eat at Wendy's. (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by tigercourse on Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 10:24:55 PM EST


    Republicans are the Investor class (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by Grace on Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 10:37:43 PM EST
    If people think times are tough, they don't spend money.  Businesses don't perform well.  Investments go kaput.    

    I'll bet if you tortured those same people (not even real torture...  I mean, maybe you could just steal their Wall Street Journals off their lawns for a week), they'd admit all is not rosy.

    Think of them as rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.    

    It reminds me of Barbara Bush, (5.00 / 3) (#13)
    by Anne on Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 11:18:54 PM EST
    touring the Houston Astrodome after Katrina, talking about how being there was working out so well for them, since they were poor anyway...

    The Dollar Value meal, or whatever the McDonald's equivalent is, is cheaper than what you could buy in the grocery store - that's why people eat there.

    What's next, "Let them eat cake?"

    It proves that (5.00 / 2) (#16)
    by ding7777 on Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 11:54:51 PM EST
    Phyllis Gorman is out of touch --  not all working parents have the luxury of time to grocery shop and cook at home

    diference between republican and democrat views (5.00 / 1) (#27)
    by coast on Mon Sep 01, 2008 at 09:39:27 AM EST
    republicans by no means believe the economy is great, but we certainly don't believe that we are on the brink of standing in soup lines either.  with a weak dollar and high oil prices, everything costs more.  you can argue about whether we are in a recession or not till you're blue in the face.  the fact is no one can say for certainty what we are in.  certain indicators would suggest we are in a recession, others would indicate we are not.  the basis for various indicators have changed over time so they no longer necessary provide the same insight into the economy that they once provided.  no matter the outcome of this next election, people will have to curb their spending and begin to reduce the debt that they have accumulated over the years.  the next president and the congress will have to work together to reduce the deficit. personally, neither candidates' plans thrill me.

    This is the funniest thread I have seen! (none / 0) (#2)
    by befuddledvoter on Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 10:28:00 PM EST
    OK, now the line at McDonald's is the barometer for the health of the economy??  LOL  What planet are these people from?  I think their own voter base would laugh at this.  

    I eat at BK almsot every weekday for lunch.  5 piece and small coke, sometimes I even get small fries.  I must be loaded!!  

    With cholesterol I think. (5.00 / 1) (#18)
    by hairspray on Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 11:57:26 PM EST


    Parent
    If we were (none / 0) (#3)
    by Patrick on Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 10:33:00 PM EST
    in a recession we'd have two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth.  I guess 90% of Dem delegates don't know the definition of recession

    GNP rate not the only indicator (5.00 / 1) (#24)
    by DFLer on Mon Sep 01, 2008 at 08:13:26 AM EST
    The GNP growth was higher than expected last quarter. Most attributed that to rise in exports, due to the relatively weaker USD versus other currencies.

    BUT, at the same time, personal incomes fell. Housing prices continue downward. Also, consumer spending weak.:

    Wall Street tumbled Friday after the government said personal incomes fell last month by the largest amount in nearly three years while consumer spending slowed

    link

    Parent

    To be fair, the meaning of "recession" (none / 0) (#6)
    by tigercourse on Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 10:39:02 PM EST
    has broadened quite a bit over the years. It now seems to mean "bad times".

    Parent
    Kevin Phillips writes that it is not (5.00 / 1) (#17)
    by hairspray on Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 11:55:59 PM EST
    possible to know what the economy is really doing because the indicators have been fudged so badly first by the GOP and later by the Dems who haven't bothered to challenge the subtle changes.  For example, the unemploymnet no longer includes those out of the work force for more than a certain period (don't know the exact figure today).  The no longer looking for work and the underemployed don't count. Payroll gtowth is what should be counted. Phillips believe our unemployment numbers are closer to 10%. Similar problem with cost of staples.  The govt have dropped housing and gasoline/heating oil from the calculation.  So what does that get you?  Fuzzy numbers, I'll say.

    Parent
    I'll buy that..... (5.00 / 1) (#25)
    by kdog on Mon Sep 01, 2008 at 09:04:17 AM EST
    the economy is really impossible to measure, the black market economy runs in the billions, and that's not in the numbers at all, never mind the fudging.

    Better to judge the economy from the street than from a conference room in Washington DC...prices for gas and food have gone through the roof and wages are stagnant....that's what I see on the street, and I'd call that a sh*tty economy.

    Parent

    department of labor tells us that wages (none / 0) (#29)
    by hairspray on Mon Sep 01, 2008 at 11:32:51 PM EST
    have actually gone down in the last year or two in spite of (as Bill Clinton said Tuesday night) excellent productivity gains. The trends have all been down if we look at data over the last 8 years and even if we go all the way back to the 1980's.  Wages at least held during the beginning of Bill's term and in the last 5 years of his term they began to rise. But through out all of the years until 2005, there wasn't a loss, just stagnation.. Now however,  Bush's policies finally kicked in and people in the middle are on a downturn.  The GOP wants and investor class and lots of low cost wages at the other end, just like most of South America.

    Parent
    I don't understand this (none / 0) (#9)
    by dianem on Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 10:54:26 PM EST
    I don't understand how we can not be in negative growth. Maybe it's just where I'm at (N. California), but everybody seems to be tightening their belts big time. The housing market was driving growth and everybody had lots of money because they were refinancing. Now... not so much. Lowes and Home Depot aren't very busy, furniture and automobile stores are going out of business all over, small businesses are suffering... how can we NOT be in recession? But the numbers say we aren't. I don't understand how this can be so. Are some areas doing so well that they're propping up those that are doing poorly?

    Parent
    Exxon-Mobil is doing pretty well. (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by TChris on Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 10:56:26 PM EST


    Parent
    People are still buying alot of things and (none / 0) (#12)
    by tigercourse on Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 11:05:41 PM EST
    unemployment is reasonably low. If those two things start to change, things get worse.

    Parent
    You are right about the rather (none / 0) (#15)
    by hairspray on Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 11:46:38 PM EST
    subtle belt tightening and the hidden poverty in our society. John Edwards was right, there are two Americas and they are quite divorced from each other.  I took my granddaughter and her cousin on a Disney Cruise last month and the trip (quite pricey) was jam packed.  Not only that but the Disney stores were always filled with people buying expensive souvenirs.  The off shore excursions were always booked, so my take is a lot of people are not hurting or else their cerdit cards are maxed out.  But my daughter who teaches ultrasonography sees a drop in students and in patients in her clinical setting. Her income is declining because of this and she is a high earner.

    Parent
    Yes, It's a recession... (none / 0) (#14)
    by AlladinsLamp on Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 11:32:12 PM EST
    GDP, CPI, BLS unemployment are not what you remember.

    Q2 GDP more like -2.9%, not +3.3%

    Fuzzy Numbers

    Parent

    Reaching? (none / 0) (#4)
    by NYShooter on Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 10:36:32 PM EST
    One nobody makes a silly statement and that's supposed to represent the Republican Party?
    .....and from this we take the leap that "they think the nation's economic outlook is rosy?"
    I agree with BTD that this types of adolescent giggling is unhelpful.

    Lighten up. (5.00 / 3) (#7)
    by TChris on Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 10:40:40 PM EST
    The delegate quote is just plain funny.  The meat is in the linked article:

    The views of the Republican delegates on the issues, especially the economy, and on Mr. Bush are sharply at odds with voters generally. ...  Ninety percent of the Democratic delegates said the nation was in a recession, while 72 percent of the Republican delegates say it is not.

    The title of the post is "The Republican View of the Economy" -- a view that is plainly out of touch with the average American.

    Parent

    Agreed, it's very funny (5.00 / 2) (#8)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 10:50:41 PM EST
    and I suspect only a Repub wouldn't think so.

    Parent
    That was "cold" (none / 0) (#11)
    by NYShooter on Sun Aug 31, 2008 at 11:02:56 PM EST
    been called many things, but a Republican?


    Parent
    Yeah, that was a cheap shot (none / 0) (#19)
    by Valhalla on Mon Sep 01, 2008 at 12:13:14 AM EST
    I admit I laughed about the McDonald's thing -- really, not to support that logic, but if anything the fact that McD's parking lot is full is a sign that folks aren't doing well (or they'd be eating somewhere better!), but I did think it was off base before reading the article.  

    Parent
    I guess.. (none / 0) (#21)
    by NYShooter on Mon Sep 01, 2008 at 01:10:31 AM EST
    my point was that, yes, that one linquist's quote was funny. However, Anything that smacks of HuffPo type charlatism makes me wince a little.

    But, as to the Republicans view of the economy being different than the Dems, I don't think so. Statiscally, we haven't been shown to be in a recession, but I'm sure if the question was framed, "are many, many people suffering in this economy," I can'e believe that most R's wouldn't agree since.

    p.s. Lifelong Dem here, first voted for Humphrey, never looked elsewhere.

    Parent

    To paraphrase President Clinton, (none / 0) (#20)
    by bocajeff on Mon Sep 01, 2008 at 12:31:54 AM EST
    I guess it depends on the definition of "recession".

    If you mean the economic definition then we are not in a recession. If you mean what you want it to mean then it doesn't really matter, does it?

    Well (none / 0) (#23)
    by Wile ECoyote on Mon Sep 01, 2008 at 05:34:09 AM EST
    TCris, I gotta ask ya, What is your definition of a recession?  

    Sadly.... (none / 0) (#26)
    by kdog on Mon Sep 01, 2008 at 09:13:04 AM EST
    McDonalds is cheaper than even a meager home cooked meal.

    4.99 for a piece of London Broil, 50 cents for a potato, and 75 cents for a club roll....where's the savings Phyliss?

    I think if you have to parse the definition (none / 0) (#28)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon Sep 01, 2008 at 11:25:51 AM EST
    of the word "recession" in order to make it fit our economy, then the significance of the word is pretty much negated.

    Times are tighter now than they were during the past 8-10 years or so. Earth shattering observation. Personally, I blame Rove.

    The Republican View of the Economy | 28 comments (28 topical)

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