Suitably Flip

Bubba's Fables

With the next campaign finance disclosure just around the bend, Hillary has recruited Bill to pen her latest solicitation letter.  In it, Bill stresses the urgency with which we need to support his wife's campaign, by highlighting some sobering economic data that quantify the terrible suffering wrought by a Clintonless White House.

The fact is, our opponents may very well outraise us -- and we can't afford to lose momentum now.

Not when 45 million Americans are without health care. Not when wages are flat, consumer debt is rising, and children are living in poverty.
...
Even when they outspent her two-to-one in her Senate campaign, she still came out on top -- in a landslide. And when she ran for reelection, she won almost 60 percent of the votes in New York counties that went for President Bush in 2004. When Republicans saw what she did, instead of what her opponents said about her, they voted for her too.

Bill would also like to remind you that he did not have sexual relations with that woman, that he has never engaged in loan fraud, and that Sandy Berger simply has congenitally sticky fingers.

Let's consider the bald-faced boldface, item by item.

Bubba:  "45 million Americans are without health care."
Reality:  The Census Bureau estimates 45 million Americans are uninsured, not "without health care".  The vast majority of Americans without health insurance still receive medical care.

Bubba:  "Wages are flat."
Reality:  The annualized growth rate of real (inflation-adjusted) wages has averaged 1.2% over the last twelve months (well ahead of the average pace of 0.8% set during the economic arcadia of the Clinton Administration).

Bubba:  "Consumer debt is rising."
Reality:  Actually, that's true.  Consumer debt is rising.  But consumer debt is almost always rising.  Consumer debt increased in 95 of the 96 months of the Clinton Presidency.  Over those 8 years, consumer debt grew at an average annualized rate of 10.0%.  During the Bush Presidency, it has grown at an average rate of only 5.6%.

Bubba:  "They outspent her two-to-one in her [2000] Senate campaign."
Reality:  Hillary's total disbursements ($41.5 million) in the 2000 Senate race actually exceeded GOP candidate Rick Lazio's ($40.6 million).  Maybe Bill was thinking of the 2006 race, which was indeed marked by a staggering spending mismatch.  Hillary outspent GOP challenger John Spencer by more than 6-to-1.

Bubba:  "When Republicans saw what she did, instead of what her opponents said about her, they voted for her too."
Reality:  Despite her incumbency and outspending her challenger by more than 6-to-1, only 20% of New York State Republicans voted for Hillary in 2006.  By comparison, 31% of Republicans voted for the non-incumbent Democratic Gubernatorial candidate.

Distortions, exaggerations, and outright falsehoods.  Ahh, that takes me right back to '98.

Comments

Bubba's Fables

With the next campaign finance disclosure just around the bend, Hillary has recruited Bill to pen her latest solicitation letter.  In it, Bill stresses the urgency with which we need to support his wife's campaign, by highlighting some sobering economic data that quantify the terrible suffering wrought by a Clintonless White House.

The fact is, our opponents may very well outraise us -- and we can't afford to lose momentum now.

Not when 45 million Americans are without health care. Not when wages are flat, consumer debt is rising, and children are living in poverty.
...
Even when they outspent her two-to-one in her Senate campaign, she still came out on top -- in a landslide. And when she ran for reelection, she won almost 60 percent of the votes in New York counties that went for President Bush in 2004. When Republicans saw what she did, instead of what her opponents said about her, they voted for her too.

Bill would also like to remind you that he did not have sexual relations with that woman, that he has never engaged in loan fraud, and that Sandy Berger simply has congenitally sticky fingers.

Let's consider the bald-faced boldface, item by item.

Bubba:  "45 million Americans are without health care."
Reality:  The Census Bureau estimates 45 million Americans are uninsured, not "without health care".  The vast majority of Americans without health insurance still receive medical care.

Bubba:  "Wages are flat."
Reality:  The annualized growth rate of real (inflation-adjusted) wages has averaged 1.2% over the last twelve months (well ahead of the average pace of 0.8% set during the economic arcadia of the Clinton Administration).

Bubba:  "Consumer debt is rising."
Reality:  Actually, that's true.  Consumer debt is rising.  But consumer debt is almost always rising.  Consumer debt increased in 95 of the 96 months of the Clinton Presidency.  Over those 8 years, consumer debt grew at an average annualized rate of 10.0%.  During the Bush Presidency, it has grown at an average rate of only 5.6%.

Bubba:  "They outspent her two-to-one in her [2000] Senate campaign."
Reality:  Hillary's total disbursements ($41.5 million) in the 2000 Senate race actually exceeded GOP candidate Rick Lazio's ($40.6 million).  Maybe Bill was thinking of the 2006 race, which was indeed marked by a staggering spending mismatch.  Hillary outspent GOP challenger John Spencer by more than 6-to-1.

Bubba:  "When Republicans saw what she did, instead of what her opponents said about her, they voted for her too."
Reality:  Despite her incumbency and outspending her challenger by more than 6-to-1, only 20% of New York State Republicans voted for Hillary in 2006.  By comparison, 31% of Republicans voted for the non-incumbent Democratic Gubernatorial candidate.

Distortions, exaggerations, and outright falsehoods.  Ahh, that takes me right back to '98.