Changing History

Zuruck · Post by **Zuruck** » Fri Feb 13, 2004 10:30 am

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... 871044&e=4

I know this article will get immediate rebuke from the likes of the normal conservatives who obviously know more about economics than the leftist National Bureau of Economic Research right?

bash · Post by **bash** » Fri Feb 13, 2004 11:18 am

Z, see that really, really big first word? It says *COMMENTARY*, as in one man's opinion of what the motives are for altering recession start/end dates. The writer concludes the likely nefarious motive for doing so (and, yep, I skimmed it) is for one administration to pass the buck for economic hard times onto a previous administration. Saints preserve us! Stop the presses!

Z, do you see anything new about this and do you believe it's something only Republican administrations try to do? The only reason I see that it's in the news again is the guy from Stanford doesn't like being ignored this year and is making a stinky about it.

I would agree that political manipulation is probably ocurring but the blame game is as old as politics itself.

Here's an old joke that I'm sure I'll screw up. A CEO starts his first day on the job. In his desk he finds three envelopes. Each is marked *Open in case of emergency* and they are labelled 1,2,3. He puts them away and sure enough, soon there's a crisis. He opens the first envelope and it says *blame your predessor*. So he does and everyone agrees it's the old guy's fault and the CEO keeps his job and things get back to normal. Another crisis shows up and he tears open the second envelope. It says *blame the economy*. He does, folks agree the problems couldn't have been helped by anything the CEO could have controlled. Phew. Keeps his job. Third crisis shows up and he runs to his desk, thankful that there's still another envelope left, and rips the last one open. Inside it says *prepare three envelopes*.

Relevant? Probably not, but it came to mind.

Will Robinson · Post by **Will Robinson** » Fri Feb 13, 2004 12:30 pm

Well, from the very article you linked, after 3 long paragraphs insinuating republicans caused all recent recessions he says:

" To be fair, even if the latest recession did begin after Bush took office in January, 2001, no one can say he caused it."

So what's his damn point really...maybe he's the one guilty of election year manipulation?

More fun with numbers from the very people he refrenced, the National Bureau of Economic Research: Recession Could Have Begun Early

So with that in mind, what's your point?

Zuruck · Post by **Zuruck** » Fri Feb 13, 2004 1:33 pm

The hypocricy of the administration...I know the article said it wasnt really his fault so why he is trying to have his own date on the recession ??

Will Robinson · Post by **Will Robinson** » Fri Feb 13, 2004 1:48 pm

It's the battle of the sound bites.
He'd rather have the "...inherited Clinton's recession" sound bite out there than let the democrats "Bush's tax cuts created a recession" sound bite go unchallenged.

Now, aren't you insulted that the two parties think you're so stupid that your vote is that easy to steal?
Aren't you pissed off enough at their games that you want to kick them out of power?

Me too...

Dedman · Post by **Dedman** » Fri Feb 13, 2004 4:03 pm

Here here!!!!