currently watching: Seinfeld-Season 9 
currently listening to: Animal Collective-Merriweather Post Pavilion 
OK, I did say no more politics here but I mostly meant the controversial social issues (which has almost everything to do with religious background). Fiscal issues I will still comment on from time to time. thats my specialty.
Since everyone loved to bash poor old Bush, I thought I’d keep track of how Obummer does economy-wise during the next 4 years, with the all-democratic congress, as compared to Bush. All bets are off if Republicans take back over congress in ‘10.
I contend that Bush, despite the tech bubble and 9/11, rebounded to have an overall fantastic economy for almost all of his reign of terror (heh) right up until the point that the dems took back over congress and Barney Frank and friends started wrecking things.
http://www.miseryindex.us/customindexbymonth.asp (excellent site)
The misery index, which was created during the Carter years, simply combines the unemployment rate with the inflation rate.
Bush’s best month: Oct ‘06 5.71 (better than clinton’s best month which of course was with a Repub. congress, Apr 98 5.74)
Bush’s worst month: Aug ‘08 11.47
Worst month in history: June ‘80 21.98 (the summer that buried carter)
Misery Index rating as of Dec ‘08/Obama’s starting point 7.29 (historically pretty good)
PREDICTION: OBAMA DOESNT GET THE MISERY INDEX BELOW BUSH’S BEST MONTH AND HE EXCEEDS BUSH’S WORST MONTH
Anyone care to wager against that?
I believe that if congress/Obama had simply just let this housing bubble thing run its course that the ship would have been righted on its own. Some corporate tax cuts would have sped it all up i think, but either way this “stimulus” is a joke, its all liberal pork projects that do nothing to help the private sector return to true profitability–it just puts a temporary band-aid on things using money that doesn’t exist which will send inflation rates soaring down the road, not to mention unemployment when these projects run their course.
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And also for fun, we’ll keep track of how things do in the market. I don’t think the market will get anywhere near the peaks reached under Bush as long as Obama/democratic congress are in charge. I do realize it took Bush 5 years to rebound from the lows of the tech bubble and 9/11, so if the market rebounds to 80% of the difference between where the market was on Jan 16, 2009(last day Bush was in Office) and the Bush high point, it’ll be a victory for Obamanomics(Liberalism).
Dow Jones Index high for Bush: 14,164 (Oct 07)
Dow Jones Index low for Bush: 7,501 (Sept 02)
Goal for Obama: 12,987
Nasdaq Index high for Bush: 2,859 (Oct 07)
Nasdaq Index low for Bush: 1,114 (Oct 02)
Goal for Obama: 2,593
S&P 500 Index high for Bush: 1,565 (Oct 07)
S&P 500 Index low for Bush: 752 (Nov 08)
Goal for Obama: 1,422
