George W. Bush and John McCain

The primary goal of the Democratic Party over the last 4 months has been to tie John McCain to President Bush. It seems like a good strategy, due to Bush’s less than stellar approval rating, and I would do the same if I were in their shoes. Of course, while there are some similarities between the two politicians, there are some big differences as well.

One of the most notable differences is in regards to fiscal responsibility.

When the Republican Revolution of 1994 came along, one of the big hopes of Republicans was to balance the budget and to reduce the federal deficit. In one of the rarer signs of bipartisanship, President Clinton signed the bills that Congressional Republicans created to balance the budget, thereby reducing the amount of debt we accumulated yearly.

However, when President Bush came into office, the fervor in Washington D.C. to keep a balanced budget faded away. With this fervor gone, the federal coffers (in essence) opened up even more, resulting in massive pork barrel projects. Both Republicans and Democrats in Congress wanted to bring home the bacon (in the form of federally financed projects in their home states) and billions were spent. Unfortunately, President Bush did not veto these billion dollar pork bills.

This is where a major difference lies. John McCain is not George W. Bush. Senator McCain hates pork barrel spending and he has promised to veto any such bills. While President Bush missed an opportunity, John McCain will seize it. Check out his platform.

http://www.johnmccain.com/Issues/JobsforAmerica/reform.htm

So, in essence, President George W. Bush presided over a deficit that grew too big. President John McCain will preside over a deficit whose growth will be stunted.

There are a few major differences between McCain and Bush! Don’t let the Democratic Party tell you differently, as this campaign continues.

As the mantra of 1994 Republicans went, “Why should we pass along massive debt to our children and grandchildren?” I wish more politicians felt this way today. John McCain does.