Bush urges GOP to focus on economy

President Bush, right, takes a question from Ken Herman, standing left, of Cox Newspapers during a press conference at the White House Conference Center across from the White House grounds Monday, Aug. 21, 2006 in Washington. President Bush repeatedly poked fun at Herman's suit during the press conference. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

We've got some new election news for you! Since the war in Iraq is "straining the psyche" of America, and the Republican Party, President Bush has decided to the political campaign stratigery. From Yahoo News:

WASHINGTON - Even though he's not running for re-election this year,
President Bush knows just what he would focus on if he were: the economy and taxes.

As Republicans face an increasingly tough political outlook, in part because of Bush's sagging approval ratings, the president offered some advice Monday to GOP candidates in the midterm elections.

"If I were a candidate ... I'd say, 'Look at what the economy has done. It's strong. We've created a lot of jobs. ... I'd be telling people that the Democrats will raise your taxes. That's what they said. I'd be reminding people that tax cuts have worked in terms of stimulating the economy," Bush told reporters at a news conference.

Since the war in Iraq is such a disaster, let's look at the Republican accomplishments in the U.S. economy as a reason why voters should keep the Republicans in control of all three branches of government. Continuing with the Republican accomplishments in the economy:

The economy has slowed in recent months, in part because of the slump in the housing market. Recent economic indicators showed a 4.8 percent jobless rate in July and 4 percent annual economic growth rate through the first half of the year.

The Labor Department recently said employers added just 113,000 new jobs in July, down from 124,000 in June.

Only 37 percent of Americans support Bush's handling of the economy, according to the Associated Press-Ipsos poll in early August. The same survey showed Bush's overall approval rating at 33 percent.

As a candidate, Bush said he would remind voters of the "philosophical difference between those who want to raise taxes and have the government spend the money, and those of us who say, 'You get to spend the money the way you want to see fit. It's your money.'"

"I'd remind people that pro-growth economic policies had helped us cut that deficit faster than we thought," he said.

In 2000, the last year of the Clinton administration, the surplus was $236 billion. The $260 billion deficit forecast for the current budget year, which ends Sept. 30, is $112 billion below previous estimates. Tax revenues contributed to the smaller deficit.

The economy has certainly been growing, but the benefits have either gone to corporations or to the rich elites. For the past six years, we've experienced the same tired, old supply-sided economic theories that have caused our budget deficit to explode from $5 trillion to almost $9 trillion dollars (We can also thank the Bush's war in Iraq for adding to the deficit). Job creation has been anemic, with high wage manufacturing and professional services jobs being outsourced overseas, only to be replaced with low wage retail and service sector jobs. Interest rates have gone up. Consumer debt levels have probably increased. So President Bush's economic policies have not helped America with the of the ubber-rich. And Bush is trying to show the GOP's success in managing the economy? I have a single question to ask you--a question that was asked by the Republican Party's own god-like hero:

Are you better off than you were six years ago?