Lefties in the 1990’s: Bill Clinton SO deserves credit for the US economy! Lefties today: Rick Perry deserves NO credit for the TX economy!

There’s a logical fallacy known as post hoc ergo propter hoc, which means “after this, therefore because of this”.  Basically, it means that it’s illogical to assume that simply because event B happens after event A, then that must mean that event B was caused by event A.  Example:  In 1912, the Titanic sank.  In 1914, World War I broke out.  Therefore, the sinking of the Titanic caused the outbreak of WW I.  Absurd, right?

Well, in 1994, Republicans took control of both chambers of Congress, when Bill Clinton was as popular as a prostate exam by Dr. Edward Scissorhands.  Bubba had passed, with the newly deposed Democrats controlling both chambers at the time, a massive tax increase, which caused the economy to stumble in 1993 and 1994.  When the Republicans took over, they dragged Bubba away from his mistresses long enough to sign a bill that included, among other business-friendly features, a reduction in the capital gains tax.  After that, the economy began to take off.  So all he did was sign a bill that he didn’t want and didn’t like, constructed by those evil pro-business Republicans.  That’s it.  Nothing else.

So what did the left and the MSM (pardon the redundancy) do?  “Well, Clinton got elected in 1992 and the economy took off in late 1995 and early 1996.  Therefore, the economy improved because of Bill Clinton.”  Interestingly, when Reagan signed tax CUTS into law in the 1980’s and the economy began to boom, the MSM paid as much attention to that inconvenient truth as Barney Frank pays to a 42DD bikini-clad blond.  But I digress.

The left loved giving Bubba credit that he was not due.  They could not point to a single policy position that BJ championed into law.  All we were told was “the economy is great, and it’s Clinton’s doing!”  No explanations were necessary.  He got elected and re-elected, the economy hummed, and…well, just connect the dots, you rubes!  Post hoc ergo propter hoc.

What a difference a decade (and a party affiliation later) makes, huh?

The new lefty talking point is that while the national economy sucks under ObaMao, which by the way is NOT his fault, the Texas economy is roaring along, which by the way is NOT Rick Perry’s credit to take.  Apparently, the same economy that B.O. inherits and blames his ills on is NOT the same economy that Perry inherited in TX.  Funny, that.  So now, the left is trying to say “Well, the only reason that TX is doing better than everywhere else is because (insert excuse du jour here)!”  The current talking point: TX is an oil-rich state, so that and that alone is why TX is doing well.

Slate is riding that pony for all it is worth.  The trouble is that this pony is worth nothing.  James Taylor at Forbes (he’s seen fire and he’s seen rain 😆 ) does a masterful job demolishing that pathetic argument, noting that Perry has had the wisdom to implement energy-friendly policies and the courage to fight the envirokooks (especially those at the federal level) who have tried and continue to try to shut down Texas’ oil industry.  (Sidebar: Taylor rightly notes that it’s funny how NOW, after 2.5 years of fighting oil production under Chairman Zero, the left FINALLY acknowledges that oil production  is vital to improving the economy.  I don’t think that’s the argument they wanted to make, but make it they did!  😆 )

Additionally, Perry has championed business-friendly policies for a decade now, and not coincidentally, Texas is now #1 in the nation in business-friendly states (my current state of FL is #2).  Reduced regulations on businesses, no crippling anti-capitalist policies, etc., have enticed many a businesses to leave less friendly states (goodbye, Cali!) and move to Texas.  Those businesses have taken their tax base with them, so nice work, blue states!

Anywho, my point: the left is a bunch of mindless hypocrites who, as usual, feel before they think (apologies if the implication is that at some point they actually DO think).  BJC got credit for a good economy, though the left has no idea what, if anything, he did.  But these same people crediting BJ would have you believe that Rick Perry is merely a lucky recipient of a good economy, an economy that has excelled while the rest of the nation has floundered.  But while BJ can’t point to anything he did to improve the economy, Rick Perry can.  And my hunch is that over the next 14 months or so, Perry will have no problem telling you what he did.