“I Remember”

November 1st, 2010

There’s a pro-Democratic ad by the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers making itself around the web called “I Remember.”

The ad’s basic premise, more or less, is that Republicans are responsible for (and this might not be a complete list—their allegations are hard to keep up with):

  1. Companies offshoring jobs to other nations
  2. Suffering caused by Hurricane Katrina
  3. The Iraq war
  4. Turning a surplus into a deficit
  5. Believe that spending money on the U.S. is wasting money
  6. Bailing out the banks
  7. Tainted lettuce and meat
  8. Think the wealthy don’t have enough money and need more freedom to pollute air and water
  9. Are intent on destroying Social Security, Medicare, public education, civil rights, equal pay for women
  10. All financial crises since 1900
  11. Wants to take us back, Ds want to take us forward

Okay, so let’s just get this part done with: whoever is passing this ad around because they think it’s valid, then from now on, they cannot complain about swift boating or death panels, because they’re clearly not interested in finding the truth, just in doing whatever they can to get “their guys” elected. The swift boat scandal and death panel charges are just as valid as this ad.

On to the ad itself. The ad’s thesis is that, whatever bad has happened to us, is due to Republicans, and whatever good has happened, was because of Democrats. Period. There’s no ambiguity here; Republicans are just evil idiots out to destroy America.

Let’s look at a few of these allegations for a moment.

Republicans are responsible for companies offshoring jobs to other nations.

Actually, no, that’s just economics. Over the last fifty years, many third-world nations have created acceptable conditions for companies to either base their manufacturing segments there, or use foreign companies for manufacturing or other services. They provide a quite good product for much, much less in cost. We’ve all benefited from this; most consumer products we use every day would cost much more, and thus, our entire society has enjoyed a higher standard of living than would be possible before.

Moreover, let me just make this point: if the Republicans are responsible for offshoring American jobs, then they are also partly responsible for the single-greatest reduction in human poverty the world has ever seen. In China alone, since 1980, 500 million people—more than the entire U.S. population—have climbed out of poverty. If the Republicans have been successful in their dastardly plan to send American jobs to those damned foreigners (as this ad claims), then they helped in this incredible feat. So, maybe the ad makers are right—but then I’d just say the Republicans are more altruistic and caring than Democrats. Republicans, then, really care about the downtrodden, little guy, and are more cosmopolitan and worldly than Democrats. Fair?

Not really. Offshoring is an economic reality. We can’t stop it, no matter what protectionist-inclined individuals in either party would like us to believe, through government diktat. All we can do is (1) provide an attractive environment for businesses, so they will want to be here, rather than just by force; and (2) adapt to new economic realities, just as we did when we shifted from an agrarian economy to manufacturing-based, and then from manufacturing to services.

Turning Clinton’s fabulous surplus into a deficit

You have to love the ring to that one. After George W. Bush was elected, Republicans absolutely acted irresponsibly; they passed a massive tax cut without a corresponding cut in spending, added a huge new entitlement to Medicare, and increased spending across the board.

But while we’re remembering things, let’s also remember that Clinton enjoyed the result of HW Bush’s deficit reduction; that GW Bush was stuck with the economic results of a market bubble collapse, the worst terrorist attack in history, and a rash of corporate management scandals; that GW Bush reduced the deficit to 1% of GDP before the financial crisis hit; and that Democrats, when faced with the worst downturn since the Great Depression and a sky-high deficit, added $500 billion of new entitlement spending and a nearly equal amount of taxes, all with one piece of legislation.

This isn’t a case of “they did all this work and then the Republicans came in and messed it up.” It’s a confluence of factors, some of which were under the Democrats’ and the Republicans’ control, and some of which weren’t. Clinton didn’t will the surplus into existence; it was partially a result of the prior administration’s work, the result of the end of the cold war, which allowed the military budget to be reduced; a technology bubble that Clinton had nothing to do with; and fiscal rectitude that a Republican-controlled Congress colliding with a Democratic White House forced. Just the same, Bush didn’t will away the surplus.

Which is all to say: it’s beautiful rhetoric that Democrats created a surplus and Republicans squandered it, but it’s also bullshit.

Republicans are responsible for bailing out the banks

I’m not sure what individuals made this ad, but it sounds like they don’t remember a whole lot about the last few years. Republicans didn’t pass the bailout; a Democratic-controlled Congress passed it and a Republican president signed it. That makes both parties responsible for it.

Alright, that’s enough. Here’s an important time to remember that in politics it typically isn’t very easy to deduce who is and isn’t directly responsible for every single thing that happens, so if someone comes along and tries to tell you how one group is responsible for everything, they’re probably full of it.