Today is John McCain’s birthday. That’s easy to remember, because on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in New Orleans as a Category 3 hurricane, bringing ruin and devastation to an impoverished population unable to evacuate partially because of decades of neglect and partially because of an unresponsive government.

And part of the unresponsivity is directly tied in with John McCain. On August 29, 2005, John McCain was celebrating his 69th birthday with George Bush in Arizona, and apparently the festivities couldn’t be called off so that the president of the United States could coordinate some sort of effective response. Now we have indelible images like this:

juxtaposed with this:

This is yet another shameful legacy Bush, along with his enablers like John McCain, has given us. When you don’t believe government can be useful or effective, you don’t spend time trying to figure out how it can actually be useful or effective.

Speaking of responses, our very own Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor Sam Page volunteered his time and effort providing free medical services for Katrina in Jennings, LA. That’s especially touching to me, because not only was I born in Louisiana, I still have lots of extended family in Jennings. Thank, Sam, for showing that you cared when those higher up in government did not.

Photos courtesy of Flickr users John McGaffe and weBranding.

What did you think of the speech last night? What were your favorite lines? Least favorite?

The entire text of the speech is here.

The latest three-day Gallup Poll Daily tracking average (Aug. 25-27) is directly coincident with the first three days of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, and is no doubt beginning to reflect the typical convention “bounce” that Gallup has observed in most party conventions in recent decades…

It was Obama 45%, McSame 44%. It’s now Obama 48%, McSame 42%.

Update:

The Gallup Poll Daily tracking average released on August 29 – Obama 49%, McSame 41%.

Mark Parkinson, the Republican representative in HD 16, is a four-week incumbent. At least that’s what Cheryl Hibbeler calls him when she’s going door to door on behalf of his Democratic opponent, Kristy Manning. If a constituent confesses to not knowing who his state rep is, she points out that it’s perfectly understandable he wouldn’t know. After last February’s special election, by the time Parkinson was actually sworn in and ready to participate in the legislative session, there were only four weeks left in the session. He has no other experience in state government, having only one job on his resume, that of being an aide to Kit Bond. Manning, on the other hand, (Cheryl tells the person at the door) has worked six years in state government as an aide to Senator Joan Bray.

Ah, sad but true, though, the best qualified candidate doesn’t always win. And that’s especially true in St. Charles County where, as Kristy’s ad (just shift your eyes to the left hand column) points out, Democrats are typically outspent by Republicans 5 to 1. What’s more, the money gap is even worse than the ad lets on because that 5 to 1 gap is only the gap between the official spending of the campaigns themselves. It doesn’t take into account the spending of other organizations on behalf of the candidate. By the time the HRCC and the Missouri Right to Life have plowed some more money into the race, the gap might be closer to 8 or 9 to 1.

Like so many outspent Democrats, Kristy and her volunteers are working their tails off going door to door. So far, they’ve knocked on 7,000 doors. She herself has knocked on 4,000 and has actually spoken to a couple of thousand people. Conventional wisdom is that 2,000 personal contacts can be enough to swing a close district, and oh this one is close all right. Tom Fann lost to Parkinson last February 51.6 percent to 48.4 percent.

Kristy is by no means assuming that introducing herself to 2,000 people will hand her the election. She follows through on every personal contact with a “nice to meet you” note that includes personal details, if possible. She mentions the person’s dog or asks after the baby’s cough. And she enjoys sometimes running into those people at community functions and having them say, “Hey, you came to my door!” Thank goodness for a sharp memory because she often remembers the dog or the baby’s cough even then.

Kristy’s got 67 days to knock on more doors, and believe it: she will. Show her some love by clicking on her ad.

Members of a college student Democratic organization multitask during a meeting, putting together a mailing for a local Democratic Party candidate.

There are many things that fuel local campaigns. Yes, money is very important. A good candidate with excellent political skills also helps quite a bit. Having a plan and executing it is a good thing, too. One thing that is overlooked by the general public is the value of campaign volunteers. Note I didn’t say the same of candidates and campaigns. They love volunteers. Having a lot of volunteers makes those tedious, yet very important, tasks happen. The work is not glamorous, but it is essential, and having volunteers who actually do those crucial tasks takes a load off the resources (and stress level) of a campaign.

So, here’s the pitch. There’s far too much to do in all local campaigns, there are too few resources to accomplish them, and time is running out. If you haven’t already done so, find a local or General Assembly candidate in your area, go to their headquarters, and volunteer. You’ll be glad you did and you’ll be greatly appreciated.

If you love to talk on the phone, they’ll put you to work in a phone bank. If you’re a phone-a-phobe, you can stuff envelopes. If you’re artistic you can make posters for the campaign office. If you like to walk you can go door to door. If you don’t want to talk to people, but you want some exercise, you can do literature drops. There’s a lot to do and there’s definitely something to fit your skill set and comfort level.

If you can’t give money you can always give your time as a volunteer. It will make a big difference. Believe me.

Assembly lines work well for this process.

Kenny Hulshof finally released his health care plan the other day, months overdue. Strange timing, because if someone’s confident in every detail of their proposal, they usually tend to release it when the news cycle isn’t already being dominated by a predictable event, like say, the opponent’s convention. Looks like Hulshof is throwing out a bunch of half-baked pablum disguised as a plan to grab a little attention from Jay Nixon at the convention, and to have some paper to wave around later in the campaign just so he can’t be attacked any more for not even having a plan.

I’ll just skip past the excellent point that the Missouri Democratic Party is currently making – Hulshof is unsure as to whether the plan will cost closer to $50 million or $500 million – and get right to some of the details that have been bothering me.

Hulshof’s plan is based on enrolling Missourians into HSAs – Health Savings Accounts – supposedly controlling our spiraling health care costs and allowing uninsured Missourians to get back on the rolls of the insured. An HSA is essentially a tax-exempt interest-bearing bank account that you can only use to pay for health care, and they are typically tied to high-deductible health insurance plans (HDHPs).  In theory, instead of paying a premium every month and a co-pay when you go to the doctor for a checkup or for a minor illness, you would save a percentage of your income, then pay the doctor out of your account as needed.

Confused as to what’s the difference between having an HSA and being uninsured? Well, you neither have to pay income tax on the amount you saved nor on the amount you withdraw, but that’s about it. And in case you were thinking that this might be an ideal situation for a tax shelter, you are absolutely correct.

Hulshof also claims that “putting these HSA plans into HealthMAX will guard against the risk of adverse selection.” Either he’s being disingenuous or he doesn’t know what adverse selection is (or possibly both), because an HSA/HDHP is more likely to increase the risk of adverse selection, not decrease. A 2006 GAO study showed that the healthy and the wealthy were the primary beneficiaries of HSAs. The healthy, because they have fewer costs in an HSA compared to a traditional plan, and the wealthy, because they have enough extra income to divert some money into tax-free savings.

Think about it this way. If you’re a young, healthy man with no history of serious illness or little taste for extreme sports, you would rationally choose an HSA, because you don’t need health care services except for the occasional checkup or flu shot. If your family has a history of illness, or you had an accident when you were younger that still requires regular attention, or you’re a woman (women tend to consume more heath care services than men because of regular checkups and you know, giving birth) you might want to stick with your traditional health plan.

Well, if any significant number of the healthiest consumers leave the pool of those participating in the traditional health plan, that leaves the same amount of risk (and expense) in the pool with fewer enrollees. To make their money, insurance companies will jack up premiums, leaving some of those who previously thought the traditional plan was still more cost-effective for them to instead choose an HSA. Every round of premium increases leave the pool a little riskier and more expensive, until you have two pools, the healthy with cheap plans and the chronically ill with expensive plans. That’s a textbook example of a adverse selection death spiral, and that’s not what we want in Missouri.

Finally, HSAs don’t do anything to reduce the overall runaway health care costs in America. Think about it. If you have an HSA paired with a high deductible plan, you’re less likely to pay for preventive care, like doctor visits for checkups and treating minor illness like the flu. Most people don’t like going to the doctor anyway, and you’re really going to avoid it if you have to pay the entire cost of the visit out of pocket. But those doctor visits help catch problems that can develop into much more dangerous conditions later on, the ones that, you know, cost a lot of money to treat. By the time it reaches the point of really expensive to treat, you’re probably not going to care too much about cost, especially since after the deductible, the insurance company picks up the tab. Problem is, someone has to pay for the expensive tests and treatments, so the costs rise for all of us in the form of higher premiums and deductibles and more expensive prescription drugs. So rather than helping control costs, HSAs help drive costs up.

No thanks, Kenny. By the way, when Hulshof had the chance in Congress to increase health care coverage for Missouri children last year, he stood with Bush and locked the door.  

Speaking at the Missouri Caucus breakfast, pollster Peter Hart styled himself as a “coldblooded analyst”. Being a coldblooded pollster, though, doesn’t mean Hart isn’t partisan. He’s done polling for so many years for the Carnahans and for Ike Skelton that he claims to have worked for Ike in his junior high run for student council.

Some partisans can be objective, and as someone who has helped run the NBC/Wall Street Journal polls for the last twenty years, Hart feels he is that person, and he was there to give us his unbiased take on Democratic chances and on Obama’s chances in particular this fall.

2008, he says, “is as good a year as it gets for the Democratic party.” Voters are as unhappy and disappointed as he’s seen them in his 35 years as a pollster. In fact, 80 percent of them believe the country is on the wrong track. That’s some number. I don’t think you could get 80 percent of Americans to agree that the earth is round.

It does look as if voters plan to throw the bums out. When asked which party should be in control of Congress, Dems get the nod 47-36. That bodes ill for Republicans in congressional races, and Hart figures Dems are likely to take as many as twenty more House seats and five more Senate seats. When asked whether they want a Democrat or a Republican for president, they prefer the Dem brand 46-37.  

Those raw numbers will also be influenced this November by what I think of as the booster factor. Fervent support from large numbers of people boosts a candidate’s chances, and Obama has that. A whopping 46 percent of Democrats say they are excited about Obama for president. McCain, on the other hand, has 12 whole percent of Republicans excited. Sheesh, talk about tepid. With support like that, a candidate could launch a … a frisbee? The booster factor makes this year very different from ’04, when most of those who voted Democratic were voting against Bush but with little relish for Kerry.

Hart did, however, issue one cautionary note. He says Democrats need to reach out with three messages that they are so far not adequately conveying. First, they must convince voters that the party is unified. Before the convention, only 35 percent of voters thought we were unified. That is a mistaken impression due in part to the media exaggerating our divisions. It’ll be interesting to see whether those poll numbers rise now that Hillary has spoken at the convention.

Even more important than correcting that misconception is the need to define McCain. It will never do for Obama merely to fend off attacks on himself as an elitist or as someone who hangs with a domestic terrorist. He must firmly brand his opponent as McSame, George W. McCain, or McBush.

And finally, Democrats must expand the portrait of Obama. What the electorate knows about him so far, they like, but they don’t know enough.

But despite these weaknesses in Obama’s execution of the campaign so far, Hart feels optimistic. He predicts that the following states will turn from red to blue: Iowa, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Virginia, Colorado … and Missouri. He wants a little more icing on the cake, though: he wants McCain to pick the right running mate: “Please, oh God, select Mitt Romney. That would be the most silver spoon ticket ever.”

I’d like to know why he thinks those particular states will turn blue, especially in the case of Missouri. I see only polls here with Obama trailing by five points or more. I’d also like to ask him why he left Ohio off the list. Sherrod Brown kicked an incumbent Republican senator out of office there two years ago by talking about jobs and the economy, but I take Hart’s omission of that state to mean he doesn’t believe Obama can do the same. I just googled Ohio polls and I find that SurveyUSA puts the two men about even and that a Time/CNN poll shows them splitting Ohio.

I hope Hart’s optimism turns out to be justified, but I know that Democrats better bust butt communicating to voters who McCain really is–and who Obama really is.

Mo. AG candidate files new suit contesting ballots

Associated Press – August 26, 2008 6:24 PM ET

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Losing Democratic attorney general candidate Margaret Donnelly has been rebuffed on procedural grounds by the Missouri Supreme Court in her quest for a review of uncounted ballot.

But Donnelly has quickly re-filed her lawsuit in Clay County Circuit Court…

tiny URL

So, the lawsuit was filed in Clay County:

08CY-CV08262 – MARGARET DONNELLY ET AL V SANDY COLLOP ET AL

Judge Assigned: HARMAN, LARRY DALE Date Filed: 08/26/2008

Location: Clay Case Type: CC Other Miscellaneous Actions

Disposition: Not Disposed

Who got sued?:

It’s a long list.

08CY-CV08262 – MARGARET DONNELLY ET AL V SANDY COLLOP ET AL

DONNELLY , MARGARET , Plaintiff     represented by     RHYNE , RICHARD DALY , Attorney for Plaintiff

68 LAKE FOREST DRIVE

SAINT LOUIS, MO 63117

2345 GRAND BOULEVARD

KANSAS CITY, MO 64108

DOE , JOHN , Plaintiff     represented by     RHYNE , RICHARD DALY , Attorney for Plaintiff

2345 GRAND BOULEVARD

KANSAS CITY, MO 64108

COLLOP , SANDY , Defendant    

COUNTY CLERK OF ADAIR COUNTY

106 W WASHINGTON, 2ND FLOOR

KIRKSVILLE, MO 63501

HARVEY , SHELLEY , Defendant    

COUNTY CLERK OF AUDRAIN COUNTY

101 N JEFFERSON, ROOM 101

MEXICO, MO 65265

CONWAY , PAT , Defendant    

COUNTY CLERK OF BUCHANAN CO

411 JULES, ROOM 121

SAINT JOSEPH, MO 64501

REINHART , DAVE , Defendant    

CO-DIR OF BOARD OF ELECTION

COMMISSIONERS OF CLAY COUNTY

100 W MISSISSIPPI STREET

LIBERTY, MO 64068

EVANS , PATTY , Defendant    

CO-DIR OF BOARD OF ELECTION

COMMISSIONERS OF CLAY COUNTY

100 W MISSISSIPPI STREET

LIBERTY, MO 64068

KEMPF , DARRYL , Defendant    

COUNTY CLERK OF COOPER COUNTY

200 MAIN STREET, ROOM 23

BOONVILLE, MO 65233

DOOR , DEBBIE , Defendant    

COUNTY CLERK OF FRANKLIN CO

400 E LOCUST, STE 201

UNION, MO 63084

NICHOLS , ROBERT C JR , Defendant    

CO-DIR OF THE BOARD F ELECTION

COMMISSIONERS OF JACKSON CO

215 N LIBERTY ST

INDEPENDENCE, MO 64051

DAVIS , CHARLENE , Defendant    

CO-DIR F THE BOARD OF ELECTION

COMMISSIONERS OF JACKSON CO

215 N LIBERTY STREET

INDEPENDENCE, MO 64051

WAGNER , WES , Defendant    

COUNTY CLERK OF JEFFERSON CO

729 MAPLE ST, ROOM 217

HILLSBORO, MO 63050

KIEFFER , SHAWN , Defendant    

CO-DIRECT OF BOARD OF ELECTION

COMMISSIONERS OF KANSAS CITY

1828 WALNUT, SUITE 300

KANSAS CITY, MO 64108

MCTHOMAS , SHELLEY , Defendant    

CO-DIRECT OF BOARD OF ELECTION

COMMISSIONERS OF KANSAS CITY

1828 WALNUT, SUITE 300

KANSAS CITY, MO 64108

CHRISTOPHER , KELLY , Defendant    

COUNTY CLERK OF LIVINGSTON CO

700 WEBSTER STREET, SUITE 10

CHILLICOTHE, MO 64601

GROEPPER , ANITA E , Defendant    

COUNTY CLERK OF MONITEAU CO

200 E MAIN STREET, ROOM 106

CALIFORNIA, MO 65018

ERICKSON , MARY BETH , Defendant    

CO-DIR OF BOARD OF ELECTION

COMMISSIONERS OF PLATTE CO

2600 NW PRAIRIE VIEW ROAD

PLATTE CITY, MO 64079

FLANIGAN , WENDY M , Defendant    

CO-DIRECT OF BOARD OF ELECTION

COMMISSIONERS OF PLATTE CO

2600 NW PRAIRIE VIEW ROAD

PLATTE CITY, MO 64079

CHRISMER , RICH , Defendant    

ST CHARLES CO ELECTION AUTHORI

397 TURNER BLVD

SAINT PETERS, MO 63376

JONES , MARY WHEELER , Defendant    

CO-DIRECT OF BOARD OF ELECTION

COMMISSIONERS OF ST LOUIS CITY

300 N TUCKER

SAINT LOUIS, MO 63101

LINENDECKER , SCOTT , Defendant    

CO-DIRECT OF BOARD OF ELECTION

COMMISSIONERS OF ST LOUIS CITY

300 N TUCKER

SAINT LOUIS, MO 63101

DONAHUE , JOE , Defendant    

CO-DIRECT OF BOARD OF ELECTION

COMMISSION OF ST LOUIS COUNTY

12 SUNNEN DRIVE, STE 126

SAINT LOUIS, MO 63143

GOEKE , JOSEPH , Defendant    

CO-DIRECT OF BOARD OF ELECTION

COMMISSION OF ST LOUIS COUNTY

12 SUNNEN DRIVE, STE 126

SAINT LOUIS, MO 63143

REGISTER , MARVIN , Defendant    

COUNTY CLERK – COLE COUNTY

311 E HIGH STREET, ROOM 201

JEFFERSON CITY, MO 65101

LUCK , ELAINE , Defendant    

COUNTY CLERK – LINCOLN COUNTY

201 MAIN STREET

TROY, MO 63379

WILLIAMS , BARBARA , Defendant    

COUNTY CLERK – MCDONALD COUNTY

602 MAIN STREET

PINEVILLE, MO 64856

BAUM , KAY , Defendant    

COUNTY CLERK – NEWTON COUNTY

101 S WOOD STREET

NEOSHO, MO 64850

BRYANT , KENNETH R , Defendant    

COUNTY CLERK – SALINE COUNTY

101 E ARROW, ROOM 202

MARSHALL, MO 65340

TAYLOR , SUSETTE , Defendant    

COUNTY CLERK – ATCHISON COUNTY

400 S WASHINGTON

ROCK PORT, MO 64482

SMITH , CONNIE , Defendant    

COUNTY CLERK – CRAWFORD COUNTY

203 MAIN STREET

STEELVILLE, MO 65565

STEWARD , LINDA , Defendant    

COUNTY CLERK – DAVIESS COUNTY

102 N MAIN STREET

GALLATIN, MO 64640

BERRY , MARY , Defendant    

COUNTY CLERK – DEKALB COUNTY

109 N MAIN STREET

MAYSVILLE, MO 64469

REIDLINGER , CAROL , Defendant    

COUNTY CLERK – GENTRY COUNTY

200 W CLAY

ALBANY, MO 64402

BASIER , KAY , Defendant    

COUNTY CLERK-STE GENEVIEBE CTY

55 S THIRD STREET

SAINTE GENEVIEVE, MO 63670

CARNAHAN , ROBIN , Defendant    

SECRETARY OF STATE

STATE OF MISSOURI

600 WEST MAIN STREET

JEFFERSON CITY, MO 65101

KOSTER , CHRIS , Defendant    

1100 SOUTH MAIN STREET

HARRISONVILLE, MO 64701

And this is what’s happened so far:

08CY-CV08262 – MARGARET DONNELLY ET AL V SANDY COLLOP ET AL

08/26/2008

Docket Entry:   Pet Filed in Circuit Ct

Docket Entry: Certificate of Service

Filing Party: RHYNE , RICHARD DALY

Docket Entry: Motion Filed

Text: MOTION TO SHORTEN TIME TO RESPOND TO FIRST REQUEST FOR PRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS TO RESPONDENTS. KST

Filing Party: RHYNE , RICHARD DALY

Docket Entry: Summons Issued-Circuit

Text: Document ID: 08-SMCC-1941, for KOSTER, CHRIS;SUMMONS ISSUED AND DELIVERED BACK TO ATTORNEY FOR SERVICE TOGETHER WITH FIRST REQUEST FOR PRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS.bp

Docket Entry: Order

Text: Order Setting Preliminary Hearing for Election Contest for 9-02-2008 @ 1:00 pm by agreement. LDH

Filing Party: HARMAN , LARRY DALE

Docket Entry: Order

Text: Contestant’s Motion to Shorten Time to Respond to the First Request for Production of Documents to Respondents is granted. Respondents shall respond not later than August 29, 2008. LDH

Filing Party: HARMAN , LARRY DALE

Docket Entry:   Hearing Scheduled

Associated Events: 09/02/2008 , 13:00:00 – Hearing

Docket Entry: Summons Issued-Reg/Cert Mail

Text: Document ID: 08-SMCM-87, for COLLOP, SANDY; Document ID: 08-SMCM-88, for HARVEY, SHELLEY; Document ID: 08-SMCM-89, for CONWAY, PAT; Document ID: 08-SMCM-90, for REINHART, DAVE; Document ID: 08-SMCM-91, for EVANS, PATTY; Document ID: 08-SMCM-92, for KEMPF, DARRYL; Document ID: 08-SMCM-93, for DOOR, DEBBIE; Document ID: 08-SMCM-94, for NICHOLS, ROBERT C; Document ID: 08-SMCM-95, for DAVIS, CHARLE
NE; Document ID: 08-SMCM-96, for MCTHOMAS, SHELLEY; Document ID: 08-SMCM-97, for KIEFFER, SHAWN; Document ID: 08-SMCM-98, for WAGNER, WES; Document ID: 08-SMCM-99, for CHRISTOPHER, KELLY; Document ID: 08-SMCM-100, for GROEPPER, ANITA E; Document ID: 08-SMCM-101, for ERICKSON, MARY BETH; Document ID: 08-SMCM-102, for FLANIGAN, WENDY M; Document ID: 08-SMCM-103, for CHRISMER, RICH; Document ID: 08-SMCM-104, for JONES, MARY WHEELER; Document ID: 08-SMCM-105, for LINENDECKER, SCOTT; Document ID: 08-SMCM-106, for DONAHUE, JOE; Document ID: 08-SMCM-107, for GOEKE, JOSEPH; Document ID: 08-SMCM-108, for REGISTER, MARVIN; Document ID: 08-SMCM-109, for LUCK, ELAINE; Document ID: 08-SMCM-110, for WILLIAMS, BARBARA; Document ID: 08-SMCM-111, for BAUM, KAY; Document ID: 08-SMCM-112, for BRYANT, KENNETH R; Document ID: 08-SMCM-113, for TAYLOR, SUSETTE; Document ID: 08-SMCM-114, for SMITH, CONNIE; Document ID: 08-SMCM-115, for STEWARD, LINDA; Document ID: 08-SMCM-116, for BERRY, MARY; Document ID: 08-SMCM-117, for REIDLINGER, CAROL; Document ID: 08-SMCM-118, for BASIER, KAY; Document ID: 08-SMCM-119, for CARNAHAN, ROBIN; SUMMONS ISSUED AND MAILED BY CERTIFIED MAILED TOGETHER WITH FIRST REQUEST FOR PRODUCTION DOCUMENTS.bp

We’ll know more on Tuesday, September 2nd after the hearing. This lawsuit is separate from the actual recount under the aegis of the Secretary of State.  

It’s no secret that worries about the economy are foremost in voters’ minds.

In Missouri (Public Policy Polling) (pdf):

…Q10 I am going to name 7 issues. Which of these is most important to you? The War in Iraq, education, the economy and jobs, taxes, moral or family values, health care, or immigration…

War in Iraq – 15%

Education – 7%

Economy and Jobs – 47%

Taxes – 4%

Moral and Family Values – 13%

Health Care – 8%

Immigration – 5%

Other – 1%

[emphasis added]

The republicans don’t do very well at this economy stuff. Just ask folks filling up at the gas station, “How’s that $4.00 a gallon workin’ out for ya?” (Brief interruption: Okay, it’s now under $3.50 a gallon in my area. The next question is, “Gee, how did they get that off shore oil drilling into production that fast?” They didn’t. Can you say, “unregulated greed and speculation.”)

Here’s a site that has a lot of historical information about republican administrations, Democratic administrations, and how the American economy has fared under each:

Presidential Economic Data

Democrats and the economy

   * Eight of the last nine recessions have been under Republican presidents

   * Democratic presidents create twice as many jobs per year as Republican presidents.

   * Republican presidents’ deficits are three times higher than Democrats’ and twice as high as a percent of GDP.

   * The economy grows 41% faster under Democratic presidents.

   * Businesses invest three times as much under Democratic presidents.

The economy grows 41% faster under Democratic presidents.

   Average GDP growth per year under Democratic Presidents: 4.05%

   Average GDP growth per year under Republican Presidents: 2.88%

   Average GDP growth under the Bush II Administration: 2.51%

Businesses invest three times as much under Democratic presidents.

   Average growth per year under Democratic Presidents: 7.08%

  Average growth per year under Republican Presidents: 2.94%

  Average growth under the Bush II Administration: 1.53%

There’s plenty more where that came from…