The Anchoress

It can’t get no respect.

Bizzyblog writes:

QUESTION: When is this economy going to some respect?

The economy’s 3.8% third-quarter growth (subject to revision in the coming months) was remarkable, given the storms that occurred during almost the entire final month of the quarter:

Economists had forecast GDP would advance at a 3.6% rate in the July-to-September quarter. The economy has now expanded faster than 3% for 10 straight quarters.

So when was the last time the economy expanded faster than 3% for 10 straight quarters?

It didn’t happen during the 1990s (the longest streak was eight).

It last happened during the 13 quarters from 1Q 1983 through 1Q 1986. Not coincidentally, a president who believed in lowering taxes to stimulate economic growth was in charge the last time it happened.

So despite being at war, despite devastating storms, and despite legislative and regulatory drags on the economy like Sarbanes-Oxley, this has been most consistently growing economy in almost 20 years.

Respect? When will the economy get some respect from the press? Not while President Bush is in office. When the WH occupant has an R after his name, it never can.

Read Bizzyblog’s whole piece. The go check out Dr. Sanity who puts a psychological spin on this whole issue and wonders what it will take to end the mass hallucination too many in the US are suffering under. Unfortunately, her conclusions are too similar to mine: it will take a D in the WH to get the P to tell the T.

Then go BACK to Bizzyblog, because he’s written more, done more research. I’m glad someone is.

UPDATE: Betsy Newmark links to proof that the press reports the economy in a negative way when the WH is under Republican control.