Clinton: "Tide Is Turning" After Pa. Win

N.Y. Senator Gets Crucial Victory In Keystone State; Race Moves On To Indiana, North Carolina

(CBS/AP)  Hillary Rodham Clinton has defeated Barack Obama in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary, a victory that keeps alive Clinton's hopes of winning the White House.

With nearly all of the votes counted, the former first lady led Obama 55 percent to 45 percent. CBS News estimates that Clinton won 82 delegates in the Keystone State while Obama won 69, with 7 delegates still unallocated. Obama now has an overall lead of 126 delegates.

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Pennsylvania Results

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"Some counted me out and said to drop out," the former first lady told supporters cheering her triumph in a state where she was outspent by more than two-to-one. "But the American people don't quit. And they deserve a president who doesn't quit, either."

"Because of you, the tide is turning." (Watch Clinton Video)

Her victory, while comfortable, set up another critical test in two weeks time in Indiana. North Carolina votes the same day, and Obama already is the clear favorite in a Southern state with a large black population.

"Now it's up to you Indiana," Obama said at a rally of his own in Evansville after Pennsylvania denied him a victory that might have made the nomination his. (Watch Obama video)

Obama criticized John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting, by name, saying he offers more of the same policies advocated by President Bush. He took aim at Clinton without mentioning her by name. "We can calculate and poll-test our positions and tell everyone exactly what they want to hear," he said. "Or we can be the party that doesn't just focus on how to win, but why we should."

Clinton scored her victory by winning the votes of blue-collar workers, women and white men in an election where the economy was the dominant concern.

She won despite being outspent heavily by her rival in a six-week campaign that allowed time for intense courtship of the voters.

Clinton showed her blue collar bona fides one night by knocking down a shot of whiskey, then taking a mug of beer as a chaser. Obama went bowling in his attempt to win over working-class voters.

"Hillary Clinton did what she needed to do in order to continue her campaign into North Carolina and Indiana two weeks from now, perhaps through the end of the primary process in June and potentially all the way to the Democratic convention in August," said CBSNews.com senior political editor Vaughn Ververs. "She almost certainly muted any calls for her to exit the race." (Click here to read Ververs' complete analysis).

The win gave Clinton a strong record in the big states as she attempts to persuade convention superdelegates to look past Obama's delegate advantage and his lead in the popular vote in picking a nominee. She had previously won primaries in Texas, California, Ohio and her home state of New York, while Obama won his home state of Illinois.

At the same time, even some of her aides conceded she is facing another likely must-win state in Indiana in two weeks time, particularly with Obama favored to carry North Carolina on the same day.

With 158 delegates at stake, Pennsylvania offered the largest prize remaining in a primary season that ends on June 3.

CBS News exit polls show that most Pennsylvania Democrats made up their minds a long time ago, while only 24 percent decided within the last week.

But voters who made late decisions broke to Clinton, with those deciding in the last week supporting the New York senator 58 percent to 42 percent. (See all exit poll data.)

New Democratic voters, who either switched from another party or registered as a Democrat for the first time, strongly backed Obama at a rate of 62 percent to 38 percent.

Women made up 59 percent of Pennsylvania Democratic voters, and they voted for Clinton over Obama 57 percent to 43 percent. Obama won a majority of men (53 percent).

Clinton won the support of 62 percent of white voters, while Obama was the overwhelming choice of black voters (92 percent). Clinton won the crucial demographic of white men, garnering 56 percent of their vote.

As has been the case in other states, the economy was the most important issue to voters, with 55 percent of Pennsylvania Democrats describing it as such, and most Democrats saying that the economy is in a recession. The war in Iraq and health care were the other top issues to voters.

[mudrose-2009]

She''s definitely going to overtake Effendi Snob-oma in Philly. The question is by how much. If I know Hillary-girl, she''ll do just fine. Effendi on the other hand will die in his guns and god rhetoric. Good job Snob-oma!

[postelecpnus]

OF COURSE SHE-MAN HILLARY IS LOOKING FOR THAT POST ELECTION ADDITIONAL SURGICALLY IMPLANTED ***, BUT SHE HAS ALREADY LOST.

YOULL NEVER MAKE IT, YOURE DOOMED, YOU ARE A LOSER HILLARY. BUT YOU ARE GETTING PAID $1M PER DAY OF DENOCRATIC DISRUPTION.

ENJOY YOUR BLOOD MONEY. THE BUSH/CLINTON FARST PERIOD WILL COME TO AN END THIS YEAR!!

[lindaredtail]

mudrose since when are you cheering for Hillary? Since you Republicans would rather face her than Obama? It doesn''t look that way though does it. Hillary and McBomb are closer together in viewpoint. Both voted for the Iraq war. The stark contrast between Obama and McBomb is what the Republicans are afraid of.

[lindaredtail]

As a matter of fact when it comes to debates I think we''ll see some Nixon-Kennedy kind of moments. And we know how that turned out.

[lindaredtail]

What is this Effendi-Snobama foolishness? I''ve been seeing that stuff all over this site. Are you all so young and immature that you''re still reading Dr. Suess?

[pensacola88]

I think the Republicans forgot that Super Delegates are Democrats! I have been reading many posts that sound like the the Super Delegates are loyal to Republicans and want John McCain to go against a weaker Democrat in November.

The demographics in voters around the country has been similar in every state: between 55-60% who vote in the Democratic primary are females, and Hillary Clinton didn''t win or lose in all those states.

Voters clearly want a candidate that can lead them in to a good future, and Hillary Clinton accepts PAC and Lobby money for her campaign, which disgusts most American Voters!!!

[obama8years]

Search YouTube.com "Obama to Shut Down America"



youtube.com/watch?v= waz57ce_hl0

Not only is Obama have Hamas ties but from his own words wants to destroy our military strength.

youtube.com/watch?v= waz57ce_hl0

VIDEO IS OF OBAMA SPEAKING....he is a nut job.

[neonink]

%u201CHe was very aggressive, Barry. Very aggressive. I gave him a dollar and he kept asking. If the bus hadn%u2019t come, I think he might have hit me over the head.%u201D

"The words were like a fist in my stomach. %u2026 And yet I knew that men who might easily have been my brothers would still inspire [my grandparents%u2019] rawest fear. %u2026 The earth shook under my feet, ready to crack open at any moment. I stopped, trying to steady myself, and knew for the first time that I was utterly alone."


from Obama''s first book.

I love the part where ''he had to steady himself''.

WoW....

[realpatriot1]

mudrose,

This is off topic but I wanted to respond to some unfinished business from yesterday.

You claim that Clinton didn''t create a surplus because there was no lockbox on social security and so those funds were being used to create the appearance of a surplus. What that argument fails to take into account is that Reagan & Bush and the Republicans in Congress used the same funds in the same manner and still ran up mega-deficits.

Call it a relative surplus if you want but the fact remains that both Clinton & the Congressional democrats have done a better job of paying for their spending as they go than the Republicans. As a matter of fact, the recent improvement in the deficit corresponds with Democratic control of Congress.

In fairness, representatives in both parties formed a bipartison centrist coalition a few years back and agreed to PATGO rules to not offer any spending increases or tax cuts without offsets to pay for them.
This agreement was initiated by the Concord Coalition led by former Republican Sneator Warren Rudman.

Bush and the Congressional Republican leadership reneged on this agreement, not the Democrats.

The only candidate left in the race who has stated support for a return to the PAYGO rules is Obama.

[mudrose-2009]

What is this Effendi-Snobama foolishness? I''''ve been seeing that stuff all over this site. Are you all so young and immature that you''''re still reading Dr. Suess?
Posted by lindaredtail

Effendi, dolt, is "Sir" in Turkish. Turn tot he last page of Dr. Suess and see if you can find it.

I''m sure Senator Oreo which is really my preferance is not in those books, however. They are too wholesome for him and the likes of you. Feel better now that someone explained it to you.

[mudrose-2009]

Posted by realpatriot1

There was no balanced budget and a deficit of some $150 million and when Clinton left we were already in a recession.

[concorde5]

Realpatriot.....Your are absolutely correct.

[lindaredtail]

After yesterday and that illegitimate source you gave me, no such article exists I went on their search mechanism and spent a lot of time there (the rag Washington Times) So what is your source then for Effendi? You see mudrose I don''t believe a thing you say. Either the sources are illegitimate, meritless, or so biased in their perspective that they have no factual basis. The dolt is you. So let''s check out the source. I''ll look for a Turkish dictionary. I''m sure there is one on the web. Let''s see if you and your ridiculous statements stand up to scrutiny.

[gunownerdan]

SUPERDELEGATES....

because the average American is far too stupid to make their own decisions!

[mudrose-2009]

After yesterday and that illegitimate source you gave me, no such article exists I went on their search mechanism and spent a lot of time there (the rag Washington Times) So what is your source then for Effendi? You see mudrose I don''''t believe a thing you say. Either the sources are illegitimate, meritless, or so biased in their perspective that they have no factual basis. The dolt is you. So let''''s check out the source. I''''ll look for a Turkish dictionary. I''''m sure there is one on the web. Let''''s see if you and your ridiculous statements stand up to scrutiny.
Posted by lindaredtail

You don''t know how to use the internet? Too bad. I didn''t send you on any goose chase. I gave you the source. If you aren''t smart enough to find it, I suggest your go ask your Pukefessor to show you. Afer all, they can teach you to hate, they might as well be able to teach you to find the sources of their vile philosophies. Check out Mein Kampf or Karl Marx. Oh, I forget that''s now required reading right? Jerk.

[lindaredtail]

realpatriot1 That was excellent factual information. Where did you get if from? I love sources of information expecially good ones.

[boatdocster]

Obama is going to give us universal healthcare with PAYGO? - Posted by trapbreak at 09:56 AM, Apr 22, 2008

It could be done, as every other major ''civilized'' country has done.

How much health care could we buy for 650 BILLION dollars? That''s what the Pentagon will spend this year, more than all the rest of world''s countries combined. (And that does not include supplemental funds)

We are very strong militarily, yet need to spend more than the rest of the world combined? Why?

Clearly we have some room for "good" spending programs (such as Health Care, Education) but only IF we get a leader strong enough to LEAD!

[lindaredtail]

mudrose I just came off of a Turkish dictionary. And you are right. It does mean sir. You however are using it in a totally wrongful fashion. It is far from an insult. Effendi is a title of respect used for government officials. So do you really respect Obama? If you are going to pretend to be smart then at least use the word in the proper linguistic and cultural context.

[lindaredtail]

mudrose the only jerk in this forum is you. There was no such source.

[mudrose-2009]

The only debt that matters is the total national debt. And the national debt went up every single year under Clinton. Had Clinton really had a surplus the national debt would have gone down. It didn''t go down precisely because Clinton had a deficit every single year. The U.S. Treasury''s historical record of
the national debt verifies this.

Here little dolt. You have no ability obviously to abstract and I believe Effendi Snob-oma suits Senator Oreo quite well. I rather like the irony of it. He is a leaned man after all by virtue of AA. Won''t release his SAT scores however. I imagine they are about as high as Michele''s. Why she got a perfect score of 1200 and that just opened Princeon up to her too. AA. Effendi Snob-oma and Michele.

[jack3213]

I HOPE SOMEONE PUSHES THEM BOTH OFF A CLIFF.

[craigh9]

Once again, Hillary shows she will say and do anything to prey on peoples fears in order to scare them into voting for her, just look at her new ads - disgraceful.

Rise up Pennsylvania - if you really want to make a difference today is your shot, you tell Hillary you no longer accept her fear mongering tactics and drive her out of the race. Then by giving the party time to heal and rally around Obama so that things can truly begin to change for the better. Don''t let a bitter frustrated politician scare you into more of the same old stuff - Vote Obama and make a vote for yourself!

[mudrose-2009]

mudrose the only jerk in this forum is you. There was no such source.
Posted by lindaredtail

You are a hot head and a numbnut. When you can''t get your way or when someone tells you the truth they lie. That''s how you people work your way through life. Only you are the bearers of truth. Must be nice living in your universe. Stay there.

[realpatriot1]

trapbreak,

No one is going to give you Universal Healthcare without first bringing the costs under control. Most medical care is in the form of prescription drugs and Americans are being soaked more by the pharmacuetical companies than by the oil companies. The GAO released a study last year comparing the cost of ingredients/maunafacturing/research associated with several of the most popularly prescribed drugs. The markups were in the range of 1000-5000%!

Hillary wants you to think that the only way to control costs is for everyone to be insured to create
economies of scale with a large pool. That''s partly true;Medicaid does enjoy somewhat lower costs than private plans. They still pay too much for drugs, along with the administrative/bureaucratic costs resulting from inefficiency in the government-run system.

Hillary won''t go after the drug companies hard because they are among her largest contributors. Obama has taken money from them as well but it''s a pittance in his overall finances and he could do just fine if they pulled their support.

[mudrose-2009]

I HOPE SOMEONE PUSHES THEM BOTH OFF A CLIFF.
Posted by JACK3213

If only we can get them near one. Hahahaha!

[neonink]

B. Hussein Obama has been defending the terrorists and muggers and intruders for years...

At least the innocents have Hillary.

He voted AGAINST SELF-DEFENSE in your own home while a State Senator. Google HALE DEMAR.


%u201CHe was very aggressive, Barry. Very aggressive. I gave him a dollar and he kept asking. If the bus hadn%u2019t come, I think he might have hit me over the head.%u201D

"The words were like a fist in my stomach. %u2026 And yet I knew that men who might easily have been my brothers would still inspire [my grandparents%u2019] rawest fear. %u2026 The earth shook under my feet, ready to crack open at any moment. I stopped, trying to steady myself, and knew for the first time that I was utterly alone."

Was he upset at his innocent grandmother or the potential mugger?

You decide...

ps. Where''s that wonderful patriot Michelle Obama?

[lindaredtail]

no one has done more insulting of people than you have. I watched you do it more than once before I responded to you. I say people lie? Well all of those here who think like you automatically play the Mein Kampf (see your previous posting) card or the terrorist supporter card when someone criticizes them. And that''s your universe. But it''s unfortunate that you stay in yours. Is ignorance bliss? I presume it is. Because you surely are a blissful idiot. Most liberals (I''m a moderate) utterly reject Naziism, white supremacy, rascism. It''s some of you posters that display the Naziism. You''re really barking mad-silly now.

[realpatriot1]

lindaredtail,

I''m a political junkie and I remember a lot of this stuff but forget where I first read it. I can''t remember who all else was involved in the Concord Coalition other than Rudman & the late-Paul Tsongas(another good Democrat trashed by the Clinton machine).

muddie,

Again you''re playing a dodge of reality. The debt went up exponentially more under republican control and you know it. The debt is cumulative and is off budget. Clinton restructured payments on the cumulative debt that he inherited to lower the interest paid on it, but that was off budget. He delivered a surplus operating budget, something your party leaders clearly did not.

[lindaredtail]

Thanks realpatriot1. Did you know that Paul Tsongas'' wife is now a Congresswoman? She ran a wonderful campaign and from all I''ve heard shows great promise. Lots of people were really pleased that she ran. She stayed out of the spotlight for a long time after his death.

[mudrose-2009]

no one has done more insulting of people than you have. I watched you do it more than once before I responded to you. I say people lie? Well all of those here who think like you automatically play the Mein Kampf (see your previous posting) card or the terrorist supporter card when someone criticizes them. And that''''s your universe. But it''''s unfortunate that you stay in yours. Is ignorance bliss? I presume it is. Because you surely are a blissful idiot. Most liberals (I''''m a moderate) utterly reject Naziism, white supremacy, rascism. It''''s some of you posters that display the Naziism. You''''re really barking mad-silly now.

Posted by lindaredtail

I really don''t give a ***** what you think. You are too lazy to think on your own and require everyone to give you information. That''s your generation. You demand your just due only you don''t deserve other than what you yourselves earn. People like you are very ungrateful, ill mannered and stupid. Take your poppycock and pull it on someone as stupid as you. These two piglets who are running for the highest office in this country have no character, no class and no respect for the people of America. Giving them any sort of dignity only shows how lacking people like you are in integrity, morality and any understanding of what this country is all about. So whether you think well or ill of me doesn''t matter.

[realpatriot1]

mudrose,

If my might make another point. Those who call others dolts and accuse them of being high because they can''t deal with the facts being presented should not in turn call others hotheads.

Comprende Dolt?

[mudrose-2009]

muddie,

Again you''''re playing a dodge of reality. The debt went up exponentially more under republican control and you know it. The debt is cumulative and is off budget. Clinton restructured payments on the cumulative debt that he inherited to lower the interest paid on it, but that was off budget. He delivered a surplus operating budget, something your party leaders clearly did not.
Posted by realpatriot1

There was no surplus other than social security. He left office in debt and in recession. That''s a fact. You two can live in wonderland all by yourselves.

[realpatriot1]

lindaredtail,

mudrose gets this way from time to time(sunbstituting insults for thoughts and reason) but he''s basically a good guy. He just is set in his views and won''t let the facts get in the way; when they intrude he gets upset and starts hurling insults.

It''s no wonder he likes Hillary.

[mudrose-2009]

It''''s no wonder he likes Hillary.
Posted by realpatriot1

No actually I don''t like Hillary or Snob-oma. But if one of them deserves to win the ticket, Hillary has more of a record than the little AA snot. Why would anyone in their right mind want to hand over the greatest country in the world to an unknown and one that definitely has associations with bigots, racists, terrorists and the like.

And again the only surplus was social security.

[craigh9]

Very interesting ad Hillary is running

- Pearl Harbor
- Osama Bin Laden
- Hillary Clinton

all things to be terrified of

[lindaredtail]

And whether you think well or ill of me doesn''t matter. Number one I am not young . Number two I am highly educated. Number 3 I have worked the same job for ten years. And before that I had other long term employment. I have traveled this country and been in places you probably dream about. From poor mountain communities to Indian reservations to all black communities (which still exist in America) I have seen the travesty perpetrated by supposed " thinkers" like you who want to believe that Americans are overtaxed (not true) for selfish ends and abdicate all responsibility to your fellow Americans. I do think on my own. It''s those like you following this supposed religious-corporate philosophy that follow like sheep. Get a life. You live in a universe that doesn''t exist in reality. And what you think of me doesn''t matter in the least. Because I know who I am and what I stand for.

[shutupnvote]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cabl0KSFUqo

Boxed in yet

[mudrose-2009]

While not defending the increase of the federal debt under President Bush, it is aggravating seeing Clinton''s record promoted as having generated a surplus. It never happened. There was never a surplus and the cold hard facts support that position. In fact, far from a $360 billion reduction in the national debt in FY1998-FY2000, there was an increase of $281 billion.

[mudrose-2009]

Verifying this is as simple as accessing the U.S. Treasury website where the national debt is updated daily and a history of the debt since January 1993 can be obtained. Considering the government''s fiscal year ends on the last day of September each year, and considering Clinton''s budget proposal in 1993 took effect in October 1993 and concluded September 1994 (FY1994), here''s the national debt at the end of each year of Clinton Budgets:

Sorry, chart won''t post. Look it up.

As can clearly be seen, in no year did the national debt go down, nor did Clinton leave President Bush with a budget surplus that Bush subsequently turned into a deficit. Yes, the budget was almost balanced in FY2000 (ending in September 2000 with a deficit of "only" $17.9 billion), but it never reached zero--let alone a positive number. And Clinton''s last budget proposal for FY2001, which ended in September 2001, generated a $133.29 billion deficit. The growing deficits started in the year of the last Clinton budget, not in the first year of the Bush administration.

Keep in mind that President Bush took office in January 2001 and his first budget took effect October 1, 2001 for the year ending September 30, 2002 (FY2002). So the $133.29 billion deficit in the year ending September 2001 was Clinton''s. Granted, Bush supported a tax refund where taxpayers received checks in 2001. However, the total amount refunded to taxpayers was $38 billion .

[craigh9]

I really get upset when people state "New York''s Hillary Clinton" she wasn''t born here, raised here, educated here, or ever lived here.
A true testamonial to what a farce she really is and how everything in her life is coldly calculate to say and do whatever you have to in order to capture votes.
I''m from NY - and I know first hand that she is a carpetbagger through and through and has no interest in anything except Hillary - period.

[mudrose-2009]

So even if we assume that $38 billion of the FY2001 deficit was due to Bush''s tax refunds which were not part of Clinton''s last budget, that still means that Clinton''s last budget produced a deficit of 133.29 - 38 = $95.29 billion.

Clinton clearly did not achieve a surplus and he didn''t leave President Bush with a surplus.

As is usually the case in claims such as this, it has to do with Washington doublespeak and political smoke and mirrors.

Understanding what happened requires understanding two concepts of what makes up the national debt. The national debt is made up of public debt and intergovernmental holdings. The public debt is debt held by the public, normally including things such as treasury bills, savings bonds, and other instruments the public can purchase from the government. Intergovernmental holdings, on the other hand, is when the government borrows money from itself--mostly borrowing money from social security.

Looking at the makeup of the national debt and the claimed surpluses for the last 4 Clinton fiscal years, we have the following table:
Sorry table won''t post.
Check U.S. Treasury Website

[mudrose-2009]

Notice that while the public debt went down in each of those four years, the intergovernmental holdings went up each year by a far greater amount--and, in turn, the total national debt (which is public debt + intergovernmental holdings) went up. Therein lies the lie.

When Clinton (and others) said that he had paid down the national debt, that was patently false--as can be seen, the national debt went up every single year. What Clinton did do was pay down the public debt--notice that the claimed surplus is relatively close to the decrease in the public debt for those years. But he paid down the public debt by borrowing far more money in the form of intergovernmental holdings.

Interestingly, this most likely was not even a conscious decision by Clinton. The Social Security Administration is legally required to take all its surpluses and buy U.S. Government securities, and the

[mudrose-2009]

U.S. Government readily sells those securities--which automatically and immediately becomes intergovernmental holdings. The economy was doing well due to the dot-com bubble and people were earning a lot of money and paying a lot into Social Security. Since Social Security had more money coming in than it had to pay in benefits to retired persons, all that extra money was immediately used to buy U.S. Government securities. The government was still running deficits, but since there was so much money coming from excess Social Security contributions there was no need to borrow more money directly from the public. As such, the public debt went down while intergovernmental holdings continued to skyrocket.

[mudrose-2009]

The net effect was that the national debt most definitely did not get paid down because we did not have a surplus. The government just covered its deficit by borrowing money from Social Security rather than the public .


An overall "downsizing" of government and a virtual end to the arms race have contributed to the surplus, but the vast majority is coming from excess Social Security taxes being paid by the workforce in an attempt to keep Social Security benefit checks coming once the "baby-boomers" start to retire.
Of the $142 billion surplus projected by the end of 2000, $137 billion will come from excess Social Security taxes.
When these unified budget numbers are separated into Social Security and non-Social Security components, however, it becomes evident that all of the projected surplus throughout this period is attributable to Social Security. The remainder of the budget will remain in deficit throughout the next decade.

[mudrose-2009]

Social Security is legally required to use all its surpluses to buy U.S. Government securities. From Social Security''s standpoint, it has a multi-trillion dollar reserve in the form of U.S. Government securities. When the Social Security system starts to falter due to insufficient contributions to pay for all the benefits of retiring baby-boomers, probably around 2017, it will start cashing those securities and will expect the U.S. Government to pay it back, with interest. The problem is, the government doesn''t have the money. The money has already been spent--in part, effectively, to pay down the public debt under Clinton.

[mudrose-2009]

The Federal Government cannot just wave a magic wand and somehow "write off" the intergovernmental debt. Essentially, citizens invested money in Social Security and Social Security invested that money in the Federal Government. Now Social Security effectively owes you money (in the form of future retirement benefits) and won''t be able to pay you that money if the Federal Government just cancels the intergovernmental debt. The only way the Federal Government can "write off" intergovernmental debt is if it simultaneously eliminates the Social Security system. That might very well be a good idea, but it isn''t likely. And Social Security will go bankrupt in about 2017 if the Federal Government doesn''t honor those intergovernmental holdings as real debt.

In short, if the government doesn''t pay back intergovernmental holdings, other government agencies (like Social Security) will fail. Since allowing Social Security to fail is not a politically viable option, the debt represented by intergovernmental holdings is just as real as the public debt. It can''t just be eliminated by some fancy accounting trick or political maneuvering. If it were possible, believe me, politicians would have done it already and taken credit for reducing the national debt by trillions of dollars.

[realpatriot1]

mudrose,

Again, the surplus was a surplus and the Republican budgets were not.

If experience is the key to success than why did Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld not receieve the flowers and chocolates and WMD they were looking for in Iraq. WHy is the Taliban resurgent in Afghnistan? Why are relatively inexperienced Presidents such as Lincoln, Wilson. & Eisenhower recognized as good Presidents while experienced hands like Hoover & Harding are not?

Simply because "experience" in the political sense does not always equate to leadership or sound judgement.

[mudrose-2009]

The concept of a "budget surplus" or a "balanced budget" is of very tenuous importance. A budget is simply a plan on how to spend money which normally also factors in expected income. Anyone can present a "balanced budget" or have a "budget surplus" if they use inflated estimates of income or deflated estimates of expenses. In the end, a budget is nothing more than a plan. Reality is a completely different matter.

As a simple example, if I start 2008 with a job that pays $50,000/year, I can plan a budget that takes into account the $50,000 I expect to make and divides that up amongst all the expenses I expect to make over the course of the year. If my expected expenses are less than my expected earnings, I have a budget surplus. If, however, over the course of the year I lose my job and get a new job that only pays $40,000/year while at the same time it just so happens I have a variable-rate mortgage that adjusts and increases my mortgage payment, by the end of year the reality may very well be that my expenses exceeded my income. I had a budget surplus but reality had different plans and I ended up further in debt.

A balanced budget or a budget surplus is a great thing, but it''s only relevant if the budget surplus turns into a real surplus at the end of the fiscal year. In Clinton''s case, it never did.

[mudrose-2009]

The reality of the national debt

The only debt that matters is the total national debt. And the national debt went up every single year under Clinton. Had Clinton really had a surplus the national debt would have gone down. It didn''t go down precisely because Clinton had a deficit every single year. The U.S. Treasury''s historical record of
the national debt verifies this.

[truth--hurts]

Hillary says she is tough enough for the job? Like how she broke down in tears before the NH primary? Give me a break. Hillary''s a two-faced weasel in pant suits who will do or say anything to get elected.