Democrats share blame for economy

Robert S. Tobias, Las Vegas

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012 | 2 a.m.

Earnest Bracey’s letter to the editor in support of President Barack Obama is noteworthy and well received. As with other Obama well-wishers, he neglects to take into account that from 2006 through 2010 both the House of Representatives and the Senate were substantially controlled by the Democratic Party. So part of the “mess” Obama inherited was actually the responsibility of the then purse-string holders, the Democrats in Congress.

Truly, $4 trillion in debt is not the most enviable way to welcome an incoming president. But, within a three-year period President Obama and Congress managed to roll up the debt to $15 trillion. The policies of President George W. Bush did not empty the U.S. Treasury and any criticism of President Obama does not indicate racism.

While a member of the Senate, Obama had ample opportunity to contribute toward the control of unpopular policies. But much of that time he was campaigning for the presidency.

Those nasty Republican conservative members of the House of Representatives only got into the mix in January 2011. Even then, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid blocked House bills from action or even discussion in the Senate. So, personalities and race laid aside, the Bush administration did not get us where we are today. The accountability lies with the Obama administration and the Democrats in the House and Senate.