Evidence Based Politics, A Democratic Imperative
George Bush’s Presidency undeniably ended with a recession. Whether that was due to a wall street boom that turned to bust or to undisciplined Americans borrowing too much money to buy houses they shouldn’t have is a matter of debate. Obama undeniably led a long and sustained recovery with consistent jobs growth for nearly seven years. Whether that was due to his vigorous fiscal stimulus is open to challenge.
Trump unquestionably continued the Obama recovery for three more years. People already disagree about whether he deserves any credit for that, or whether his tax cut had any impact on jobs growth – or on economic activity, for that matter. And his presidency undoubtedly ended with a severe loss of jobs that wiped out all of the gains of the past ten years. Whether that COVID recession was the result of poor federal leadership of the COVID response or the fault of America’s governors for too much social distancing is still being debated.
There is certainly more than one way to interpret a fact. But when we are all looking at the same truth, some explanations seem logical while others seem more like a fantasy because the facts keep us anchored, keep us grounded in reality. And we must be careful not to confuse truth with bias.
Here is a graph showing the rise of global temperatures over the past 100 years. When I say the earth is getting warmer am I speaking with a liberal bias or am I speaking the truth…? Here is a graph showing US federal budget deficits over the past forty years. When I say that supply side tax cuts make deficits worse and that tax increases make them better, am I sharing a liberal talking point or am I just sharing evidence? Here is a graph comparing growth in corporate profits to middle class incomes over 40 years.
When I say that corporate profits have gone up by 200% while median wages have gone up by just 13%, am I a puppet of the progressive left, or just calling it like it is? Here is a graph showing that, over three decades, the rich have gotten an ever-increasing share of the income pie. When I say the rich are getting richer at the expense of everyone else, does that make me a democrat? Does telling the truth make me biased? I swear I am not trying to be.