32 Comments

feels like it is skirting the point: "fiscal conservative" often means "wants to pay lower taxes" and reduced enforcement is like a narrowly targeted tax cut for tax cheats.

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Right. "Fiscal conservatism" was always a fraudulent account of what the real aim was--lowering taxes on the wealthy. Conservative intellectuals are paid to create principled-sounding rationales for serving the interests of the rich.

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No you idiot.

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Full of crap!

You ate clueless.

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Does "fiscal" modify "conservative" or does "conservative" modify "fiscal"?

I think in the old days, "fiscal conservative" meant "someone who is interested in fiscal policy, and wants to be conservative about that policy."

I think now it means "among the people who are conservatives, those who are focused on fiscal policy." An important but unacknowledged switch!

Among conservatives who are focused on fiscal policy, the preferred policy is to make rich people richer by whatever means necessary. Hence, reducing IRS collections is fiscal converatism. QED.

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You could substitute “family values”, “Constitutional”, “compassionate”, “America First” and any descriptor conservatives use to disguise the fact that they are actually the exact opposite of what they claim to be, starting with the term “conservative”. Coincidently, I just wrote something about this: https://open.substack.com/pub/hugodavis/p/what-i-mean-when-i-tell-people-im?r=7jbk0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

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The "flighty fiscal conservatives" in your footnote are the ONLY fiscal conservatives that I have witnessed in my 63 years on this earth. I was young and foolish enough to believe Ronald Reagan when he said he was a fiscal conservative and wanted to reduce spending and taxes. Of course, he reduced taxes but he just spent more (like virtually every president in my lifetime).

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That’s a lie foolish one. House was Dem

Majority for 40 years, 54 to 1994. Reagan was dominated by liberal congress. Btw, the tax cuts propelled 5%,6% or greater GDP. The GOP, Trump tax cuts brought in record revenues to

U S Treasury. Facts.

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Oh, so it's the House that is responsible for the budget deficits? Like the ones Biden has been running with a Republican house?

Check your facts on Trump. See what the budget deficits were when he was president.

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Craig, the Congress appropriated money, potus signs into law. You are clueless.

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You are so right. The president and the senate are powerless. So of course you are agreeing that the current deficits are the responsibility of the Republican controlled house.

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You are the ignorant Dummycrat of today. How stupid are you? The Senate a and House must concur on budget appropriations, it must be the same so potus can sign into law.

God help us with the likes of you and your fellow morons.

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Here is the federal budget deficit by year since 2000 (https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/national-deficit/#us-deficit-by-year):

2001: +130B (surplus - Clinton's last budget)

2002: -160B (Bush's first budget)

2003: -370B

2004: -410B

2005: -320B

2006: -250B

2007: -160B

2008: -450T

2009: -1.42T (Obama)

2010: -1.29T

2011: -1.3T

2012: -1.09T

2013: -680B

2014: -480B

2015: -440B

2016: -590B

2017: -670B

2018: -780B (Trump)

2019: -980B

2020: -3.13T

2021: -2.77T

2022: -1.38T (Biden)

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Craig. Listing numbers is meaningless. Clinton didn’t balance budget by himself. The Repub. Congress demanded it in 94,96,98 & 2000. It had been decades. What about Obama’s deficits, Biden’s, since 21 are exorbitant. $7 trillion pal, Trump has $8.5 trillion. It’s equal opportunity spending.

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I could not agree more! This is EXACTLY my point. There are no fiscal conservatives in government. There are only Republicans who deficit spend and Democrats who deficit spend. NOBODY is concerned with lowering the deficit.

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Hello, finally McFly hello! So you agree finally.

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Sharing this on FB. Us ordinary citizens need to understand the duplicity of our politicians (in case they aren't already aware if the blindingly obvious).

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What are you an elite! Spare me

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Huh? What difference does it make if I am. Looks like you aren’t sparing anyone. What are you, a white nationalist extremist

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Elcted Republicans view fiscal conservatism as tax cuts financed by debt or cuts to social spending.

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Oh and Dummycrats define liberal as socialists who spend like a whore orgy.

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Drezner strikes again!

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Drezner, you’ve cornered market on liberal ignoramuses. DeSsanti is right. Teach the basics, not trans lies.

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Do under these naves, Dummycrat deficits are good.

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Dummycrats have no clue, plan or effort to balance budget. When you illegally grant entry to over 7 million criminals by crossing border illegally, why would you. Schumer is a destructive force to society.

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Federal Treasury and IRS have documented that treasury received record tax revenues in 20, 21, and 22, due to tax cuts.

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Nothing like liberal morons trying to justify their spending. Spare me!

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Tom, I've banned you for 24 hours -- not just for this comment but for the entire train of insults you've unleashed on this thread for the past day. I don't mind you disagreeing with other participants. I do mind the comments that consist of nothing but name-calling a great deal.

This is your one warning. Do it again and you're banned permanently.

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U S Treasury bright in record revenues in 21,22. Tax cuts worked, under JFK, and Reagan record GDP growth. Supply side works.

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"Toward a Vibes-Based Fiscal Conservatism"

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Trump and George W, destroyed fiscal conservatism. Biden as the non conservative too. Trump signed $8.5 trillion. W billions too on wars. Biden to date, $7 trillion. PAthetic

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Excellent column on the devolution of the term "fiscal conservative", with a great recommendation for reporters when writing about such folks!

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