5 Ways Obama Is No Bill Clinton

[Geee]

Investors Business Daily:

Leadership: President Obama may hope that by recruiting Bill Clinton as campaign cheerleader he can wrap himself in Clinton's economic record. But Obama just exposes how far he's moved away from Clinton's policies.

In an ad for the Obama campaign, Clinton talks about all the "investments" — liberal code word for government spending — Obama wants and how that will grow the middle class and lead to a full employment economy.

"That's what happened when I was president," Clinton says in the ad.

Except that's not what happened.

Indeed, when you look at the record of these two Democratic presidents, you'd be hard-pressed to conclude they were even in the same political party, much less had "similar policies." Here's a rundown:

• Spending and deficits. Spending on domestic discretionary programs was essentially flat under Clinton in real terms. And overall federal spending as a share of GDP dropped from 21% when Clinton took office to 18% when he left.

Obama, in contrast, massively increased federal spending and wants to keep it above 22% of GDP forever. And while Clinton obsessed about deficits, Obama is indifferent.

Even now, with runaway deficits and debt, Obama's latest budget proposed adding $137 billion more in spending, and $365 billion more in red ink.