Policy and Analysis

POLICY AND ANALYSIS
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President George W. Bush’s and President Obama’s economic policy
The US economy had experienced a series of depression in the past years but it was worst hit by the major terrorist attack of the September 11, 2011 that not only shook the nation but also the world at large. The realities of the recession started hitting the nation officially in December 2007, signaled by the collapse of the housing market and subsequent losses on mortgage related financial assets which in turn resulted to great stress and significant turbulence in the financial markets. All this resulted to an overall fall in the broader economic activity. In an attempt to respond to the worsening economic conditions, the administration lowered the federal funds rate by half the percentage point and as the crisis intensified, Bush’s government instituted the federal tax cuts on all the tax payers (Palley, 2011).
The recession came to an end in June 2009 but the resultant economic weakness continued to be experienced in the nation with significant high rates of unemployment levels. There were severe job losses, a fall in family incomes and a rise in poverty levels which impacted negatively on the social life of many Americans. The economic environment also suffered severe losses in terms of drastic fall in investments due to uncertainties in the economy’s future. The adverse effects and subsequent fall in the trading activities led to significant falls in the nation’s gross domestic product. The political atmosphere was not left at peace either. The impact of the economic conditions played a major role in the election outcomes. In particular, election of president Obama into presidency ranked as the most important political effect of the great recession. The American voters had punished the Republicans for the ongoing recession in 2008 and were still willing and ready to punish the Democrats for the slow economic recovery experienced in 2010. John...