I assess the Bush Presidency

Claims that ordinary workers fared poorly under President Bush are suspect. Data on the “distribution of income” are often abused by people making the claim that only the rich are getting ahead. Even the abusers, however, see the trends as pre-dating the Bush Administration. Moreover, I contend that the escalation of income is more meaningful than the distribution of income.

…In 2012, there will still be Islamic terrorism, millions of Americans will lack health insurance and America’s health care bill will still be unusually high, the rich will still be getting richer (unless the economy tanks), and the trend will be for more people to join the Long Tail that identifies with neither political party.

I think that the context is more important than the personality of the leader. The alternative position is that with the right leader we will have wonderful policies. That position is not falsifiable. The people who espouse such a view never believe that we have the right leader.