"Amazingly" (dripping sarcasm now turned off) GOP-backed legislation such as the balanced-budget, reduction of deficit spending, welfare reform, etc., quickly reversed the Clinton recession. (And probably got him reelected, and certainly saved his @$$ from being the first President impeached AND removed from office.) While Greenspan continued to keep rates artificially low for his buddy Bill, Slick simply went along for the ride, although, not willingly. He vetoed every one of the Republican bills until public pressure forced him to sign them later. He basically went kicking and screaming, and you certainly remember his dire predictions when he signed them: "The poor, elderly, and (who'da thunk it?) women and children will be left cold, homeless, hungry, and helpless." When none of that happened, Slick immediately claimed these GOP successes as HIS administration's greatest accomplishments. Nerve? Hey, we're talking about Bill Clinton.
Of course, Willy couldn't leave well enough alone. What that means is his greed for fame was (still is) SO limitless, he needed more attention. After the impeachment "blow" to his "legacy," Slick needed to "become relevant" again, especially with an upcoming Presidential election. Why, what if Al doesn't win, we might have an administration that actually prosecutes us for the crimes we've committed! (No such luck for us.)
With new motivation to "help the economy," the "book cooking" went from simmer to full boil. How you ask? Good question, easy answer:
REVISED figures AFTER Clinton left office (and the grown-ups were back in charge): "...Revealed corporate profits were really lower by 10.7 percent, 12.2 percent, 15.2 percent and 18 percent for the four quarters of 1999. In 2000, this gap became a chasm. The revised quarterly profits for the election year are lower than the announced figures by 23.3 percent, 25.9 percent, 29.9 percent and 28.2 percent. "
"Most startling, original estimates showed a generally rising profit outlook for the two years preceding the election. Starting with $503.7 billion in the last quarter of 1998, the quarterly estimates rose steadily to $543.8 billion in the fourth quarter of 1999 and then took off in the first two quarters of 2000 to $574.9 billion and $606.6 billion, leveling off to $602.9 billion in the third quarter (before falling to $527.3 billion in the fourth quarter after the election)."
That sounds like SHOCKING evidence of absolutely GROSS pre-election political tampering with economic data for which the administration was directly responsible. You might ask, where did THOSE numbers come from?
Well, if you noticed the quote marks, you're probably sharp enough to realize that statement came from Clinton's very own Brent Moulton, (interview with Robert Novak, 08/07/2002) associate director at the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and an underling of Rob Shapiro, one of Clinton's most politically partisan appointments. Oh, AND it was made AFTER the 2000 election was over, AND AFTER the Supreme Court had ruled that the Gore selective recounts were illegal, AND AFTER President Bush was already in office. If the Bush administration wasn't so busy cleaning up the worldwide mess Clinton/Clinton/Gore left, they'd have time to prosecute these bastards, but leaving them no time was part of the Clinton master plan.
Remarkably, (no sarcasm this time) the markets weren't fooled by the Clinton tricks forever. Sure, they over-accelerated on the phony numbers, but not for long. 2000 was a down year for the DOW, NASDAQ and S&P, despite the rosy predictions from the Clinton administration. It seems that the REAL analysts know what the meaning of "Is" is, and react accordingly. Of course, the 2000 election cycle was in full swing, and there was no mention of the market downturn in the liberal media. Remember of course, we're talking about the same media that reported "It's the economy stupid" when G HW Bush handed Clinton an economy the Democrats couldn't sustain, but just imagine how they would have reported it nightly if there had been a REPUBLICAN incumbent president!
Funny, (not really) but it turns out the REAL decade of greed wasn't the 80's, as Slick claimed, but between 1992-2000, when the Clintons showed us how to turn $1,000 into $100,000 in cattle futures with NO trading experience, (just insider help,) how to pillage the economy for political gain, how to trade pardons of crooks and terrorists for dollars and votes, and how to literally steal the silverware and artwork from the White House when they left. Hell, it was a veritable "How To" book on corruption that would have made John Gotti and Al Capone proud. Bill and Hillary lied about who they were BEFORE they were elected, but they showed their true colors....AFTER they were elected.