https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/08/figures_dont_lie_but_liars_can_figure.html
"Bill Clinton was the luckiest president in the 20th century. He benefitted from Reagan’s economic policies; and his mistakes, especially regarding foreign terrorism, would have their greatest impact on his successor. The Clinton years were marked by personal scandal, but little of national import. The S&P gained 210% during his term.
George W. was star-crossed, with disastrous events bookending his presidency. The 9/11 attack that struck nine months into his term was the culmination of planning and lesser foreign attacks that had occurred during the Clinton presidency. Bush was solely responsible, however, for his own ill-conceived decisions to execute wars for democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq. The great recession, which started a year before the end of his second term (the S&P peaked at 1562 on October 10, 2007), was the consequence of home-lending policies that had begun earlier but were continued by the Bush administration. The S&P ended down 40% during his eight years.
Barack Obama came to power under the fortuitous, for him, effects of the great recession. On election day, 2008, the S&P closed at 1005. By the day of his inauguration, it had fallen to 805. By the time the collapse had spent itself, on March 9, 2009, the S&P stood at 667. Then the markets began to retrace.
The S&P didn’t reach its previous high of 1562 until March 26, 2013, more than a year into Obama’s second term. Thus, Obama’s policies, or lack thereof, caused the great recession to last nearly six years, our longest economic downturn since the great depression. Yet, if I had to rate Obama by the increase in the S&P during his full term, he’d come out as second-best (after Clinton!), instead of the worst in my lifetime."
"Bill Clinton was the luckiest president in the 20th century. He benefitted from Reagan’s economic policies; and his mistakes, especially regarding foreign terrorism, would have their greatest impact on his successor. The Clinton years were marked by personal scandal, but little of national import. The S&P gained 210% during his term.
George W. was star-crossed, with disastrous events bookending his presidency. The 9/11 attack that struck nine months into his term was the culmination of planning and lesser foreign attacks that had occurred during the Clinton presidency. Bush was solely responsible, however, for his own ill-conceived decisions to execute wars for democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq. The great recession, which started a year before the end of his second term (the S&P peaked at 1562 on October 10, 2007), was the consequence of home-lending policies that had begun earlier but were continued by the Bush administration. The S&P ended down 40% during his eight years.
Barack Obama came to power under the fortuitous, for him, effects of the great recession. On election day, 2008, the S&P closed at 1005. By the day of his inauguration, it had fallen to 805. By the time the collapse had spent itself, on March 9, 2009, the S&P stood at 667. Then the markets began to retrace.
The S&P didn’t reach its previous high of 1562 until March 26, 2013, more than a year into Obama’s second term. Thus, Obama’s policies, or lack thereof, caused the great recession to last nearly six years, our longest economic downturn since the great depression. Yet, if I had to rate Obama by the increase in the S&P during his full term, he’d come out as second-best (after Clinton!), instead of the worst in my lifetime."
