The Republicans Policy on Debt

This picture sums up the real policy position of Republicans about deficits and debt:

Click to Enlarge
data from the Congressional Budget Office and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
from a post by James Fallows
As you gaze at who ran up what on the federal government's "credit card", you can start to understand the utter hypocrisy of the Republicans screaming "Obama's runaway debt has to be stopped!".

It is a Republican debt. They didn't care a whit when they ran it up. All the crocodile tears about "debt" right now is a political ploy. It is a big game. The Republicans are playing a game that is very close to destroying America just so they can win the next election.

Who would vote for a party that cares so little about the people, the country, and the future?

Here is James Fallows caveat on interpreting the above graphs:

...significance of the chart: it identifies policy changes, the things over which Congress and Administration have some control, as opposed to largely external shocks -- like the repercussions of the 9/11 attacks or the deep worldwide recession following the 2008 financial crisis. Those external events make a big difference in the deficit, and they are the major reason why deficits have increased faster in absolute terms during Obama's first two years that during the last two under Bush. (In a recession, tax revenues plunge, and government spending goes up - partly because of automatic programs like unemployment insurance, and partly in a deliberate attempt to keep the recession from getting worse.)

Fallows includes another graph which includes the effects of the Bush tax cuts:

Click to Enlarge
Graphic from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
You can easily see how the Bush tax cuts dwarf everything else. But 8 months ago the Republican screamed bloody murder that these cuts had to be extended. Now 8 months later they are screaming that the deficit has to be eliminated. Pure hypocrisy!