Its because of all-or-nothing attitudes like yours that we are in the shithole we are in. Yuo dont think Bush/Delay/Hastert was better than what we have now? And, yeah, deficits really dont matter when they are only 2% of your GDP. Come on, bro, I expect that kind of crap from a liberal, not you.
Let's see: Bush drastically increased the size of government. Bush drastically increased spending across the board. Bush increased the numbers of regulations and even added numerous very costly regulations (e.g. Sarbanes-Oxley). Bush took a 25-year projected deficit and turned it into deficits as far as the eye can see. Bush trampled on our civil liberties. Bush instituted various Keynesian stimulus measures. Bush bailed out failing businesses. And this was all done under the guise of "conservatism" and "free enterprise."
So really, it isn't people like me (who stand on principle) who are at fault for the shithole we're in. It's people like you, who compromise on their principles one election after another in order to choose the lesser of two evils.
Also, your marginalization of the Bush deficits is incorrect:
Debt exceeding 80% of GDP is a major drag on economic growth. And of course that does not include unfunded liabilities or state/local debt. So when you add it all together, it suddenly becomes surprisingly clear why the Bush years were so lacking when it comes to economic growth.
Instead of squandering his political capital on Big Government bullshit like the Department of Homeland Security, No Child Left Behind, and Sarbanes-Oxley, Bush should have focused on entitlement reform and reducing discretionary spending. That probably would have led to a Republican victory in '06 and '08.
