It really is like our body politic is still mentally stuck in 1980. It's crazy. Republicans still campaign on "balancing the budget" while demonstrably being responsible for all the major explosions of debt we have experienced in our lifetime.

The whole thing is absurd.

And then blew up the deficit and started our massive accumulation of debt. A pattern gleefully followed by every single Republican administration since. Every single Democratic administration since has reduced the deficit the "spend and give tax breaks" Republicans have run up. But it's a losing battle clearly.

Carter reduced the deficit as well until the recession hit in 1979 and tax revenues decreased.

And then proceeded to blow up the deficit even more himself. What they campaign on and what they actually do are different things.