Yet with all of the diatribes, intrigue, character assassinations, and numerous forms of dirty tricks that we claim to hate, there is a dearth of individuals who are willing to stand-up and say, "We have already measured many issues, why don't we just compare the two parties' performance." I intend to be that person.When I was invited to begin this column, it occurred to me that now was the time to provide a new form of commentary, dedicated to the proposition that whenever possible, our political decisions should be based on the available empirical evidence. Thus, in the great tradition of Jefferson, I will endeavor to comment on the issues of our day based on evidence and rationality in attempt to navigate beyond the emotions that politics breed.
Rather than dwell on personalities, personal attacks, appearances, talking points and messages, I will endeavor to stay close to the empirical evidence in hopes that in the facts the body politic will make the best choice possible. Most of this evidence will be couched in historical data publicly available and presented as simple comparisons between the two parties.
Sometimes there is great power in simplicity. It would stand to reason that if a party claimed to have a superior policy solution for a given problem, then we should see better numbers in the years that party occupied the White House than in the years it was occupied by the competition. For example first topic will be on business activity. If the Republicans are truly the party of business as they claim, shouldn't there be more business output under Republican Administrations than Democratic ones? This increased business activity should be picked up in our general economic indicators such as our gross domestic product (GDP) numbers so it would stand to reason that after adjusting for inflation, the annual changes in real GDP will be higher in Republican administrations than Democratic administrations.
Likewise, the Democratic Party has for years campaigned with using "jobs" as one of their main planks. It would stand to reason that if they are effective in promoting job creation, then the unemployment rate should be lower, on average, during Democratic administrations than Republican ones.
For the next several weeks, I will take on the bread and butter issues of the economy starting with GDP followed by unemployment. In each article the two parties' records will be compared on an issue that many consider important.
So be prepared, my dear friends, for episodes of shock and awe, for frequently
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