I caught an article on ABC News that pointed out that this year was the first significant drop in the poverty rate since 2000. Take a look at this little nugget.

The last significant decline in the poverty rate came in 2000, during the Clinton administration. In 2005, the poverty rate dipped from 12.7 percent to 12.6 percent, but Census officials said that change was statistically insignificant.

See, that got me thinking. If 2000 was the last time the poverty rate declined, how did it do under the entirety of Clinton’s presidency? It’s time for… a chart. Let’s start with 1989, the year George Bush Sr took office when poverty rates were at a record low, and move right on to this one.



Source: US Census Bureau

It’s interesting to note that 1989 was the previous record low according to the USCB (way to go, Gipper, I suppose), and that despite Bush Sr bringing it up to 15.1%, Clinton still managed to shatter the old record.

But remember, “tax and spend” Democrats are bad for the economy, isn’t that right?