[Stenar]

Cutting budgets is fiscal responsibility, NOT austerity. Fiscal austerity means deep, drastic cuts.

Originally Posted by Cirrus

In practice they do more than Republicans. Every GOP president of the past generation has increased the budget deficit, while every Democrat president has decreased it. Republicans cut programs with negligible costs in order to look popular with their base, and then ring up massive deficits in military spending. Democrats come much closer to actually passing balanced budgets. You can follow the rhetoric or you can follow the numbers.

It's possible the true-fiscal-conservative wing of the GOP might act more austere if given the chance. But they've never had the chance. That wing has never actually wielded enough power within the party to pass policy over the objections of the military spending, tax cuts for millionaires, anti-immigration, or evangelical wings.

But honestly, the GOP/Dem comparison doesn't matter much. I said "arguably" because it's not important which party does it more. Go ahead and disagree with me on that if you want. The point is simply that reducing government debt has been a pillar of Democratic governance for the past generation.