Take a gander at the following chart, courtesy of Ensign Ed:

A recession is defined as a minumum of two consecutive quarters of “negative growth,” or what George Costanza (in this case, not a reference to Scotty McClellan) once called “significant shrinkage.”  As you can see, over the past four years there hasn’t been one quarter of economic contraction, much less two or more.  You can see where Katrina and Rita hit in 4Q 2005, and then the anticipation of a Democrat victory in the 2006 midterms and its aftermath, and the rebound once the Bush White House made clear that it wouldn’t be steamrolled.  The most recent two quarters’ fall off has been driven primarily by the environmentalist-imposed spike in energy prices, which the Donks are determined to maintain at all costs.

But there has been - and we are in - NO recession.

Those are the facts.  A pity they don’t align with what will become government-imposed public doctrine, the coming triumph of left-wing mythology and economic urban legends, all wrapped up in a false messianic package.

Facts used to matter.  Now they are irrelevant obstacles to the pursuit of hopeandchange.

Which means, I’m guessing, that Kool-Aid sales are to lead America back to the Prosperity Promised Land.  Because you can bet (and you’d better before he confiscates it) your bottom dollar that Barack Hussein Obama will never take us there.

[cross-posted at ]