Although most of their press releases are about abortion, illegal immigration, gun rights, the war on terror, and taking over the Tennessee legislature, the Tennessee Republican Party has weighed in on the economy from time to time:

TNGOP Press Release, Jan. 2008: "On the economic front, Democrats want to convey fear about "recession." Despite a rise of almost 12% in real after-tax per capita income (averaging $3550 per worker), the reduction of the federal deficit by $250 Billion over the last 3 years and 52 straight months of economic growth in an environment of the War on Terror in Afghanistan and Iraq, corporate scandals, natural disasters in hurricanes, drought and fires, our resilient markets are now responding to the impact of 1.8 million subprime mortgages due to reset at higher rates."

TNGOP Press Release, Jan. 2008: "Our economy is resilient as evidenced by the numerous rebounds during the War on Terror, after September 11, rising energy costs, etc. The problem and continued financial uncertainty is the result of personal debt that includes commitments in the housing sector, specifically mortgages that were outside the fiscal range of families' budgets. Economists and financial experts are stating that a correction will be healthy for our economy and part of the cycles that occur regularly. Republicans want to extend and make permanent tax cuts while Democrats are proposing billions of dollars in tax increases."

TNGOP Press Release, Feb. 2008: "Republicans running for president are engaged in discussions about policy that will create jobs, reduce the regulation on small businesses and make a positive impact on our economy in the short and long-term view."

TNGOP Press Release, Mar. 2008: "The Doom and Gloom Democrats are at it again, taking a small dip in the economy and pretending it's the Second Great Depression, in order to convince voters to buy the "hope" they're selling that's really just the same ol' liberal recipe of higher taxes, more government spending and more government regulation. But the truth is that while the economy has taken some hits recently, it's not as bad as the Democrats will claim between now and election day. As the Wall Street Journal pointed out, 2008 is nothing like 1929."

The Tennessee Republican Party's communication director has given a little more attention to the economy, and specifically the success of the Bush/GOP economic policies:

Bill Hobbs, Oct. 2006: "The Bush Economic Boom is even bigger than previously reported, which is one reason for the rapidly shrinking federal deficit. I blame the Bush tax cuts."

Bill Hobbs, Jun. 2007: "We just had our 45th straight month of real job growth. The Bush economic boom started with his tax cuts and it is real and long-lasting."

Bill Hobbs, Oct. 2007: "The Bush economic boom sustained a gut punch on 9/11 and kept on growing, as it has for more than six years now. It's an economy that can take a punch, unlike the brittle Clinton-era economic boom that was undone by the collapse of a stock market bubble in one small sector of the economy. (That the Clinton economic "boom" could be ended by the collapse of a few dot-com stocks suggests that Clinton's economic boom was, much like the dot-com boom, an economic mirage - a bubble.) So, who do we blame for our terrible economy today? Me, I blame the Bush tax cuts."

Bill Hobbs, Nov. 2007: "Economist Larry Kudlow says the economy is booming - and he's got plenty of data to support it. In fact, some of the data suggests economic growth is accelerating, Kudlow blames the Bush tax cuts for the boom. I do too."

Bill Hobbs, Feb. 2008: "The "mortgage crisis" is really just a shakeout of some bad deals in one very small corner of the overall mortgage market. A tax credit would make those homes more attractive to buyers. But, then, so will their falling prices. That's the way it always works."

Bill Hobbs, March 2008: "But the overall economy is still growing, a fact not reflected in the news coverage of the economy."

Bill Hobbs, May 2008: "The economic expansion launched by the Bush tax cuts continues uninterrupted so far. Has the pace of economic growth slowed? Yes. But the economy is still growing. Remember that the next time you here [sic] some Democrat candidate whining about the "recession," and talking about how bad the economy is."

Bill Hobbs, June 2008: "When it comes to the economy, the good news is the news isn't all bad. The bad news is the news media tends to cover the bad news more than the good."

Voters in Tennessee and across the nation, please ask yourself: Do we need four more years of delusional government like this?