Are Democrats better for the U.S. economy?

BALTIMORE — As each new day brings word of another Wall Street bailout even more colossal than the last, one question presents itself with ever-increasing force: Why does America's economy perform so badly under Republican presidents?

The facts are hard to dispute; indeed, the historical record is now so stark that diehard Republicans are probably starting to wonder if there is a curse. Over the period for which modern statistics are readily available, Democrats have outperformed Republicans by almost every traditional measure of economic performance (per capita GDP growth, unemployment, inflation, budget deficits).

Democrats have managed to beat the Republicans on their own turf. Thanks to the profligacy of the Bush administration (and the prudence of the Clinton administration), average federal spending as a proportion of GDP under Republican presidents now exceeds that under Democrats during the measured period.