(Going) Forward

You'd be a lot more credible if there weren't so many enormous differences between the two administrations. You aren't considering all the variables. A very large part of what remains is due to what the writer alludes to: Bush overspending and essentially doing many of the wrong things Obama is doing, but on a much smaller scale. Also, much of the Clinton era's success can be attributed to the healthy tug-of-war between Clinton's more progressive aspirations and the checkrein of an exceptionally effective Congress (remember the Contract with America? Newt Gingrich is a kind of sullied figure now, but he heroically marshalled support in Congress and that made for the best results.)