With the mid-term elections now ancient history and a revised estimate for GDP just released, here's an update, by special request, of a chart I posted earlier this month. The chart shows Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) aligned with the political party in control of the Presidency and Congress. The data begins with Q2 1947, which was the point at which the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) began tracking GDP on a quarterly basis.

Click for a larger image

Of course this chart doesn't support any easy interpretations. GDP is a lagging indicator of the political decisions that affect the economy, and the length of the lag is not a constant.

Congress controls the budget, right? The President influences Congress, right? But a democratic government is ultimately controlled at the ballot box.

For a similar overlay of political parties with Federal Debt, see my Debt, Taxes and Politics.