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The best way to deal with the deficit is through economic growth.

When the economy is growing, there's a lot that can be done to deal with the deficit.

We can't just cut our way to prosperity. Even as we look for ways to reduce deficits over the long term, we must grow the economy in a way that strengthens the middle class and everyone willing to work hard to get into it.

Traditionally, the way deficits have been cut is you hold expenditures more or less constant in real dollars and then let growth come in to fill it up.

As anyone who lived through the 1990s knows, nothing shrinks our deficits faster than a growing economy.

The American people will eventually get hurt by this accumulated deficit. That's the problem. We have too much deficit. We have to find a solution.

Deficits are like putting dynamite in the hands of children. They can get out of control very quickly.

I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself.

Everybody has to agree that the best thing we can do to start reducing the deficit in this country is to put people back to work.

I have said repeatedly I do want to take longer to eliminate the deficit than the other parties. Because I want to see us have the ability to invest more in our economy, in our public services, and in lifting people out of poverty.