We’ve Heard This One Before

President Obama claimed this week in a campaign video that his “No. 1 focus” this year will be “creating jobs.”

“‘My No. 1 focus,’ he said, ‘is going to be making sure that we are competitive, and we are creating jobs not just now but well into the future.’” (Jackie Calmes and Jeff Zeleny, “Obama to Press Centrist Agenda in His Address,” The New York Times, 1/22/2011)

But Obama has promised to focus on the economy or has bragged about creating jobs every single month since being sworn-in to office. The gap between Obama’s rhetoric and reality is 24 months old and counting:

DECEMBER 2010

“And I think we are past the crisis point in the economy, but we now have to pivot and focus on jobs and growth. And my singular focus over the next two years is not rescuing the economy from potential disaster, but rather jumpstarting the economy so that we actually start making a dent in the unemployment rate and we are equipping ourselves so that we can compete in the 21st century.” (White House Press Conference, Los Angeles Times, 12/22/2010)

NOVEMBER 2010

“It’s clear that the voters sent a message, which is they want us to focus on the economy and jobs and moving this country forward.” (Jesse Lee, “President Obama Invites Bipartisan Meeting on Economy: ‘Not Just Going to be a Photo Op,’” The White House, 11/04/2010)

OCTOBER 2010

“Facing the certainty of fewer Democrats in Congress, President Barack Obama will focus on strengthening the economy and trying to ensure its future stability, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Sunday.” (“Gibbs: Obama to Focus on Economy, Education, Already Passed Reforms,” CNN Political Ticker, 10/17/2010)

SEPTEMBER 2010

“President Obama, seeking to pivot from foreign affairs to the economy, will kick off the campaign season next week with trips to Milwaukee and Cleveland, followed by a White House news conference.” (Sheryl Gay Stolberg, “Obama to Focus Again on the Economy,” The New York Times, 9/02/2010)

AUGUST 2010

“Faced with data showing the economy is growing sparingly, President Obama on Monday called for a ‘full-scale attack’ to revive the struggling economy and urged lawmakers fixated on the November election to pass another aid package for small businesses.” (“Obama Calls for ‘Full-Scale Attack’ to Revive Struggling Economy,” FoxNews.com, 8/30/2010)

JULY 2010

“That’s why we need to take new, commonsense steps to help small businesses, grow our economy, and create jobs – and we need to take them now.” (“Weekly Address: President Obama Says Senate GOP Leadership Choosing to ‘Filibuster our Recovery and Obstruct our Progress,’” The White House, 7/17/2010)

“So our goal has never been to create another government program, our goal has been to spur growth in the private sector.” (“Remarks by the President on the Economy at Smith Electric Vehicles in Kansas City, Missouri,” The White House, 7/08/2010)

JUNE 2010

“With a flurry of stimulus construction work getting under way about 16 months after the $787 billion package was signed into law, the Obama administration has billed the coming season ‘Recovery Summer.’ This week, the administration issued a report on the stepped-up pace of work, rolled out Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to brief reporters on its progress, and President Obama went to Columbus, Ohio, on Friday to laud the 10,000th stimulus-financed highway project.” (Michael Cooper, “Obama Hopes ‘Recovery Summer’ Will Warm Voters to the Stimulus,” The New York Times, 6/18/2010)

MAY 2010

“President Obama came Tuesday to this area long synonymous with economic distress to take a few strides on a victory lap for the policies he credits with helping create jobs and to knock Republicans for standing in the way.” (Jackie Calmes, “Obama Tells Ohio, ‘Our Economy is Growing Again,’” The New York Times, 5/18/2010)

APRIL 2010

“President Obama declared on Friday that ‘we are beginning to turn the corner’ after a deep recession that nearly threw the economy into another Great Depression.” (Peter Baker, “In N.C., Obama Hails Jobs Report,” The New York Times, 4/02/2010)

MARCH 2010

“A consensus is forming that, partly because of the necessary – and often unpopular – measures we took over the past year, our economy is now growing again and we may soon be adding jobs instead of losing them. The jobs bill I’m signing today is intended to help accelerate that process.” (“Remarks by the President Before Signing HIRE Act,” The White House, 3/18/2010)

FEBRUARY 2010

“The Obama administration is acknowledging that its program of spending cuts and tax breaks has yet to ease joblessness, and White House officials are increasingly engaged in shaping the details of new legislation to boost job creation.” (Neil Irwin, Lori Montgomery and Alec MacGillis, “White House Crafts Jobs Bill, A Year Into Stimulus Effort,” The Washington Post, 2/18/2010)

JANUARY 2010

“Mr. Obama, in his Friday afternoon statement on the job numbers, called them a reminder ‘that we have to continue to work every single day to get our economy moving again. For most Americans, and for me, that means jobs.’” (Jackie Calmes, “Obama Tries to Turn Focus to Jobs, if Other Events Allow,” The New York Times, 1/09/2010)

“President Barack Obama will recast his agenda in a high-stakes address to the American people on Wednesday, focusing on jobs and deficits as he seeks to weather his worst political storm since taking office.” (Caren Bohan and Matt Spetalnick, “Obama to Recast Agenda to Focus On Jobs, Deficit,” Reuters, 1/27/2010)

“President Obama already was planning to put a heavy focus on jobs and the economy in next week’s State of the Union address, but his top aides are signaling that pivot is going to be even sharper in the wake of the Democrats’ stunning election defeat in Massachusetts.” (Ed Henry, “Obama to Focus Hard on Economy After Democratic Loss,” CNN, 1/26/2010)

“But I realize that for every success story, there are other stories, of men and women who wake up with the anguish of not knowing where their next paycheck will come from; who send out resumes week after week and hear nothing in response. That is why jobs must be our number-one focus in 2010, and that’s why I’m calling for a new jobs bill tonight.” (“Remarks by the President in State of the Union Address,” The White House, 1/27/2010)

DECEMBER 2009

“President Obama on Saturday sought to reassure Americans frustrated by high unemployment that he’s concentrating on jobs, while defending his administration’s efforts to strengthen the economy on several fronts.

“‘In the coming days, I’ll be unveiling additional ideas aimed at accelerating job growth and hiring as we emerge from this economic storm,’ Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address. ‘And so that we don’t face another crisis like this again, I’m determined to meet our responsibility to do what we know will strengthen our economy in the long run.’” (“Obama Turns Focus to Job Creation,” Associated Press, 12/05/2009)

“President Obama said today that he is not interested in ‘taking a wait-and-see approach’ when it comes to job creation, as his administration faces unemployment numbers at their worst levels since 1983.

“What I’m interested in is taking action right now to help businesses create jobs right now, in the near term,” the president said at the opening session of the White House jobs summit.” (Matthew Jaffe, Karen Travers, and Sunlen Miller, “White House Jobs Summit: Real Progress or PR Stunt?”,ABC News, 12/03/2009)

NOVEMBER 2009

“‘We all know there are limits to what government can and should do even during such difficult times,’ Obama said. ‘But we have an obligation to consider every additional, responsible step that we can to encourage and accelerate job creation in this country.’” (Michael A. Fletcher, “Obama Announces White House Summit to Focus On Jobs,” The Washington Post, 11/12/2009)

OCTOBER 2009

“That’s why I’m working closely with my economic team to explore additional options to promote job creation. And I won’t let up until those who seek jobs can find them; until businesses that seek capital and credit can thrive; and until all responsible homeowners can stay in their homes.” (“Weekly Address: President Obama Explains How Health Insurance Reform Will Strengthen America’s Small Businesses,’ The White House, 10/03/2009)

SEPTEMBER 2009

“We’re not going to rest. We’re not going to let up. Not until workers looking for jobs can find them — good jobs that sustain families and sustain dreams.” (“Remarks by the President at AFL-CIO Labor Day Picnic,” The White House, 9/07/2009)

AUGUST 2009

“At one point, Mr. Obama said, ‘We won’t rest until every American that is looking for work can find a job.’” (David Stout, “Obama says Economy is ‘Pointed in Right Direction,” The New York Times, 8/07/2009)

JULY 2009

“In a little over one hundred days, this Recovery Act has worked as intended.”

…

“I said when I took office that it would take many months to move our economy from recession to recovery and ultimately to prosperity. We are not there yet, and I continue to believe that even one American out of work is one too many. But we are moving in the right direction. We are cleaning up the wreckage of this storm. And we are laying a firmer, stronger foundation so that we may better weather whatever future storms may come. This year has been and will continue to be a year of rescuing our economy from disaster.” (“Weekly Address: President Obama Praises Recovery Act Programs,” The White House, 7/11/2009)

JUNE 2009

“So part of what we want to do is to find tools that will give people more opportunity, but the most important thing I can do is to lift the economy overall. And that’s what my strategy is focused on.” (“Press Conference by the President,” The White House, 6/23/2009)

MAY 2009

“They’re the reason we’ve been working swiftly and aggressively across all fronts to turn this economy around; to jumpstart spending and hiring and create jobs where we can with steps like the Recovery Act.” (“Remarks by The President on Job Creation and Job Training,” The White House, 5/08/2009)

APRIL 2009

“With the university students and faculty as well as labor, grass roots and political leaders, Obama is trying to show he is focused on the economy after two weeks that, both by design and circumstance, have been dominated primarily by foreign affairs. (Rachel Weiner, “Obama Economy Speech: Major Address at Georgetown University,” The Huffington Post, 4/14/2009)

MARCH 2009

“These investments are not a wish list of priorities that I picked out of thin air – they are a central part of a comprehensive strategy to grow this economy by attacking the very problems that have dragged it down for too long: the high cost of health care and our dependence on oil; our education deficit and our fiscal deficit.” (Jesse Lee, “A Budget Equal to the Task Before Us,” The White House Blog, 3/21/2009)

FEBRUARY 2009

“Starting today, our administration will be working day and night to provide more aid for the unemployed, create immediate jobs, building our roads and our bridges, make long-term investments in a smarter energy grid, and so much more.” (“Remarks by the President and the Vice President at Signing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,” The White House, 2/17/2009)

JANUARY 2009

“The state of our economy calls for action, bold and swift. And we will act, not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth.” (Obama Inaugural Address, The White House, 1/21/2009)