As Jobs Outlook “Remains Ugly,” Democrats Play Pretend

July 1, 2011

Democrats Downplay Crisis, Offer More of the Same as Americans Continue to Disapprove of Their Job-Destroying Economic Policies

Disappointing new numbers on jobless claims point to ongoing weakness in the economy, but President Obama and his advisors continue to pretend like all their economic policies have been a success.
Waves of new poll numbers show that the American people know that the Democrats’ job-destroying policies are responsible for the economy’s weakness. Indeed, nearly 40 percent believe America “is in permanent decline.” And they’re giving Obama record low approval ratings on his handling of the economy.
Meanwhile, Obama and his fellow Democrats continue to inhabit an alternate universe where their policies have had no effect on lagging job creation, despite substantial evidence to the contrary. When will Democrats wake up and realize no one believes their excuses?

BACKGROUND:

Numbers out yesterday on new jobless claims continued to highlight the disappointing pace of economic recovery, drawing into doubt the recent pride with which Democrats have asserted that they “put us on a better path” and “own” the economy:

“JOBS PICTURE REMAINS UGLY AS WEEKLY CLAIMS STILL HIGH”: “The number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits barely fell last week, a government report showed on Thursday, suggesting the labor market was struggling to regain momentum.” (“Jobs Picture Remains Ugly As Weekly Claims Still High,” Reuters, 6/30/2011)

OBAMA SENIOR ADVISOR SAYS “OF COURSE” PRESIDENT “OWNS” THE ECONOMY. “NBC’s Matt Lauer: ‘You would agree with that he [Obama] owns this economy?’

“Obama Senior Advisor David Plouffe: ‘Of course he does.‘” (Remarks from David Plouffe, NBC’s “Today” Show, 6/30/2011)

OBAMA CLAIMS HIS POLICIES “PULLED US BACK FROM THE BRINK AND PUT US ON A BETTER PATH”: “In the closing weeks of the campaign the bottom fell out of the economy and the middle class got hammered some more … That demanded that we make some tough decisions. Decisions we know now have pulled our economy back from the brink and put us on a better path.”(President Obama, “Remarks by the President on the Critical Role the Manufacturing Sector Plays in the American Economy,” The White House, 6/28/2011)

Much as Democrats might try to spin the disastrous results of their economic policies, polls show the public doesn’t buy it. Americans are increasingly pessimistic about the future of the economy, with pluralities believing the nation is in “permanent decline.” And they also know that Democrats’ job-destroying agenda is to blame:

CBS/NY TIMES POLL: ALMOST “FOUR IN TEN AMERICANS” NOW BELIEVES ECONOMY “IS IN PERMANENT DECLINE”: “In a sign of increasing pessimism about the direction of the U.S. economy, roughly four in ten Americans now believes it is in permanent decline, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll.” (Brian Montopoli, “Poll: Many Say Economy Is in Permanent Decline,” CBS News, 6/30/2011)

DEMS FAIL THE SMELL TEST: ONLY 20 PERCENT SAY ECONOMY IS GETTING BETTER, 31 PERCENT SAY IS GETTING WORSE: “Only 20 percent now say the economy is getting better, the lowest number since last August. Thirty-one percent say it is getting worse.” (Brian Montopoli, “Poll: Many Say Economy Is in Permanent Decline,” CBS News, 6/30/2011)

MCCLATCHY-MARIST POLL: OBAMA HITS “LOWEST RATING EVER” ON ECONOMY, VOTERS DISAPPROVE ON DEFICIT BY “NEARLY 2-1”: “President Barack Obama is in a fragile position as the 2012 campaign begins: Only 37 percent of registered voters approve of his handling of the economy, his lowest rating ever, according to a new McClatchy-Marist poll.”

“Another ominous sign for Obama: By nearly 2-1, voters disapprove of how he’s handling the federal budget deficit, expected to hit a record $1.5 trillion this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.” (David Lichtman, “Poll: Approval of Obama on Economic Policy Hits New Low,” McClatchy News, 6/28/2011)

BLOOMBERG: EVEN DEMOCRATS TRUST GOP ON ECONOMY, JOBS, CUTTING SPENDING. “As the public grasps for solutions, the Republican Party is breaking through in the message war on the budget and economy. A majority of Americans say job growth would best be revived with prescriptions favored by the party: cuts in government spending and taxes, the Bloomberg Poll shows. Even 40 percent of Democrats share that view.” (Mike Doming, “Poll: 44% of Americans Worse Off Under Obama,” Bloomberg, 6/22/2011)

It’s not hard to see why. Democrats continue to operate in an alternate universe, where job creators’ concerns about over-regulation, over-taxation and too much government spending are immaterial to actual job creation. According to Obama, job creators are “always complaining” and his policies have little to do with it. Democrats may admit they own the economy, but when will they take responsibility for their job-destroying policies?:

OBAMA DISMISSES JOB CREATORS’ REACTION HIS JOB-DESTROYING AGENDA, SAYS THEY’RE “ALWAYS COMPLAINING”: “Keep in mind that the business community is always complaining about regulations. When unemployment is at 3 percent and they’re making record profits, they’re going to still complain about regulations because, frankly, they want to be able to do whatever they think is going to maximize their profits.” (“Press Conference by the President,” The White House, 6/29/2011)

“DEMOCRATS PUSH NEW STIMULUS”: “Senate Democrats kicked off their new drive for a jobs agenda by demanding that new stimulus measures be included in the bipartisan deficit reduction talks led by Vice President Joseph Biden.” (Steven T. Dennis, “Senate Democrats Push New Stimulus,” Roll Call, 6/22/2011)

CBO HEAD: “GOVERNMENT POLICIES, DEBT” ARE “LIKELY SLOWING THE NATION’S ECONOMIC RECOVERY”: “Uncertainty about federal policies combined with the threat of long-term debt is likely slowing the nation’s economic recovery, the head of the Congressional Budget Office said Thursday.” (Vicki Needham, “CBO Head: Government Policies, Debt May Be Slowing Economic Growth,” The Hill, 6/23/2011)