Not a Record for Dems to Be “Proud” Of

August 19, 2011

State Jobs Numbers Paint Ugly Picture of a Lagging Recovery as Democrats Make Excuses, Call for More of the Same

New state unemployment numbers this week paint a gloomy picture of the state of the economy, offering the latest painful evidence of the Democrats’ failed economic policies.
Rather than taking responsibility for their failures, however, Democrats are offering yet more excuses. President Obama this week outrageously suggested that “bad luck,” not bad policies, is to blame for the bad economy. His DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz said Democrats are “proud” of Obama’s policies.
These excuses won’t change the reality of the ongoing joblessness across America. Despite today’s numbers, Democrats’ “new” plan for creating jobs is more of the same failed policies.

BACKGROUND

New state unemployment numbers this week paint a gloomy picture of the state of the economy, offering the latest painful evidence of the Democrats’ failed economic policies:

28 STATES POST UNEMPLOYMENT RATE INCREASES, 13 STAY THE SAME.(“Regional and State Employment and Unemployment (Monthly) News Release,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8/19/2011)

KEY STATES MI, MN, OH, PA, NH ALL SEE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE INCREASES.“Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and South Carolina recorded the largest of these (+0.4 percentage point each), followed by New Hampshire (+0.3 point) and California, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas (+0.2 point each).” (“Regional and State Employment and Unemployment (Monthly) News Release,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8/19/2011)

Rather than taking responsibility for their failures, however, Democrats are offering yet more excuses. President Obama this week outrageously suggested that “bad luck,” not bad policies, is to blame for the bad economy. His DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz said Democrats are “proud” of Obama’s policies:

OBAMA: NEW ECONOMIC FEARS ARE DUE TO “BAD LUCK”: “Over the last six months, we’ve had a string of bad luck — there have been some things that we could not control.” (“Remarks by the President in a Town Hall Meeting in Cannon Falls, Minnesota,” The White House

, 8/15/2011)

DNC CHAIR REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: “Well, I’m proud of the President’s record as are Democrats and middle-class Americans across the country.” (Remarks from Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports”, 8/13/2011)

WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY JAY CARNEY: “UNCONTESTABLY TRUE” THAT “ECONOMY IS VASTLY IMPROVED” SINCE OBAMA TOOK OFFICE. (“Carney: Economy Has ‘Vastly Improved’ Since Obama Was Sworn In,” Real Clear Politics, 7/21/2011)

NY TIMES: WHITE HOUSE HOPING “MAYBE IT’S NOT THE ECONOMY, STUPID”: “Maybe it’s not the economy, stupid. White House officials have begun to entertain the idea that they can run for re-election without being able to point to a strengthening economy. For one thing, they may not have a choice.” (David Leonhardt, “Negotiating Election Headwinds,” The New York Times, 7/19/2011)

OBAMA CLAIMS HE WAS “LARGELY SUCCESSFUL” IN STABILIZING ECONOMY, DESPITE THE FACT THAT “STUBBORN” UNEMPLOYMENT IS FAR ABOVE HIS 8 PERCENT MARKER. (“Press Conference by the President,” The White House, 7/11/2011)

TREASURY SEC. TIM GEITHNER SAYS “RIDICULOUS” TO COMPARE OBAMA’S RECORD ON DEBT AND UNEMPLOYMENT. (NBC’s “Meet the Press”, 7/10/2011)

WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF BILL DALEY SAYS THE “POLITICAL SYSTEM” IS TO BLAME FOR WEAK ECONOMY, NOT OBAMA. (Imtiyaz Delawala, “Bill Daley: President Obama Still Wants a ‘Big Deal’ on Deficit Reduction,” ABC’s “This Week”, 7/10/2011)

OBAMA ADVISOR DAVID PLOUFFE PRE-EMPTS JOBS REPORT, CLAIMS “VISION” MORE IMPORTANT THAN JOBS. (Julie Mason, “Plouffe: It’s About Vision, Not Jobs,”Politico, 7/8/2011)

EVEN OBAMA JOKED ABOUT HIS FAILED STIMULUS … HA HA?: “Obama smiled and interjected, ‘Shovel-ready was not as … uh .. shovel-ready as we expected.’The Council, led by GE’s Jeffrey Immelt, erupted in laughter.” (“Obama Jokes at Jobs Council: “Shovel-Ready Was Not as Shovel-Ready as We Expected,” Fox News, 6/13/2011)

These excuses won’t change the reality of the ongoing joblessness across America. Despite today’s numbers, Democrats’ “new” plan for creating jobs is more of the same failed policies:

MEANWHILE, OBAMA ANNOUNCES A “NEW JOBS PLAN” SPEECH, TO BE GIVEN… IN A MONTH. (Ben Feller, “Obama to Lay Out New Jobs Plan in Sept. Speech,”Associated Press, 8/17/2011)

THE NEW YORK TIMES‘ HELENE COOPER: “I WISH I HAD A DOLLAR FOR EVERY TIME I HAD WRITTEN A STORY THAT SAID THE WHITE HOUSE IS SHIFTING TO JOBS, JOBS, JOBS.” (MSNBC’s, “The Daily Rundown,” 8/17/2011)

OBAMA TO PROPOSE “A NEW ROUND OF STIMULUS SPENDING.” (Zachary A. Goldfarb and Peter Wallsten, “Obama to Issue New Proposals on Job Creation, Debt Reduction,”The Washington Post, 8/17/2011)

WHITE HOUSE TO SHUFFLE THE BUREAUCRACY AND REBRAND WITH NEW “DEPARTMENT OF JOBS”? REALLY?: “The administration may also merge the Department of Commerce, the Office of the United States Trade Representative and some economic divisions at the State Department into a new agency, administration officials said. Possible names include the Department of Jobs or the Department of Competitiveness.” (Binyamin Applebaum and Helene Cooper, “White House Debates Fight on Economy,” The New York Times, 8/14/2011)

NEW PLAN FOR SEPTEMBER IS “A COMPILATION OF OLD PROPOSALS”: “The White House on Wednesday said President Barack Obama would unveil fresh ideas to jump-start the economy and cut deficits, but details offered so far appeared to be a compilation of old proposals.” (Laura MacInnis, “Obama to Unveil Economic Plan in September Speech,” Reuters, 8/17/2011)

NO WONDER EVEN REP. MAXINE WATERS AT CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS FORUM SAID “WE DON’T KNOW WHAT THE [OBAMA JOBS] STRATEGY IS.”:“Our people are hurting. The unemployment is unconscionable. We don’t know what the strategy is.” (“Anti-Obama Outrage Erupts at Congressional Black Caucus! ‘When You Unleash Us … We’re Ready,'” Fox Nation, 8/17/2011)

THE VERDICT FROM GALLUP: OBAMA HITS NEW LOW ON ECONOMY AS 26% APPROVE, 71% DISAPPROVE. (Lydia Saad, “New Low of 26% Approve of Obama on the Economy,” Gallup, 8/17/2011)