No Jobs, No Problem?

July 8, 2011

Desperate to Cover-Up Democrats’ Job-Destroying Policies, Obama Political Handler Claims that President Won’t Be Judged on the Economy

Obama senior advisor David Plouffe attempted to cover-up for President Obama’s failed economic agenda this week by suggesting that the president will not be judged on the effects of his job-destroying policies.
The absurdity of this statement aside, the effects of the president’s failed policies are quite clear: record numbers of Americans on food stamps, struggling small businesses and shrinking paychecks for Americans.
Meanwhile, top economists have predicted that unemployment will remain high for the foreseeable future, contrary to early administration promises. If the President can’t be held accountable for his economic record, what exactly does it mean when Democrats admit that they “own the economy”?

BACKGROUND:

Obama senior advisor David Plouffe attempted to cover-up for President Obama’s failed economic agenda this week by suggesting that the president will not be judged on the effects of his job-destroying policies:

“While history has shown the unemployment rate to be a leading indicator of an incumbent’s success, Plouffe said Americans won’t base their votes on it.

“ ‘The average American does not view the economy through the prism of GDP or unemployment rates or even monthly jobs numbers,’ Plouffe said. ‘People won’t vote based on the unemployment rate, they’re going to vote based on: ‘How do I feel about my own situation? Do I believe the president makes decisions based on me and my family?’ ’” (Julianna Goldman, “Unemployment Rate Won’t Re-Election, David Plouffe Says,” Bloomberg, 6/7/2011)

The absurdity of Plouffe’s statement aside, the effects of the president’s failed policies are quite clear: record numbers of Americans on food stamps, struggling small businesses and shrinking income:

FOOD STAMP USE ON THE RISE, WITH 1 IN 7 ON FOOD STAMPS IN 27 STATES: (Phil Izzo, “U.S. Food Stamp Use on the Rise,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/1/2011)

78% OF SMALL BUSINESSES SAY U.S. ECONOMY STILL IN RECESSION, 70% HAVE NO PLANS TO HIRE: (Dana Mattioli and Sarah E. Needleman, “For Small Business, Recession Isn’t Over,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/6/2011)

SHRINKING INCOMES “A PROBLEM FOR THE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK”:(Kathleen Madigan, “Consumer Income Only Kept Afloat by Government Payments,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/30/2011)

Unemployment itself continues to remain high, and a distressing number of experts are predicting it will stay that way for quite a bit longer:

GOLDMAN SACHS CHIEF ECONOMIST: 20% CHANCE OF DOUBLE-DIP RECESSION, MORE THAN 8% UNEMPLOYMENT THROUGH 2012: (Jon Hilsenrath, “Goldman Economist Sees Rebound, but Risks of Recession Rising,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/7/2011)

CHALLENGER: “EMPLOYMENT PICTURE REMAINS A BIT CLOUDY”: (Laurie Segall, “Challenger Report: More Job Cuts Ahead,” CNN Money, 7/6/2011)

FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN BEN BERNANKE: U.S. STILL “YEARS AWAY” FROM FULL JOBS RECOVERY: (Neal Lipschutz, “Bernanke’s Scary View of Employment,”The Wall Street Journal, 6/22/2011)

“SMALL BUSINESSES CUT JOBS IN JUNE”: (“Small Businesses Cut Jobs in June After Four-Month Gain,” Reuters, 7/6/2011)

SERVICE SECTOR JOBS DIP IN JUNE: (“US Service Sector Growth Slows in June: ISM,”Reuters, 7/6/2011)

With a record like that to defend, it’s little wonder that President Obama’s longest answer during Wednesday’s Twitter town hall was his rambling response to a simple question from House Speaker John Boehner: “Where are the jobs”? Democrats have admitted they “own” the economy, but instead of owning up to their failed policies, Democrats are still offering excuses:

“It took President Obama 3,111 characters to answer the question put to him by House Speaker John A. Boehner in just 19: ‘Where are the jobs?’

“If he were Tweeting his answer, it would have taken just over 22 Twitter messages.

“That was the president’s longest answer during the first-ever Twitter town hall.” (Michael Shear, “Obama Averaged 2,099 Characters in His Twitter Answers,” The New York Times, 7/6/2011)