The president’s fallback position? “My job over these first two years has frankly been to clean up a big mess,” said Mr. Obama at a $10,000-per-ticket event at a gated mansion in Miami Beach on June 13th. “We were able to make sure we yanked an economy out of what could have been a second Great Depression.”
This is one of the more recent iterations of two now-familiar themes that this president and his party will be repeating over and over between now and the 2012 election. The implication behind the “big mess” is that two and a half years after becoming president, Mr. Obama still blames George W. Bush for the nation’s economic problems, even as he omits the reality that his party controlled both houses of Congress from 2006-2010, and that both he and Joe Biden voted for much of the spending now being derided as “irresponsible.”
Furthermore, what this administration has “yanked an economy out of” remains to be seen. Job creation has literally ground to a halt: for the first time since WWll, a net zero number of jobs were created in August. The White House itself, despite the chilling effect it is likely to have on Mr. Obama’s re-election, has had to predict unemployment will remain above 9 percent through 2012. The administration has also revised growth estimates for 2011 down from 2.7 percent to 1.7 percent. Neither number is sufficient to get America back on sound economic footing.
Even more daunting, this low number may be optimistic. The Commerce Department reported an annual growth rate of just 1 percent, and many economists note that 9 of the past 11 recessions since World War II have been preceded by a period of growth totaling 1 percent or less. That means a “double-dip” recession is a distinct possibility — for those Americans who remain convinced that some sort of recovery actually occurred in the first place. According to a Rasmussen survey, a majority of the public believes the recession that began in late 2007 never ended.
All of the above data begs a couple of obvious questions. First, at what point does the media-anointed “Great Recession” become a Depression? With respect to housing, we’re already there. Prices have fallen more than they did back in the ’30s. The European debt crisis, precipitated by the same kind of Keynesian economic bailout mentality that threatens America, remains an existential threat. And the stock market, despite two rounds of quantitative easing by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke (more Keynesian economic stimulus by another name), finished its worst quarter since 2008 at the end of July.
Second, when will Mr. Obama accept responsibility for his own failures? Does anyone seriously think the same administration that readily blames the previous one for all of the country’s economic woes wouldn’t be taking complete credit for any economic uptick that might have occurred?
Tonight, the president will give his speech, the details of which will be illuminated on Friday. Americans hoping for anything resembling a Bill Clinton-esque tack to the economic center are likely to be disappointed. Unlike Clinton, Mr. Obama’s party still has majority control of government, and many Americans fail to realize that it was the more moderate faction of the Democrats party that was eliminated in the 2010 election.
Moreover, the president himself, in spite of all evidence to the contrary, remains ideologically wedded to the idea that government is the principal generator of all solutions to our economic crisis. A government whose public debt has topped $10 trillion for the first time in history, which represents an increase of 59% since Barack Obama was inaugurated on January 20th, 2009. Thirty-one months later, the president is pivoting to job creation.
Too little, too late is an understatement.
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Mr. Ahlert puts scare quotes around the notion that Republicans "put party before country."
What was Congressional Republicans STATED main goal after Obama was elected during the worst economic downturn in 70 years? Job creation? Keeping health care affordable? Nope. "Getting Obama out of office." How would they do that? By letting him pass his agenda? By proposing better alternatives? No–by obstructionism: no need for scare quotes.
How about the debt ceiling nonsense? Raised 87 times since 1945 and NARY A PEEP: but now, all of a sudden, YOUR PARTY has to hold our economy hostage.
That pretty much says it all, Mr. Ahlert. No need for scare quotes; it's your STATED agenda.
Once a socialist; always a socialist. There was Joe the plumber "spread the wealth around". Which law gives any president the right to do that? There was Jeremiah Wright cursing the nation. There were apologies to other countries. Sorry, despite the disease that virually all elected officials get, people know that some may think capitalism is, socialism is far worse. It is because it grows nothing. All it knows how to do is demonize those who have more than someone else and seek to artificially "level the playing field". Union dues for instance is just another tax. It is one of several mechanizations created to STEAL money from people under the guise of compassion. It is convincing people that THEY know best, and for those who disagree with them, they say, "shut up and pay your taxes" because that's the LAW. Socialists are thieves, masquerading as altruistic. We are tired of the lie, and are much wiser.
Well, I don't know who "we" are and I question your "wisdom." Accepted wisdom, or common sense, appears in consensus for a so-called "mixed economy" where the highs and lows are controlled, so we don't go through ten years of job loss. Ten years of job loss is what happens when your crowd gets its way. How many times do we need to go through it to see it? You've had your deregulation , tax cuts, all the goodies: where's the jobs? Profits are up: where's the jobs? The income gap is becoming huge: when are those "job creators" gonna start creating? Insurance costs are hampering business, but God forbid something is proposed to take insurance costs off business's back: oh no, "socialism!"
Who cares what you call it; I'm tired of bonehead, reflexive anti-government rhetoric by people who claim to love this country and revere its Constitution. Your lips move, but your actions show otherwise.
For two years Obama and the Democrats had a super majority in both houses of Congress. They could pass any bill they wanted (and in the case of Obamacare, they did). So, how were the Republicans obstructionistic? The Democrats had two years to get the economy moving in the right direction at the least and failed to do so.
That's just too hard for them to grasp. Don't try to confuse them with facts. They are all as children with a million escuses up their sleeve for their actions, and just a many grievances to levy to adults. All they need is a sympathetic media to selectively report what the public "needs" to know.
Wow, they had two whole years (before obstructionism) to make up for the worst economy since the Depression, thanks to Republican policies? Yeah, they really dropped the ball.
Yeah, and the obstructionism came every time the Repubs suggested a solution. They encountered the Dems version of bipartisanship… do it our way or we'll piss and moan about obstructionism.
If we opened up our own resources for oil domestically hundreds of thousands of people would be put back to work … even union workers would be able to get jobs and work! http://msmignoresit.blogspot.com/2011/09/jobs-job…
The Health-Care Bill? It should be given its proper name:
The HATE AMERICANS Bill.
So you are against children being covered? And you are for people being turned down for insurance due to pre-existing conditions? You are FOR keeping things status quo?
Gee, I wonder who really hates her fellow citizens?
Americans are famous for being a generous, giving people. I believe very strongly in all communities having medical centers in buildings with the rooms donated by companies where doctors, dentists, nurses, receptionists and other workers would volunteer to donate so many hours a month/year to provide free health and dental services to those in need. Meds and equipment provided by donors. We must always take care of our fellow human beings!
When I lived in California, I worked in a school that had a huge number of children whose parents were illegals. I went out of my way to print up the names, addresses and phone numbers of medical centers which I knew provided excellent care and were EXTREMELY CHEAP, and gave these papers to the parents. This was NOT part of my job, but I wanted to make sure the kids (and their family members) got excellent medical care at an extremely low cost
I don't think counting on volunteerism is going to help fix the cost of health care.
Ah, pre-existing conditions,,, Maybe the feds should require insurance companies to sell property policies to home owners as their house is burning down. If individuals can get insurance for a pre-existing condition why should they buy insurance before they have cancer or a heart attack?
Are you willing to pay at least 75% of your income on federal and state taxes and cover everyone? Funny how people try to use the compassion to make other people pay but never ask if they are willing to personally shill over money. Not trying to sound cold hearted but when does one limit spending money that governments do not have for every hard luck case? With the fraud being committed on just MEDICARE alone, what is to prevent this health care plan into another boondoggle?
The Health Care Bill will FORCE Americans to spend money on health care that they desperately need to spend on food. And as Americans will not have the money to buy the nutritious food their bodies require, the health of Americans will decline even further. The cost of food is rising dramatically and will continue to increase far more.
All of this means nothing to wealthy Obama and his wealthy friends including his friend, billionaire, George Soros.
The Health Care Bill is another method to PUNISH Americans who are deeply despised and hated by the Administration.
You are ascribing sinister motivations to policies designed to help every day people while, unfortunately, trying too hard not to step on insurance companies' toes.
Tell me: no one with a a brain disagrees health care needed big time reform. It has literally been an issue kicked down the road by every president since at least Nixon. When Clinton tried to do something about it, he was ridiculed. Then, nothing. NADA. Once again, Obama tries: more ridicule.
You say "they" despise Americans, but you don't fool me.
The government does a lot of good things. The main question is where does it get the money. Tfhe answer is that it gets the money from the private sector or abroad That's it. When it takes money from the private sector it weakens that sector. Yes, it can create jobs in the public sector at the price of killing jobs in the private sector.
What it should have done more of, is spent that money buying goods and services from the private sector, specifically from businesses that would have to meet demand by hiring American workers.
just would love to know how long before the old must be by laws removed to a camp system for evacuation ( the nazi unsed the word, it means kill jews in camps)
The speech was disappointing, it was all about more spending, and creating jobs for the unions, raising taxes, and more unemployment benefits, with no incentive for people to find jobs. Obama will never stop being a Socialist. Bill Clinton came to the center for the Good of the Country, but him and Obama are 180 degrees apart.
People must look out6side of the Box. What did we do with the Constitutional Republic that our forefahers gave us? Read the Constitution
However, let see where Americans are taking the Constituion today. Our Forefathers purposely ommitted two words in our Constitution: Democracy and socialism. They gave us firm warnings and explicit explanations in the eighty-five Federalist papers- writing by John Jay, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, What was it that these men warned us against? We the People must get us out of this problem , governmen it has too much to loose. Read your Constitution. http://www.wastewatchersinc.org
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