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See......dumbass Mittens wants everyone to think the economy sucks, wants everyone to believe the lie that there has been no economic recovery, no job growth, etc.
He is trying to portray himself as someone who can actually fix these problems.
His problem right now is that there has been so much economic recovery, any time he tries to say there is not, he ends up looking like the clueless moron he truly is!
What a tool.
And then, there are those idiots who actually believe what Mittens has to say.....are you listening BigBadBrucie? Elvis?
Truth hurts, doesn't it, bitches!
Private Jobs Increase More With Democrats in White House
By Bob Drummond - May 7, 2012 11:00 PM CT
Private Job Growth Under Obama: Recovery, in Contrast to the Fall Under Bush
A. Introduction
Mitt Romney and Republican Party leaders have repeatedly and emphatically asserted that Obama and the policies of his administration have been terrible for private sector job growth, and that voters should therefore bring back the Republicans and their policies. Indeed, Romney has said his campaign is all about jobs. At the same time, they’ve asserted that government and its bureaucrats have exploded during the Obama years, with this holding back private sector job growth.
But as the figures above show, private sector jobs have recovered under Obama, reversing the freefall that was underway as he was taking the oath of office, while government employment has contracted sharply. In contrast, private jobs were stable when George W. Bush took office, but then started to fall and fall sharply, while government jobs rose. By 38 months into his first term, there were 2.4 million fewer private sector jobs in the US economy than on the day Bush was inaugurated. Yet Romney repeatedly lambasts Obama for his jobs record, while he argues for bringing back the policies of Bush.
The figures show the cumulative change in private and in government jobs between January of the year the Presidents were inaugurated, to the March that was 38 months (a little over three years) later. The March date 38 months later was chosen as that is the most recent date for which data is available for Obama. The data all come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The graph on government jobs is similar in presentation to that used by Paul Krugman in a posting on his blog yesterday. The government jobs issue was also reviewed in a posting on this blog site over four months ago, which noted the collapse in government jobs during the Obama years (while they grew under Bush), and discussed how this has hurt overall job growth in the economy.
B. Private Sector Jobs
Private sector jobs were falling rapidly in the period leading up to Obama’s inauguration in January 2009, as has been discussed before in this blog (see in particular the figure at this posting). While the pace of decline was turned around almost immediately (within three months of Obama taking office), the number of private sector jobs continued to decline in Obama’s first year. But jobs in the private sector then began to grow, and by March 2012 (the most recent figure available) they are almost back to where they were when he took office. While this represents a growth of over 4 million private jobs over the past two years, the hole was a deep one. The economy was hemorrhaging 800,000 jobs per month at the end of the Bush administration. One would have of course wanted a more rapid recovery from this deep hole, but Republican opposition in Congress has blocked the measures that would have been needed to get this done (such as further stimulus).
But while one would have wanted a more rapid recovery from the 2008 economic collapse, contrast the record of Obama with that of George W. Bush in the first term of his administration. Private jobs were growing in the final months of the Clinton administration, and were flat in the first two months of the Bush administration. But they then began to fall (with the fall well underway before the September 11 attacks, so one cannot blame them). The steady decline in private sector jobs continued for two and a half years, and at the trough there were 3.4 million fewer private jobs than when Bush took office. They then began a slow recovery, but by 38 months into his term there were still 2.4 million fewer private jobs than when Bush took the oath of office. Yet Romney and his economic advisors (most of whom held high positions in the Bush administration) advocate bringing back the policies of Bush.
The graph also shows private job growth for similar periods in the Clinton administration and in the administration of the elder George Bush. Under the Democratic administration of Clinton, there was steady and strong private sector job growth throughout the period being followed here (and indeed throughout his two terms). Under the Republican administration of the elder George Bush, there was some, but weak, private job growth in his first year and a half in office, but then private jobs fell, so that by 38 months into his term they were close to where they had been when he started. Put another way, after one year in office up to the point 38 months into their respective terms, private jobs rose by over 4 million under Obama, but fell by 1.4 million under the elder Bush.
C. Government Jobs
The story commonly told about growth in government jobs under the different Democratic and Republican administrations is also a false one. Total government jobs have fallen during the Obama term, but grew sharply during the terms of both Bush administrations. They also grew during the Clinton period, although by less than in either of the two Bush terms. (Note that the sharp spike, and then after a few months a reversion to the previous trend, at a little over a year into both the Obama and first Bush administrations, is due to temporary hiring for the decennial census.) Keep in mind that government employment in the US is mostly state and local government employment, with federal employment only a small share (13% currently). But under Obama, non-defense federal employment has fallen as well.
Positive government job growth during the Obama period, similar to that seen during the two Bush administrations, would have helped spur the recovery. But federal support which would have saved the jobs of teachers, police, and others has been blocked by Republican opposition, while cuts at the state and local level have been driven not only by deficit concerns but also by ideology. Indeed, prominent Republican governors such as Scott Walker in Wisconsin, Chris Christie in New Jersey, John Kasich of Ohio, Rick Perry of Texas, Rick Scott of Florida, and others, have celebrated their slashing of state and local government employment, often while cutting taxes at the same time. The job cuts have been unprecedented.
D. Conclusion
The Republican stories on jobs are myths, and not consistent with the facts. Private sector jobs have recovered under Obama, and have grown by over 4 million jobs once the downturn Obama inherited was stopped. One would have hoped for a faster recovery, but further efforts to spur the recovery have been blocked by Republican opposition in Congress. And the story should be compared to that in the first term of George W. Bush, where there were 2.4 million fewer private sector jobs than when he took office, at the comparable point in his term.
The story told about government job growth under the different administrations is also false. Government jobs have been slashed sharply (mostly at the state and local level) during the Obama period, which has hurt the economic recovery. In contrast, government jobs grew significantly under both Bush administrations, and grew but by somewhat less during the comparable Clinton period. Positive government job growth during the Obama period, had it happened, would have helped spur the economic recovery.
Standard Republican policy is to hide their heads in the sand, shrieking that Obama is evil, is ruining our country, etc., while ignoring the fact that policies under Republican "rule" have done more to harm America over the past 50 years or more than Democratic policies, by a long shot.
Republicans cry and scream about how patriotic they are, yet their policies destroy America.
They cry and shriek about how "Christian" they are, when the truth is that is nothing to boast about.....holding yourself up in public claiming to somehow being more "Religious" than others only makes for a longer fall when they do eventually fall.
Christianity has arguably done more harm than good over the past 1700 years. Certainly has led to the deaths of millions (if not more) innocent people. And these fucking tools want to claim they are "Christian" or "Morons" or some other religion based on the Vatican Church Of Satan?
Well, there is always going to be a percentage of the human race that is absolutely stupid.
And these days they can more often than not also be labeled "Republican", "Christian", "Moron" or "all of the above".
For Obama to NOT go on and on about how religious he is, only serves to show how much more intelligent he is.
Fucking Retardlican asslickers.
You get that Brucie? Elvis? Jackoff?
He is trying to portray himself as someone who can actually fix these problems.
His problem right now is that there has been so much economic recovery, any time he tries to say there is not, he ends up looking like the clueless moron he truly is!
Romney's economic message seems at odds with some GOP governors'
May 05, 2012|By Michael Finnegan
"Welcome to Ohio," Mitt Romney told President Obama with more than a dash of sarcasm in an open letter on the eve of Obama’s rally Saturday in Columbus. "I have a simple question for you: Where are the jobs?"
Romney got an answer to that question last week from Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Campaigning for Romney outside the capital, the Republican governor could hardly have strayed further off message as he painted a bright picture of economic recovery in Ohio just as Romney was trying to do the opposite.
"We have a website called Ohio Means Jobs and there's probably about 80,000 jobs listed on there where there are openings," Kasich told college students meeting with him and Romney.
"Really?" a student asked in astonishment.
In scanning the website, Kasich said, "you're going to find a lot of real exciting opportunities."
Kasich is not the only Republican governor whose off-key boasts of a local jobs recovery have undercut the party's presumptive presidential nominee right before a Romney speech portraying the economy under Obama as dismal.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell offered the latest variation on Thursday as he introduced Romney at a rally in Portsmouth, Va.
"Welcome to the state with the lowest unemployment rate in the Southeast," McDonnell said.
As the audience cheered, Romney paused, then smiled and clapped his hands four times.
"That's good news," he muttered, ignoring the head wind that any good news on jobs creates for his campaign in a crucial swing state like Virginia.
"Now as good as that is," McDonnell continued, "imagine how much better off we’re going to be with President Mitt Romney."
As governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007, Romney became a seasoned practitioner of putting the best spin on an anemic economic recovery. In his case, it was slow job growth in Massachusetts in the aftermath of the dot-com bust and 9/11.
But now that Romney is a presidential candidate pounding the Democratic president every day over the sluggish economy, he can only hope that Republican governors of battleground states will set aside their self-interest and join him in stressing the gloom.
It will be a struggle. At a Republican dinner outside Milwaukee in March, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker told party loyalists that their state was on a solid path to recovery.
"The unemployment rate is now below 7% for the first time since 2008," said Walker, who faces a recall election next month. "We're headed in the right direction."
Minutes later, Romney stepped onto the same stage and lamented how high unemployment remained.
But it would be hard to top Kasich, who — unlike Walker — was actually campaigning for Romney when he marveled at Ohio's economic comeback last week at Otterbein University in Westerville.
After students shared some challenges they had faced in finding jobs to launch their careers, Kasich told them that Chase bank employs 23,000 people in Ohio.
"It probably shocks you, that kind of number," Kasich said. "It's stunning. I know they have openings."
With Romney seated next to him, the governor mentioned more job opportunities in a nearby Columbus suburb, New Albany, and plugged the “Ohio Means Jobs” website, which now lists 108,636 openings.
"There's a lot of really exciting things in the state where you can go work," Kasich said.
May 05, 2012|By Michael Finnegan
"Welcome to Ohio," Mitt Romney told President Obama with more than a dash of sarcasm in an open letter on the eve of Obama’s rally Saturday in Columbus. "I have a simple question for you: Where are the jobs?"
Romney got an answer to that question last week from Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Campaigning for Romney outside the capital, the Republican governor could hardly have strayed further off message as he painted a bright picture of economic recovery in Ohio just as Romney was trying to do the opposite.
"We have a website called Ohio Means Jobs and there's probably about 80,000 jobs listed on there where there are openings," Kasich told college students meeting with him and Romney.
"Really?" a student asked in astonishment.
In scanning the website, Kasich said, "you're going to find a lot of real exciting opportunities."
Kasich is not the only Republican governor whose off-key boasts of a local jobs recovery have undercut the party's presumptive presidential nominee right before a Romney speech portraying the economy under Obama as dismal.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell offered the latest variation on Thursday as he introduced Romney at a rally in Portsmouth, Va.
"Welcome to the state with the lowest unemployment rate in the Southeast," McDonnell said.
As the audience cheered, Romney paused, then smiled and clapped his hands four times.
"That's good news," he muttered, ignoring the head wind that any good news on jobs creates for his campaign in a crucial swing state like Virginia.
"Now as good as that is," McDonnell continued, "imagine how much better off we’re going to be with President Mitt Romney."
As governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007, Romney became a seasoned practitioner of putting the best spin on an anemic economic recovery. In his case, it was slow job growth in Massachusetts in the aftermath of the dot-com bust and 9/11.
But now that Romney is a presidential candidate pounding the Democratic president every day over the sluggish economy, he can only hope that Republican governors of battleground states will set aside their self-interest and join him in stressing the gloom.
It will be a struggle. At a Republican dinner outside Milwaukee in March, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker told party loyalists that their state was on a solid path to recovery.
"The unemployment rate is now below 7% for the first time since 2008," said Walker, who faces a recall election next month. "We're headed in the right direction."
Minutes later, Romney stepped onto the same stage and lamented how high unemployment remained.
But it would be hard to top Kasich, who — unlike Walker — was actually campaigning for Romney when he marveled at Ohio's economic comeback last week at Otterbein University in Westerville.
After students shared some challenges they had faced in finding jobs to launch their careers, Kasich told them that Chase bank employs 23,000 people in Ohio.
"It probably shocks you, that kind of number," Kasich said. "It's stunning. I know they have openings."
With Romney seated next to him, the governor mentioned more job opportunities in a nearby Columbus suburb, New Albany, and plugged the “Ohio Means Jobs” website, which now lists 108,636 openings.
"There's a lot of really exciting things in the state where you can go work," Kasich said.
What a tool.
And then, there are those idiots who actually believe what Mittens has to say.....are you listening BigBadBrucie? Elvis?
Truth hurts, doesn't it, bitches!
The Truth-O-Meter Says:
Obama
"In the last 22 months, businesses have created more than 3 million jobs. Last year, they created the most jobs since 2005."
Barack Obama on Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 in the State of the Union address
Have private-sector jobs grown by 3 million in 22 months, with the best annual totals since 2005?
During his State of the Union address on Jan. 24, 2012, President Barack Obama offered some evidence about the nation’s improving economy.
He began by urging listeners to "remember how we got here. Long before the recession, jobs and manufacturing began leaving our shores. Technology made businesses more efficient, but also made some jobs obsolete. Folks at the top saw their incomes rise like never before, but most hardworking Americans struggled with costs that were growing, paychecks that weren’t, and personal debt that kept piling up.
"In 2008, the house of cards collapsed," he continued. "We learned that mortgages had been sold to people who couldn’t afford or understand them. Banks had made huge bets and bonuses with other people’s money. Regulators had looked the other way, or didn’t have the authority to stop the bad behavior.
"It was wrong. It was irresponsible. And it plunged our economy into a crisis that put millions out of work, saddled us with more debt and left innocent, hard-working Americans holding the bag. In the six months before I took office, we lost nearly four million jobs. And we lost another four million before our policies were in full effect.
"Those are the facts. But so are these. In the last 22 months, businesses have created more than three million jobs. Last year, they created the most jobs since 2005. American manufacturers are hiring again, creating jobs for the first time since the late 1990s. Together, we’ve agreed to cut the deficit by more than $2 trillion. And we’ve put in place new rules to hold Wall Street accountable, so a crisis like that never happens again.
"The state of our union is getting stronger. And we’ve come too far to turn back now. As long as I’m president, I will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum."
We decided to look specifically at Obama’s claim that "in the last 22 months, businesses have created more than three million jobs. Last year, they created the most jobs since 2005."
We checked Obama’s claim by using data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the federal agency responsible for compiling employment data. We found that the U.S. economy has seen 22 consecutive months of private-sector job growth, beginning in Feb. 2010. During that 22-month period, the number of jobs grew by almost 3.16 million, or about 143,000 per month.
We should note that there has also been a job-growth streak for all jobs in the economy -- not just in the private sector -- but this run of positive jobs numbers has been shorter since job losses in the government sector have offset gains in the private sector for much of that time. If you include both private-sector and government jobs, the economy has seen increases in total jobs for 15 straight months, not 22. But since this isn’t what Obama said, we won’t consider this in our ruling.
As for whether 2011 was the best job-producing year since 2005, he’s right if you’re counting private-sector jobs, and slightly off if you’re counting all jobs.
In 2011, the number of private-sector jobs rose by about 1.83 million (if you count from the January amount to the December amount) or 1.92 million (if you count from December to December). Either way, the increase in 2011 represented the highest one-year total since 2005, when the number of private-sector jobs increased by either 2.22 million or 2.31 million, depending on the time period used.
If you use total jobs, the increase in 2011 was the biggest since 2006, not 2005. But here too, that’s not the measure Obama used, so we won’t consider it in our rating.
Finally, there's another dimension. In his remarks, Obama described the damage to the economy, including losing millions of jobs "before our policies were in full effect." Then he describes the subsequent job increases. This suggests that he’s taking a degree of credit for the job growth, which runs counter to the reality that no mayor or governor or president deserves all the blame or all the credit for changes in employment.
Our ruling
Obama is correct on the numbers. By mentioning his policies, he's making a modest linkage that they deserve credit for the improvement when economists say they are just one factor. On balance, we rate the claim Mostly True.
Obama
"In the last 22 months, businesses have created more than 3 million jobs. Last year, they created the most jobs since 2005."
Barack Obama on Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 in the State of the Union address
Have private-sector jobs grown by 3 million in 22 months, with the best annual totals since 2005?
During his State of the Union address on Jan. 24, 2012, President Barack Obama offered some evidence about the nation’s improving economy.
He began by urging listeners to "remember how we got here. Long before the recession, jobs and manufacturing began leaving our shores. Technology made businesses more efficient, but also made some jobs obsolete. Folks at the top saw their incomes rise like never before, but most hardworking Americans struggled with costs that were growing, paychecks that weren’t, and personal debt that kept piling up.
"In 2008, the house of cards collapsed," he continued. "We learned that mortgages had been sold to people who couldn’t afford or understand them. Banks had made huge bets and bonuses with other people’s money. Regulators had looked the other way, or didn’t have the authority to stop the bad behavior.
"It was wrong. It was irresponsible. And it plunged our economy into a crisis that put millions out of work, saddled us with more debt and left innocent, hard-working Americans holding the bag. In the six months before I took office, we lost nearly four million jobs. And we lost another four million before our policies were in full effect.
"Those are the facts. But so are these. In the last 22 months, businesses have created more than three million jobs. Last year, they created the most jobs since 2005. American manufacturers are hiring again, creating jobs for the first time since the late 1990s. Together, we’ve agreed to cut the deficit by more than $2 trillion. And we’ve put in place new rules to hold Wall Street accountable, so a crisis like that never happens again.
"The state of our union is getting stronger. And we’ve come too far to turn back now. As long as I’m president, I will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum."
We decided to look specifically at Obama’s claim that "in the last 22 months, businesses have created more than three million jobs. Last year, they created the most jobs since 2005."
We checked Obama’s claim by using data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the federal agency responsible for compiling employment data. We found that the U.S. economy has seen 22 consecutive months of private-sector job growth, beginning in Feb. 2010. During that 22-month period, the number of jobs grew by almost 3.16 million, or about 143,000 per month.
We should note that there has also been a job-growth streak for all jobs in the economy -- not just in the private sector -- but this run of positive jobs numbers has been shorter since job losses in the government sector have offset gains in the private sector for much of that time. If you include both private-sector and government jobs, the economy has seen increases in total jobs for 15 straight months, not 22. But since this isn’t what Obama said, we won’t consider this in our ruling.
As for whether 2011 was the best job-producing year since 2005, he’s right if you’re counting private-sector jobs, and slightly off if you’re counting all jobs.
In 2011, the number of private-sector jobs rose by about 1.83 million (if you count from the January amount to the December amount) or 1.92 million (if you count from December to December). Either way, the increase in 2011 represented the highest one-year total since 2005, when the number of private-sector jobs increased by either 2.22 million or 2.31 million, depending on the time period used.
If you use total jobs, the increase in 2011 was the biggest since 2006, not 2005. But here too, that’s not the measure Obama used, so we won’t consider it in our rating.
Finally, there's another dimension. In his remarks, Obama described the damage to the economy, including losing millions of jobs "before our policies were in full effect." Then he describes the subsequent job increases. This suggests that he’s taking a degree of credit for the job growth, which runs counter to the reality that no mayor or governor or president deserves all the blame or all the credit for changes in employment.
Our ruling
Obama is correct on the numbers. By mentioning his policies, he's making a modest linkage that they deserve credit for the improvement when economists say they are just one factor. On balance, we rate the claim Mostly True.
Private Jobs Increase More With Democrats in White House
By Bob Drummond - May 7, 2012 11:00 PM CT
During an election-year clash over which U.S. political party has the best prescription for curing unemployment, Democrats can argue that almost two-thirds of private-sector job growth in the past five decades came with them in the White House.
The BGOV Barometer shows that since Democrat John F. Kennedy took office in January 1961, non-government payrolls in the U.S. swelled by almost 42 million jobs under Democrats, compared with 24 million for Republican presidents, according to Labor Department figures.
Democrats hold the edge though they occupied the Oval Office for 23 years since Kennedy’s inauguration, compared with 28 for the Republicans. Through April, Democratic presidents accounted for an average of 150,000 additional private-sector paychecks per month over that period, more than double the 71,000 average for Republicans.
The debate over jobs intensified last week, when the Labor Department reported that U.S. employers added a total of 115,000 private and government jobs in April, fewer than forecast and the smallest number in six months.
Private payrolls grew by 130,000 and, for the first time under President Barack Obama, surpassed the total in January 2009, when he took office. Total employment stayed below January 2009 because there are 607,000 fewer federal, state and local government employees, the Labor Department reported May 4.
April’s unemployment rate fell one percentage point to 8.1 percent as more workers left the labor force.
Romney Attacks
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, campaigning on his business experience and the promise of low taxes and lighter government regulation, said the “terrible and very disappointing” jobs report was evidence that Obama’s economic policies aren’t working.
“This is way, way, way off from what should happen in a normal recovery,” Romney said in a Fox News Channel interview.
Obama focused his remarks on the improvement at non-government employers. “Our businesses have now created more than 4.2 million new jobs over the last 26 months -- more than 1 million jobs in the last six months alone,” Obama said at a May 4 event in Virginia.
Through April, private employers have added an average of about 900 jobs per month since Obama’s inauguration. During the two terms of his predecessor, Republican George W. Bush, private payrolls shrank by an average of 6,700 jobs per month.
On a monthly basis, Democrat Bill Clinton averaged 217,000 new private-sector jobs. Democrat Jimmy Carter had an average of 188,000, followed by Republican Ronald Reagan’s 153,000, according to Labor Department data.
Clinton’s Tenure
Clinton’s eight-year tenure accounted for half of the Democrats’ total private employment gains over the past five decades. More than 60 percent of the Republicans’ increase came during Reagan’s two terms in office.
Republicans, campaigning on pledges to cut government spending and programs, had a relatively better record at creating public-sector jobs. Since January 1961, federal, state and local government employment grew by 7.1 million under Republican presidents and 6.3 million when Democrats were in the White House. Government agencies added an average of 21,000 jobs per month under Republicans, compared with 22,000 for Democrats.
The BGOV Barometer shows that since Democrat John F. Kennedy took office in January 1961, non-government payrolls in the U.S. swelled by almost 42 million jobs under Democrats, compared with 24 million for Republican presidents, according to Labor Department figures.
Democrats hold the edge though they occupied the Oval Office for 23 years since Kennedy’s inauguration, compared with 28 for the Republicans. Through April, Democratic presidents accounted for an average of 150,000 additional private-sector paychecks per month over that period, more than double the 71,000 average for Republicans.
The debate over jobs intensified last week, when the Labor Department reported that U.S. employers added a total of 115,000 private and government jobs in April, fewer than forecast and the smallest number in six months.
Private payrolls grew by 130,000 and, for the first time under President Barack Obama, surpassed the total in January 2009, when he took office. Total employment stayed below January 2009 because there are 607,000 fewer federal, state and local government employees, the Labor Department reported May 4.
April’s unemployment rate fell one percentage point to 8.1 percent as more workers left the labor force.
Romney Attacks
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, campaigning on his business experience and the promise of low taxes and lighter government regulation, said the “terrible and very disappointing” jobs report was evidence that Obama’s economic policies aren’t working.
“This is way, way, way off from what should happen in a normal recovery,” Romney said in a Fox News Channel interview.
Obama focused his remarks on the improvement at non-government employers. “Our businesses have now created more than 4.2 million new jobs over the last 26 months -- more than 1 million jobs in the last six months alone,” Obama said at a May 4 event in Virginia.
Through April, private employers have added an average of about 900 jobs per month since Obama’s inauguration. During the two terms of his predecessor, Republican George W. Bush, private payrolls shrank by an average of 6,700 jobs per month.
On a monthly basis, Democrat Bill Clinton averaged 217,000 new private-sector jobs. Democrat Jimmy Carter had an average of 188,000, followed by Republican Ronald Reagan’s 153,000, according to Labor Department data.
Clinton’s Tenure
Clinton’s eight-year tenure accounted for half of the Democrats’ total private employment gains over the past five decades. More than 60 percent of the Republicans’ increase came during Reagan’s two terms in office.
Republicans, campaigning on pledges to cut government spending and programs, had a relatively better record at creating public-sector jobs. Since January 1961, federal, state and local government employment grew by 7.1 million under Republican presidents and 6.3 million when Democrats were in the White House. Government agencies added an average of 21,000 jobs per month under Republicans, compared with 22,000 for Democrats.
A. Introduction
Mitt Romney and Republican Party leaders have repeatedly and emphatically asserted that Obama and the policies of his administration have been terrible for private sector job growth, and that voters should therefore bring back the Republicans and their policies. Indeed, Romney has said his campaign is all about jobs. At the same time, they’ve asserted that government and its bureaucrats have exploded during the Obama years, with this holding back private sector job growth.
But as the figures above show, private sector jobs have recovered under Obama, reversing the freefall that was underway as he was taking the oath of office, while government employment has contracted sharply. In contrast, private jobs were stable when George W. Bush took office, but then started to fall and fall sharply, while government jobs rose. By 38 months into his first term, there were 2.4 million fewer private sector jobs in the US economy than on the day Bush was inaugurated. Yet Romney repeatedly lambasts Obama for his jobs record, while he argues for bringing back the policies of Bush.
The figures show the cumulative change in private and in government jobs between January of the year the Presidents were inaugurated, to the March that was 38 months (a little over three years) later. The March date 38 months later was chosen as that is the most recent date for which data is available for Obama. The data all come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The graph on government jobs is similar in presentation to that used by Paul Krugman in a posting on his blog yesterday. The government jobs issue was also reviewed in a posting on this blog site over four months ago, which noted the collapse in government jobs during the Obama years (while they grew under Bush), and discussed how this has hurt overall job growth in the economy.
B. Private Sector Jobs
Private sector jobs were falling rapidly in the period leading up to Obama’s inauguration in January 2009, as has been discussed before in this blog (see in particular the figure at this posting). While the pace of decline was turned around almost immediately (within three months of Obama taking office), the number of private sector jobs continued to decline in Obama’s first year. But jobs in the private sector then began to grow, and by March 2012 (the most recent figure available) they are almost back to where they were when he took office. While this represents a growth of over 4 million private jobs over the past two years, the hole was a deep one. The economy was hemorrhaging 800,000 jobs per month at the end of the Bush administration. One would have of course wanted a more rapid recovery from this deep hole, but Republican opposition in Congress has blocked the measures that would have been needed to get this done (such as further stimulus).
But while one would have wanted a more rapid recovery from the 2008 economic collapse, contrast the record of Obama with that of George W. Bush in the first term of his administration. Private jobs were growing in the final months of the Clinton administration, and were flat in the first two months of the Bush administration. But they then began to fall (with the fall well underway before the September 11 attacks, so one cannot blame them). The steady decline in private sector jobs continued for two and a half years, and at the trough there were 3.4 million fewer private jobs than when Bush took office. They then began a slow recovery, but by 38 months into his term there were still 2.4 million fewer private jobs than when Bush took the oath of office. Yet Romney and his economic advisors (most of whom held high positions in the Bush administration) advocate bringing back the policies of Bush.
The graph also shows private job growth for similar periods in the Clinton administration and in the administration of the elder George Bush. Under the Democratic administration of Clinton, there was steady and strong private sector job growth throughout the period being followed here (and indeed throughout his two terms). Under the Republican administration of the elder George Bush, there was some, but weak, private job growth in his first year and a half in office, but then private jobs fell, so that by 38 months into his term they were close to where they had been when he started. Put another way, after one year in office up to the point 38 months into their respective terms, private jobs rose by over 4 million under Obama, but fell by 1.4 million under the elder Bush.
C. Government Jobs
The story commonly told about growth in government jobs under the different Democratic and Republican administrations is also a false one. Total government jobs have fallen during the Obama term, but grew sharply during the terms of both Bush administrations. They also grew during the Clinton period, although by less than in either of the two Bush terms. (Note that the sharp spike, and then after a few months a reversion to the previous trend, at a little over a year into both the Obama and first Bush administrations, is due to temporary hiring for the decennial census.) Keep in mind that government employment in the US is mostly state and local government employment, with federal employment only a small share (13% currently). But under Obama, non-defense federal employment has fallen as well.
Positive government job growth during the Obama period, similar to that seen during the two Bush administrations, would have helped spur the recovery. But federal support which would have saved the jobs of teachers, police, and others has been blocked by Republican opposition, while cuts at the state and local level have been driven not only by deficit concerns but also by ideology. Indeed, prominent Republican governors such as Scott Walker in Wisconsin, Chris Christie in New Jersey, John Kasich of Ohio, Rick Perry of Texas, Rick Scott of Florida, and others, have celebrated their slashing of state and local government employment, often while cutting taxes at the same time. The job cuts have been unprecedented.
D. Conclusion
The Republican stories on jobs are myths, and not consistent with the facts. Private sector jobs have recovered under Obama, and have grown by over 4 million jobs once the downturn Obama inherited was stopped. One would have hoped for a faster recovery, but further efforts to spur the recovery have been blocked by Republican opposition in Congress. And the story should be compared to that in the first term of George W. Bush, where there were 2.4 million fewer private sector jobs than when he took office, at the comparable point in his term.
The story told about government job growth under the different administrations is also false. Government jobs have been slashed sharply (mostly at the state and local level) during the Obama period, which has hurt the economic recovery. In contrast, government jobs grew significantly under both Bush administrations, and grew but by somewhat less during the comparable Clinton period. Positive government job growth during the Obama period, had it happened, would have helped spur the economic recovery.
Standard Republican policy is to hide their heads in the sand, shrieking that Obama is evil, is ruining our country, etc., while ignoring the fact that policies under Republican "rule" have done more to harm America over the past 50 years or more than Democratic policies, by a long shot.
Republicans cry and scream about how patriotic they are, yet their policies destroy America.
They cry and shriek about how "Christian" they are, when the truth is that is nothing to boast about.....holding yourself up in public claiming to somehow being more "Religious" than others only makes for a longer fall when they do eventually fall.
Christianity has arguably done more harm than good over the past 1700 years. Certainly has led to the deaths of millions (if not more) innocent people. And these fucking tools want to claim they are "Christian" or "Morons" or some other religion based on the Vatican Church Of Satan?
Well, there is always going to be a percentage of the human race that is absolutely stupid.
And these days they can more often than not also be labeled "Republican", "Christian", "Moron" or "all of the above".
For Obama to NOT go on and on about how religious he is, only serves to show how much more intelligent he is.
Fucking Retardlican asslickers.
You get that Brucie? Elvis? Jackoff?
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