Obama’s Failing Record: The Numbers Do Not Lie
by Joel B. PollakFollowing President Barack Obama’s self-congratulatory State of the Union address, Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI), chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, produced a simple chart that tells the real story of the Obama administration:
|
|
Before |
Now |
Change |
|
Number of Unemployed1 |
12.0 Million |
13.1 Million |
+9% |
|
Long-Term Unemployed2 |
2.7 Million |
5.6 Million |
+107% |
|
Unemployment Rate3 |
7.8% |
8.5% |
+9% |
|
“High Unemployment” States4 |
22 |
43 |
+95% |
|
Misery Index5 |
7.83 |
11.46 |
+46% |
|
Price of Gas6 |
$1.85 |
$3.39 |
+83% |
|
“Typical” Monthly Family Food Cost7 |
$974 |
$1,013 |
+4% |
|
Median Value of Single-Family Home8 |
$196,600 |
$169,100 |
-14% |
|
Rate of Mortgage Delinquencies9 |
6.62% |
10.23% |
+55% |
|
U.S. National Debt10 |
$10.6 Trillion |
$15.2 Trillion |
+43% |
For more, and for references, visit the House Ways and Means Committee website here.
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245 Comments
I am confused. Is it time for the "You are racist" argument, or is "It's Bush's fault?" It's hard to keep the schedule straight.
NUF SAID! And in a neat little package.
Thank you for this info Joel.
http://www.politiseeds.com
I prefer the "situation was 10 times worse than we thought" argument, but then Obama is supposed to be the smartest president ever, so that argument is negated.
Race card it is!
In this case, numbers do indeed lie. Or at least Pollak is using them to lie. It was the policies of GWB and the Republican congress that led to the failed oversight of the financial markets and the inevitable meltdown of the economy. The president kept it from turning into a depression. Now every Republican candidate for president wants to take us back to the failed Bush policies. Not going to happen.
Whoever the Republican candidate is they should just roll that numbers table on their campain commercials… it's all they would need.
Is the cost of the wars included in the $10 trillion of debt when he took office? I keep seeing Liberals score points arguing that Bush dishonestly kept the cost of the wars out of the budget. I don't know if that figures into the debt as well, or if it's just the annual budget that had that happen.
Scooter
The president kept it from turning into a depression.
Obama's only business model, is called Rhodesia.
Give it a rest.
Quick! Get this to Gingrich, Romney, and Santorum. They need to see this as soon as possible.
Ron Paul doesn't count. He's only there for his kooky ego, not his country.
"You are racist" argument
Either that, or the "you are a 'neo-con'" argument.
The author is Joel POLLAK, after all.
Yes, the numbers do not lie. But this POS POTUS and his Socialist MSM do nothing but LIE!
Only a MORON or a Democrat (sorry, I digress) would be unable to see that Obama is an idiot and the cause of much misery.
Crossword Q. What is a five word answer for economic idiot?
Answer. O.B.A.M.A.
www dot theantiliberalzone dot com
THE ANTI LIBERAL ZONE
What Soviet Agriculture Teaches Us | Yuri N. Maltsev
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6KnqLEsXmE&fe...
Are you seriously this stupid?
Obama had super majorities in both houses, he got anything he wanted done, the media lackeys cleaning up after all his messes, the bureaucrats in government service, the unions, you name it.
It's the policies of the left – of Obama that has brought this on and there is no denying it. This is Obama's economy. Man up you fool, this is your guy doing. And he's just getting started there sparky, which is why we must hand him a pink slip right freaking quisck.
And you blame Bush!!!!! It's hard to believe that people can actually be THIS freaking dumb.
Yeah, look at Bush's fabulous record. http://www.prosebeforehos.com/political-ironing/0...
It's Bush's fault. On that Americans overwhelmingly agree.
But just for fun, take a look at Joel's claim that gas was at the very low price of $1.85 a gallon when Obama took office. That's awful you say, we shouldn't stand for it. What he fails to mention that it took only six months of the Bush recession to drive them down to that level, from their historic highs of $4.40 a gallon in 2007! So gas was about $1.85 when Bush took office, and $1.85 when he left, but there were some wild swings along the way.
What's that you say, how could this be? Surely Joel wouldn't lie to us like that. See for yourself:
http://www.randomuseless.info/gasprice/gasprice.h...
To quothe the man: "We are the ones we have been waiting for."
C'mon folks, this is the change we were waiting for.
Lazy Jack
I wonder if so big recession happened before he took office that might account for these numbers?
Also look at what a Republican did. http://www.prosebeforehos.com/political-ironing/0...
No it time for the "American people aren't smart enough to understand what's good for them." We lack sophistication.
Numbers do not lie. But Obama does. So do Communists and Marxists. The numbers I'm concerned about will be the numbers of people who will blindly vote for Obama despite these numbers and his record in domestic, international policy.
If you know how to read and posses the ability to use logic and reason you will find that this is no great Bush defending blog to begin with.
So what's your point genius?
Crackpot.
That you are blaming the wrong person. Also that you don't attack republican presidents who were worse then the current president.
It is the runaway spending that is the cause of all our woes. We aim to stop it once and for all. If Mittens is nominated then we will continue to hammer until we get government under control. Socialists of the world, we declare war.
Better be careful….
You're dealing with the self-proclaimed puppet master…
Sorry Jack, Obama's got the lock on worst president ever.
You think he's so great? What has he done that's good for this country or its citizens? Huh genius? Dazzle us.
What were the failed policies? Please enlighten us. Please also prove that Obama prevented a depression. We're waiting Rhoid!
More talking points… please stop.
Why don't you try this out. Take the numbers that Rep Camp gather here and graph them yearly as far back as you can. Then match that graph up with which party controlled the legislature. Now, look for the pattern.
The clear result is that when the DIM's lead, the country suffers and when conservatives lead the country prospers.
So you're saying that Obama's off the hook and has done a great job? His numbers dwarf Bush's.
So what? Did Bush spend a lot? Yes. What's that got to do with Obama spending more and getting less? You guys still want to redirect the facts away from Obama. I know you lefties love your idols, but the numbers on Obama don't lie. His policies have done nothing to improve the situation.
Established Credit Card Bill of Rights, preventing credit card companies from imposing arbitrary rate increases on customers.
Health Care Reform Bill, preventing insurance companies from denying insurance because of a pre-existing condition.
Tax cuts for up to 3.5 million small businesses to help pay for employee health care coverage.
Added 4.6 billion USD to the Veterans Administration budget to recruit and retain more mental health professionals.
Ended the war in Iraq and killed Osama Bin Ladin.
Need More?
When has the toddler not misconstrued the facts or outright mislead the American people?The various actions by his agency heads, czars, DOJ, and other useful idiots indicate he is doing the exact opposite of what he pontificates He is nothing more than a shill. The two most recent incidents involving his flim Flam are the State of the Union Address and his confrontation with Governor Jan Brewer.
No matter what the facts say the Obama apologists will make every excuse for him, blame someone else, tar any critic as a racist and generally obfuscate every time. Fortunately there are sufficient numbers of people that can see through the fog and identify the reality. Obama is a failure – pure and simple.
What so when he came into office we were losing jobs and now the economy is growing, but he has done nothing to improve the situation? If you are going to blame him for the bad shouldn't he get credit for the recovery? He has improved the economy and dealt with what Bush left him.
"Credit Card Bill of Rights"
You mean the reason all the little fees and extra costs of my transactions have ballooned over the past few months?
It is not the job of the state to "preventing credit card companies from imposing arbitrary rate increases on customers".
Sorry, you lose.
Health care reform bill? Really?
What part of Health Care is reforned in that bill sparky? Please explain that to me. It allocates 5000 new IRS agents and ZERO doctors.
Yeah, I remember how hard Barney Frank and Chris Dodd fought to get the Bush administration to put in some oversight of Fannie and Freddie and try to get them to use GAAP on their books.
I'm sorry, I got that backward. You may not be thedroid, but you are clearly a d-bag. Isn't it time for you to go back to delivering pizza's or something a little less challenging to your limited abilities?
I could not resist posting this chart in the discussion forum on another website I frequent. The first response was "How much of this is Bush's fault?"
ok… but the question was "what has he done that's good for this country or its citizens?" not "what has he done to destroy our country?"
Yes the numbers don't lie…BUT HE DOES and he does it daily to all the deaf, dumb and blind and the inner city plantation slaves because most of them are uneducated…like in Detroit where over 47% of the citizens CANNOT read and/or write…even though they attend the public schools of Detroit and millions have been poured into them!
So to counter all the lying 'sound bites' and 'photo ops' to these groups…the opposition…known as the Republican leadership…needs to DAILY get out their 'sound bites' and 'photo ops' of truths to counter those lies…and educate the still deaf, dumb and blind and inner city planation slaves!
IF YOU ARE AS UPSET AS I, ON THE LACK OF LEADERSHIP IN PROTECTING OUR CONSTITUTION AND OUR REPUBLIC IN THIS NEWEST ATTEMPT BY THIS WANNA BE DICTATOR…EMAIL SPEAKER BOEHNER AND YOUR STATE REPS AND TELL THEM HOW YOU FEEL:
http://www.speaker.gov/Contact/
Let's see – paid out $1T to unions and crony's in the Stimulus. Increased health care costs with Healthcare Reform Bill, gutted our national defense. Tax cuts? Where? Are you talking the $40 a month, for 2 months that I don't pay out of FICA, but my boss still has to pay fully? He didn't increase VA spending, congress did. He signed it. He used Bush's intelligence infrastructure to monitor Bin Laden and gave a thumbs up, after thinking about for a few days, to take him out? He HAD to think about it? Can we go on? The cost of gas doubled since he's been President? The real unemployment rate is over 15%, the value of house values are down, the national debt is up $5T in 3 years. Can we go on? GDP has been at a staggering <2% since he's been President. Can we go on?
"The president kept it from turning into a depression."
Can you provide proof that Obama kept it from turning into a depression? No you cannot. The fact remains that the numbers DO NOT LIE. The numbers clearly show that ALL of these categories are, in fact, WORSE. You can continue to say it would have been worse, but there is no fact behind that assessment. That is your opinion and a not one based in reality.
Since when did "it would have been worse" become a valid response to what ails this country? Frankly, we could do that with just about anything. I could take those times that gas prices were high under Bush and say "It could have been $7/gallon, but Bush kept it from being $7/gallon." Yeah…lets keep this up. Obama is doing a great job because, you know, we could all be dead right now and since we aren't we should thank him for the job well done. That argument is ridiculous at best.
The fact of the matter remains, we are worst off than when Obama took office, period. Nothing he has done has made any of those numbers better.
The facts are that Obama has been a worse President. You can sugar coat them. Bush left with a $450B annual deficit (too high) and Obama's pushed to nearly $1.5T annually. His regulatory agencies have continually and arbitrarily skirted congress to essentially write law. Can we go on?
You want Bil Ladin back and to start losing jobs again?
Obama-backed electric car battery-maker files for bankruptcy By Andrew Restuccia- 01/26/12 11:55 AM ET
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/206777-d...
Bush prevented a nuclear war, an alien invasion and global financial meltdown. Furthermore, his policies stopped an armada of time traveling space bandits from taking all reproductive women from society.
I love this fantasy game you regressives seem so fond of playing.
"Tax cuts for up to 3.5 million small businesses to help pay for employee health care coverage. "
What are these tax cuts genius? Specific references please.
LOL!
Two words for you beavis…..
google lemming……..
"Added 4.6 billion USD to the Veterans Administration budget to recruit and retain more mental health professionals. "
Where'd you get these talking points from genius? Media Matters cheat sheet?
Back that statement up with facts. When was this done? In what legislation? How are these funds allocated?
"Ended the war in Iraq and killed Osama Bin Ladin."
Really? He pulled out of Iraq too rapidly and hastily, oh and by the way genius, Obama didn't kill himself no Bin Laden. I doubt he even knows which end of a gun is the dangerous one.
So you are about 0 for 0. Wanna keep playing?
I truly believe Obama has been a great success. These numbers were his goal. Thus he is very successful.
The stimulus created jobs. Just check a non-partisan source. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statement...
If Bush's intelligence was so good why didn't we get Bin Ladin when he was in office?
As for the economy it was in a tail spin when he took office. It is going to take time to get out of it, but when Bush left we were losing jobs now they are coming back. Also it was Obama who wanted to cut payroll taxes not the republicans so if you want to pay $40 extra be my guest.
The part where is you have a preexisting condition insurance companies can't drop you. I think that's a good thing but I guess you don't.
What happens after 4 more years…Armageddon
Why don't you show me you references?
But for now I'll show you mine. http://www.va.gov/budget/products.asp
Pulled out to early? How in the world is eight years too early?
You sound like an OWS fool.
One had the second worst recession in U.S history to deal with. Three guesses who.
Information worth repeating…..
The Manchurian Candidate: Obama
* A man whose childhood mentor, Frank Marshall Davis, spied on U.S. military installations in Hawaii for the Soviet Union, edited a communist newspaper, authored pornographic novels, and wrote poetry in praise of Joseph Stalin.
* A man who promised transparency in government, but has spent over a million dollars in legal fees hiding information that would determine his eligibility to be President.
* A man whose academic records are sealed from kindergarten through law school.
* A man whose Law School Admission Test scores and grades at Columbia University are known to have been mediocre, but was admitted to Harvard Law School through the intervention of a Saudi named Khalid al -Mansour.
* A law review editor who never published an article in any law review.
* A man who selects Marxists, corrupt politicians, and criminals as his close political associates
A lawyer with no significant accomplishments in the law and no reputation in the legal community.
* A disciple of the Marxist Saul Alinsky.
* A product of the Chicago political machine—the most corrupt political organization in America.
* A man who selects Marxists, corrupt politicians, and criminals as his close political associates
* A man whose health records are sealed from childhood to the present day.
* A man who spent 20 years in a church whose pastor espouses Marxist Liberation Theology, anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Semitism, but claims he never heard his pastor utter anti-American, and anti-Semitic statements.
* A man who added more to the National Debt in 120 days than all other Presidents did in the past 220 years, yet feels qualified to lecture Americans about “fiscal responsibility”.
* A man who promised 95% of all Americans a tax cut, but is increasing taxes on 100% of the population through inflation—the cruelest tax of all.
* A man who publicly expressed disdain for the U.S. Constitution on a Chicago radio station because it limited the government’s ability to “redistribute wealth.”
http://www.sikharchives.com/?p=5324
"Obama who wanted to cut payroll taxes"
All Obama knows is how to tax and spend. He is a serial liar, I care not one whit what he says he will do, we all know what he is doing and cutting taxes is nowhere in sight.
"the economy it was in a tail spin", who, genius, who, was in charge of congress during Bush's presidency?
Why don't you go educate yourself a little bit and come back when you are ready to speak with the adults.
Yeah, but ask yourself this…
Have these categories gotten worse under Obama?
The answer is YES.
Who the hell is Bil Ladin?
"The part where is you have a preexisting condition insurance companies can't drop you."
Let me guess, in college you majored in Womens studies and never took a class in business or math. Am I about right?
Of course you could just as well still be in high school I guess… or perhaps a Wisconsin Public School teacher.
You about done there Sparky?
Obama has NO economic sense. He knows nothing about business. He's a totalitarian who thinks we should all live as he dictates.
Sorry I meant to say Bin Laden.
I'm going to print that up………….and make about 350 million copies………………poster size…………….and start stapling them to foreheads throughout the land.
So who controls the house now? Does that mean they are also responsible for those numbers. Also I have yet to see any references or facts come from you. Just the same old republican rhetoric.
It's called English son. I said 'rapidly' and 'hastily'. Those words do not mean 'early'.
Did you miss out on your Wheaties today?
I liked when Obama said that our current spending is unsustainable, then went and asked – or demanded – nearly $1T for the non-stimulus. Then healthcare – another multitrillion dollar scheme, then more assortments of bailouts and give aways for green energy (aka money pit) and others.
You know – that $80 he granted us with the wave of his golden scepter.
These people view Obama as Jim Jones' followers viewed him. Almost god-like and infallible.
Sorry you lose again. My point is that if you google the exact phrase "Added 4.6 billion USD to the Veterans Administration budget to recruit and retain more mental health professionals" you get about 19,000 results.
Which tells me this is a pre-wrtitten talking point distributed to you drones by the DNC via Media Matters of some other such organization.
So all you are doing is cut and pasting your arguments.
Which of course makes sense because you can't even spell Bin Laden and you clearly can't do math.
I'm done with you drone.
I would like to see Obama's transcripts. I want to see just how smart, the smartest man to EVER be President is. Bush was a Rhodes Scholar compared to Gore and Kerry and turned over his transcripts. Let's see King Obama's proof of being a Soooooper Genius!
Rapid
done or occurring in a brief period of time
I would say that eight years of war was not rapid. Nor was his withdrawal which he announced months ahead of time.
Months=/= a brief period of time.
You need to find another credit card issuer. I like USAA.
Really Thedroid? You are really gonna lay the blame on Bush? Oh and BTW – Bush had a democrat congress to deal with most of his two terms in office, so get your facts straight! These facts do not lie, and will you still be able to blame Bush for how long now? Maybe until Obie gets re-elected and lowers the boom on your dumb butt?
And nobody, NOBODY, is talking about inflation these days. I find it funny that the government considers the cost of inlfation on everything EXCEPT food and fuel. Well, duh, I think most of us eat and drive a car. And if you’ve been doing either of those two things lately, it is pretty scary out there. Fuel prices are still way over $3 a gallon and if you shop at a supermarket you will see just how much food prices have soared. These two items are particularly deadly if you have a family and live in the suburbs. And yet do you hear anybody talking about it? Do you hear any of the Republican candidates mentioning it? PLEASE stop talking about income taxes. I could really care less what Romney or Gingrich made four years ago. I am REALLY concerned about what I’m paying for food and fuel righ now. And, unlike the depression, where you had deflation, now we have inflation PLUS a lousy economy. I think the Obamas should drive to a suburban grocery store and take a look at what it takes to feed a family of four these days for one week. And I dare them to do that in an African-American community. Perhaps they are buying cheap food in those communities because it’s all they can afford?
Meat puppet and he's the puppet.
The lefties have bought this line that he prevented a depression. A purely subjective opinion by the likes of Paul Krugman and Thomas (I never met a Communist Dictator I didn't like) Friedman, and every other lefty economist put out There IS no proof to this claim. You can't prove it. As with the actual Great Depression, it was lengthened by government intervention, just as this current recession is and has been. It's kinda along the lines of "Jobs Saved". You can't prove it one way or the other. That was a term Obama came up with to play off the unemployment numbers going up.
Looks like you're busted Harry. Careful what you ask for. Now you have to do some homework.
So you have no facts. Good to know.
Oye… You do know the Dems took over congress Jan 2007 don't you? Things were going just fine and dandy until Pelosi & Reid took over the purse strings.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statement...
You might learn something.
The timetable for the American withdrawal was negotiated with President Bush in 2007. And when the time was up the Iraqis asked us to leave. Not Obama's fault.
I haven't heard anyone else but the president take credit for ordering the hit on Bin Laden.
Maybe it's you who should quit while you're ahead, as it were.
He obviously wasn't a great lecturer – never heard anything fawning from former students. He's never gotten his hands dirty doing real work. He's been catered to because his parents were academic Communists.
Glad to see you are a rational person who doesn't just sling mud…. oh wait
Bush also melted down the economy on his way out the door. If you are concerned about the economy, don't melt down the financial markets.
Gilded growth is not growth.
Once again, my fingers wiggle and your mouth opens.
This is too easy.
Homework? Scroll up genius, all the way. Look at the numbers.
Half the country could care less about these numbers as they are getting what they want from the Federal government. It will take a complete implosion (think Katrina like event on a national scale) for people to realize that the government isn't looking out for them.
Do you remember the problems we were having with their government? Hmmmm. We had boots on the ground – Prior to Obama's reign and all I'm saying is that Obama benefited from it. I'm not putting him down for taking a few days to mull over blowing the skull of someone responsible for killing 3000+ US citizens, to pieces. I'm just saying that he wouldn't have done it if he had to do it from scratch. Bush had to over come the intelligence debacle that was created by Bill Clinton. So it evolved to where Obama could strain to give his thumbs up. It's not like he sat down with a pad of paper and drew X's and O's and told the Seals – "You go over here, you go over there".
Yeah, he's busted. Right. You got him.
Yes, he is. They must have updated talking points from MoveOn.
Well, first of all there is no such thing as a super majority in the HOR. Secondly, 60 Democratic votes in the senate is not the same thing as say, 60 teabagger votes. Bags think with one brain while Democrats fall all along the ideological spectrum.
And yes, I blame Bush. His legacy is the high unemployment that we now enjoy along with the depressed housing prices created when the housing bubble burst in 2008.
If Republicans want to blame the president for everything that is wrong with the economy, they are also going to have to concede that a lot of things have gone right.
The runaway spending is a direct result of the Bush recession. If you don't like government spending, stop melting down the financial markets.
The facts are the facts. $3.30+ gas. Food prices increased. Unemployment'sup and staying there. Housing values are down and going down. Keep sugar coating, but the facts are black and white.
That's my zipper, little troll….
Swing and a miss. Manufacturing Engineering. So I actually took both classes.
Is that what she told you?
40 years of employment caring for the sick. You? I doubt you've done one thing for anyone but yourself. But that's pretty much the story with all of you OWSers. Now sit back down and collect your 30 cents a post. Democrats. The party of spite and envy.
I don't disagree with your post, but if food and fuel "inflation" had a material impact on "overall" inflation then the prices of all goods/services would be higher and ulitmately reflected in the overall inflation rate. You could make an argument that higher fuel/food costs are dampening demand for other goods/services which depress those prices which contains inflation overall.
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