Americans Still Blame Bush More Than Obama for Bad Economy

[james&olya 1,121]

Baawaa I wish this joint had a like Button. How any sane person could defend Obama's record is beyond me. He was like GWB on steroids. Of course liberals always defend an attack on Obama by saying, "but what about Bush". well yeah he sucked also, why would that make me want to vote for Obama again cause Bush sucked.

When you have to deal with a repub house majority that is determined to see Obama fail even to the detriment of the population at large and a senate repub minority willing to use the filibuster on virtually everything the president wants what do you expect? While I would like to see him go after these repubs more aggressively, the blame for lack of action on a jobs bill and many other items lies with an obstructionist republican congress! Even with this uphill battle he has been fighting he HAS turned things around from the disaster dubya created!

[slim 1,533]

Why is it the government's job to create jobs?

I've been looking through my pocket constitution and I don't see that anywhere. Please point me in the right direction.

[james&olya 1,121]

Why is it the government's job to create jobs?

I've been looking through my pocket constitution and I don't see that anywhere. Please point me in the right direction.

"provide for the general welfare"

[slim 1,533]

"provide for the general welfare"

Does it say "provide for".... or does it say "promote" - those are two very different words with two very different meanings.

[웃 910]

What's really funny is are those TV commercials where Obama is calling out Romney on his economic policy. If that isn't the pot calling the kettle black!

Banks that thrived through the Great Depression, World Wars, and even the Civil War could not stay afloat through the Great Recession.

Leading up to the November 2008 election we were losing jobs every month going on almost a year straight!

April 2009 Job Report Update

After five months of job losses averaging 680,000 a month, nonfarm payrolls fell another 539,000 in April. Government employment increased, while private sector employers shed 611,000 jobs.

September 2009 Update (9 months into Obama Presidency, Unemployment Rate Now at 9.7%):

Although the pace of job losses has slowed considerably in recent months, private and government payrolls combined have shrunk for 20 straight months, and net job losses since the start of the recession total 6.9 million.

January 2010 Update (1 year into Obama Presidency):

The pace of job losses has slowed markedly — to an average of just 35,000 per month over the past three months, compared with an average of 732,000 jobs per month over the period of greatest job losses (November 2008 through March 2009).

May 2012 Unemployment Report (Most recent Update - Government jobs down over half a million since February 2010 and Private Sector jobs up 4.3 million)

This is the 27th straight month of private-sector job creation, with payrolls growing by 4.3 million jobs (a pace of 158,000 jobs a month) since February 2010; total nonfarm employment (private plus government jobs) has grown by 3.8 million jobs over the same period, or 139,000 a month. The loss of 502,000 government jobs over this period was dominated by a loss of 377,000 local government jobs.

We had 2 straight years of monthly job losses. From January 2008 to October 2009.

27 months of private sector employment adding over 4 million jobs. That is a pretty decent turnaround, don't you think?

[PMartin37 161]

Banks that thrived through the Great Depression, World Wars, and even the Civil War could not stay afloat through the Great Recession.

Leading up to the November 2008 election we were losing jobs every month going on almost a year straight!

April 2009 Job Report Update

After five months of job losses averaging 680,000 a month, nonfarm payrolls fell another 539,000 in April. Government employment increased, while private sector employers shed 611,000 jobs.

September 2009 Update (9 months into Obama Presidency, Unemployment Rate Now at 9.7%):

Although the pace of job losses has slowed considerably in recent months, private and government payrolls combined have shrunk for 20 straight months, and net job losses since the start of the recession total 6.9 million.

January 2010 Update (1 year into Obama Presidency):

The pace of job losses has slowed markedly — to an average of just 35,000 per month over the past three months, compared with an average of 732,000 jobs per month over the period of greatest job losses (November 2008 through March 2009).

May 2012 Unemployment Report (Most recent Update - Government jobs down over half a million since February 2010 and Private Sector jobs up 4.3 million)

This is the 27th straight month of private-sector job creation, with payrolls growing by 4.3 million jobs (a pace of 158,000 jobs a month) since February 2010; total nonfarm employment (private plus government jobs) has grown by 3.8 million jobs over the same period, or 139,000 a month. The loss of 502,000 government jobs over this period was dominated by a loss of 377,000 local government jobs.

We had 2 straight years of monthly job losses. From January 2008 to October 2009.

27 months of private sector employment adding over 4 million jobs. That is a pretty decent turnaround, don't you think?

Oh nooo...don't use facts please! *whiny voice* Those things are so hard to reaaaaad.

Seriously though facts are so much harder to digest than rhetoric.

[james&olya 1,121]

Does it say "provide for".... or does it say "promote" - those are two very different words with two very different meanings.

You are right. 'Promote' may have a wider meaning but is less prescriptive than 'provide'. I would not go so far as to say they are 'very' different though, there is a lot of overlap in the meaning as used here.

[slim 1,533]

27 months of private sector employment adding over 4 million jobs. That is a pretty decent turnaround, don't you think?

So on the one hand you're saying there's a problem and on the other you're saying there is no problem.

Which is it?

[Obama 2012 1,714]

It's funny the way Right Wingers measure the effectiveness of a president. To them, a successful president is one that doesn't do anything, or in other words, one who aspires to the idea that a government that is ineffective is the best government. Thank you, Ayn Randian Libertarian philosophy.

Why do you keep posting hogwash that you have no earthly idea on what you're talking about?

Ayn Rand was never again government. She was against corrupt government that was bought out by business/corporations. You ahd Ayn have ALOT in common.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Ignorant people who blame Bush or blame Obama for the economy have no earthly idea why the crisis was caused to begin with.

It started with Ronald Reagan. Alan Greenspan almost single handedly caused the economic crisis with his idea, policies, etc.. All supported by Reagan, Bush I, and the Clinton administartion because he was a 'genius.' (HA!)

Many tried to stop the deregulation of the financial markets. Many tried to get regulation on the derivatives market(which still isn't really regulated today) yet they were shot down by the likes of Greenspan, Larry Summers, and all of the goons in the Clinton administration.

Bush and Obama are guilty of deficit spending and that's about it. Well, giving a blank check to the FED was not a good idea either, but that's a whole other argument...

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Why do you keep posting hogwash that you have no earthly idea on what you're talking about?

Ayn Rand was never again government. She was against corrupt government that was bought out by business/corporations. You ahd Ayn have ALOT in common.

What are you, some kind of Libertarian hipster? Too cool for Randian philosophy? The modern Libertarian has taken Randian philosophy and injected it with steroids. They are essentially anarcho-capitalists.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

What are you, some kind of Libertarian hipster? Too cool for Randian philosophy? The modern Libertarian has taken Randian philosophy and injected it with steroids. They are essentially anarcho-capitalists.

Just because someone wants to bastardize a philosophy/doesn't understand it fully, doesn't mean you have to join them. You should educate them instead of letting them believe beyond what is really there. After all, as I've stated numerous times. Her ideaology fits in line with yours in many cases. Educating people could be beneficial.

[dalegg 143]

I don't get why these graphs say anything all that great about President Obama's job.

From 2007 to 2009 we were in a recession and from 2009 on we have been in a sort of recovery. Of course there are going to be more jobs lost during a recession and of course there are going to be more jobs added during a recovery and of course there should be more jobs added than in normal times, because you have a vacuum in the jobs pool that needs to be filled.

Lets say you have 2 guys mining diamonds. For 5 years they are both mining diamonds at the same pace, tedius, hard work. As they find their diamonds, they put it in a big barrel.

One day, one of the guys' barrels spills over and 1/4 of his diamonds spill out.

So while the other guy is slowly putting new diamonds in his barrel 1 at a time, this guy is rapidly filling his barrel back up with the spilled diamonds.

Do you conclude that the guy who's barrel spilled over is a better miner because now he is able to fill his barrel faster than the other guy? (And don't go blaming the other guy for knocking his barrel over, either)

Of course not, because his barrel is still not as full as the other guys. Its the same thing. Bush never had a 10% unemployment rate so he never had to fill that many jobs that fast. It may not have even been possible unless we were expecting a sudden 1% unemployment rate in 1 year.

Going back to the first graph though, did I see that 49% of REPUBLICANS still blame Bush a great deal for the current economic conditions??

Wow, that cannot be good for Romney!

But I like how 32% of Americans were already blaming Obama in 2009. Those folks really had hope.

[웃 910]

I don't get why these graphs say anything all that great about President Obama's job.

From 2007 to 2009 we were in a recession and from 2009 on we have been in a sort of recovery. Of course there are going to be more jobs lost during a recession and of course there are going to be more jobs added during a recovery and of course there should be more jobs added than in normal times, because you have a vacuum in the jobs pool that needs to be filled.

Lets say you have 2 guys mining diamonds. For 5 years they are both mining diamonds at the same pace, tedius, hard work. As they find their diamonds, they put it in a big barrel.

One day, one of the guys' barrels spills over and 1/4 of his diamonds spill out.

So while the other guy is slowly putting new diamonds in his barrel 1 at a time, this guy is rapidly filling his barrel back up with the spilled diamonds.

Do you conclude that the guy who's barrel spilled over is a better miner because now he is able to fill his barrel faster than the other guy? (And don't go blaming the other guy for knocking his barrel over, either)

Of course not, because his barrel is still not as full as the other guys. Its the same thing. Bush never had a 10% unemployment rate so he never had to fill that many jobs that fast. It may not have even been possible unless we were expecting a sudden 1% unemployment rate in 1 year.

Going back to the first graph though, did I see that 49% of REPUBLICANS still blame Bush a great deal for the current economic conditions??

Wow, that cannot be good for Romney!

But I like how 32% of Americans were already blaming Obama in 2009. Those folks really had hope.

I like your analogy. I heard a different one on Bill Maher tonight.

The Republicans come in to a house and place rats and rodents and mice all over the place. Then the next day (election cycle) they show up as the exterminator.

[Pooky 3,830]

The Republicans American electorate come in to a house and place rats and rodents and mice all over the place. Then the next day (election cycle) they show up as the exterminator.

Then they hope and pray that the weasels they put there next time around do a better job for them.