They Own It

Obama Wants America To Believe That His Failed Policies Are

Not Responsible For The Economy But He Can’t Rewrite History
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Watch The Latest Roundup Of Analysts On The Failure Of The Stimulus

THE PRESIDENT AND HIS ALLIES ARE TRYING TO MOVE THE GOALPOSTS, AND
REWRITE THE PAST AS OBAMA’S FAILED POLICIES THREATEN HIS REELECTION
The Unemployment Rate Has Remained Above Eight Percent
For A Record 28 Straight Months
THEN: President-Elect Barack Obama’s Economic Advisors Crafted A Stimulus Bill They Predicted
Would Keep Unemployment Below Eight Percent. (Christina Romer and Jared Bernstein, “The Job Impact Of The American Recovery
And Reinvestment Plan,” 1/9/09)

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President-Elect Obama Released The Graph So That
“The American People Can See Exactly What This
Plan Will Mean For Their Families, Their
Communities, And Our Economy.” “I asked my
nominee for Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers,
Dr. Christina Romer, and the Vice President-Elect’s Chief
Economic Adviser, Dr. Jared Bernstein, to conduct a
rigorous analysis of this plan and come up with
projections of how many jobs it will create – and what
kind of jobs they will be. Today, I am releasing a report
of their findings so that the American people can see
exactly what this plan will mean for their families, their
communities, and our economy.” (President-Elect Barack Obama,
The President Elect’s Radio Address, 1/10/09)
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NOW: Rather Than Keeping Unemployment Below
Eight Percent, The Unemployment Rate Has Remained Above Eight Percent For A Post-WWII Record
28 Straight Months. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov, Accessed 6/3/11)
Since President Obama’s $831 Billion Stimulus Bill Passed The Nation Has Lost 1.79 Million Jobs.
(Bureau Of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov, Accessed 6/3/11)

Since President Obama’s $831 Billion Stimulus Bill Passed The Unemployment Rate Has Increased
From 8.2 Percent To 9.1 Percent. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov, Accessed 6/3/11)
Now The White House Doesn’t Want To Be Judged On Their Performance On Jobs
THEN: “[B]arack Obama Said The No. 1 Goal Of His Economic Stimulus Plan Is To Create 3 Million
New Jobs In The Next Two Years.” (Tara Weiss, “Obama’s Stimulus Plan Promises New Jobs,” Forbes, 1/16/09)
NOW: On CNN’s State Of The Union Candy Crowley Asked: “Did The Stimulus Create As Many Jobs As
You Thought It Would? $1 Trillion Worth Of Taxpayer Money, Has It Been Worth It?” (CNN’s “State Of The
Union,” 6/5/11)

Chief White House Economic Advisor Austan Goolsbee: “As I Said, The Question Of Is It Worth It Is
Not Just About The Jobs.” (CNN’s “State Of The Union,” 6/5/11)
They Wanted Ownership Of The Economy, Now They’re Blaming
Foreign Headwinds For Their Failures
THEN: President Obama Took Ownership Over The Economy And Said “Give It To Me. My Job Is To
Solve Problems, Not Stand On The Sidelines And Carp And Gripe. So I Welcome The Job. I Want The
Responsibility.” “Now, my administration has a job to do as well, and that job is to get this economy
back on its feet. That's my job, and it's a job I gladly accept. I love these folks who helped get us in this mess
and then suddenly say, well, this is Obama's economy. That's fine. Give it to me. My job is to solve problems,
not to stand on the sidelines and carp and gripe. So I welcome the job. I want the responsibility.” (President Barack
Obama, “Remarks At Macomb Community College In Warren, Michigan,” 7/14/09)

 The Associated Press: “With Four Simple Words — ‘Give It To Me!’ — President Barack Obama
Took Possession Of The Economy.” (Jim Kuhnehenn, “Give It To Me! Obama Takes Charge Of Economy,” The Associated
Press, 7/15/09)

NOW: Reuters: “Obama Blames Europe, Japan For U.S. Economic Woes” “President Obama is pointing to
problems in Japan and Europe as challenges for the U.S. economy, placing some blame on events abroad for
a domestic recovery that is showing signs of slowing down.” (“Obama Blames Europe, Japan For U.S. Economic Woes,” Reuters,
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6/4/11)

 Reuters: “Part Of [Obama’s Campaign] Pitch Will Include Steering Attention To Outside Forces
As Causes For Economic Woes At Home.” “That bump is a political challenge for the president,
whose re-election in 2012 may depend on his ability to convince voters that his economic policies
have been successful. Part of his pitch will include steering attention to outside forces as causes for
economic woes at home. The president did just that in his weekly radio and Internet address,
broadcast Saturday, by highlighting ‘head winds’ that are affecting the United States.” (“Obama Blames
Europe, Japan For U.S. Economic Woes,” Reuters, 6/4/11)

The Administration Made Bold Claims About The Expected

Performance Of Their Economic Policies
THEN: Vice-President Biden Boldly Predicted That The Economy Would Be Adding 500,000 Jobs A
Month. “Vice President Biden predicted Friday at a Pennsylvania fundraiser that the U.S. economy would be
adding up to 500,000 jobs each month ‘sometime in the next couple of months. … ‘Even some in the White
House said, 'Hey, don't get ahead of yourself.' Well, I'm here to tell you, sometime in the next couple of
months, we're going to be creating between 250,000 jobs a month and 500,000 jobs a month.’” (Garance Franke-
Ruta and Frank Ahrens, “Biden Predicts Economy Will Create Up To 500,000 Jobs A Month Soon,” The Washington Post, 4/23/10)

NOW: In May, The Nation Only Gained 54,000 Jobs, The Lowest Amount In Eight Months. (Bureau Of Labor
Statistics, BLS.gov, Accessed 6/3/11)

The Average Duration Of Unemployment Increased To A Record 39.7 Weeks. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov,
Accessed 6/3/11)

The Unemployment Rate Increased From 9.0 Percent To 9.1 Percent. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov, Accessed
6/3/11)

The Real Unemployment Rate, Including Those That Are Working Part-Time Due To Economic
Reasons, Is 15.8 Percent. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov, Accessed 6/3/11)
There Are Currently 13.9 Million Unemployed Workers. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov, Accessed 6/3/11)

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