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Disgraced JournoLister Jonathan Alter Asks, "You Think Obama's Been a Bad President? Prove It" .... and here we do exactly that.
With Alter's devotion to credibility and facts in mind, let's take an empirical, reality-based look at economic life in America during the Age of Obama:
• Under Obama's stewardship, we have lost 2.2 million jobs. He is now on track to have the worst jobs record of any president in the modern era.
• The unemployment rate stands at 9.1 percent. Chronic unemployment is worse than during the Great Depression.
• The youth employment rate is at the lowest level since records were first kept in 1948.
• The share of the eligible population holding a job has declined to the lowest level since the early 1980s.
• The housing crisis is worse than in the Great Depression. (Home values are worth roughly one-third less than they were five years ago.)
• The rate of economic growth under Obama has been only slightly higher than the Great Depression decade. From the first quarter of 2010 through the first quarter of 2011, we experienced five consecutive quarters of slowing growth.
• Fiscal year 2011 will mark the third straight year with deficits in excess of $1 trillion.
• During the Obama presidency, America has increased its debt by $4 trillion.
• America saw its credit rating downgraded for the first time in history under the Obama presidency.
• Consumer confidence has plunged to the lowest level since the Carter presidency.
• The number of people in the U.S. who are in poverty is on track for a record increase on President Obama's watch, with the ranks of working-age poor approaching 1960s levels that led to the national war on poverty.
• A record number of Americans (44.5 million) now rely on the federal government's food stamps program.
Feel free to add to President Obama's Greatest Failures list.
You forgot to add that just two years, under 0bama, more billions of taxpayer dollars are being given away to corporate and special interest cronies, then under any other president. Five billion taxpayer dollars alone, went just to pay for union and corporate retirement pensions.
Considering pretty much everything you listed is the result of the recession that started before Obama took office and officially ended within a few months of him taking office, it is entirely inaccurate. In Econ 101 you learn that jobs are the very last thing that recover after a recession and it can take years and years for that to happen regardless of the actions of the government. It also doesnt help that large corporations are hoarding money in cash positions and not hiring at the rate they normally would.
The things that are listed here would likely be happening regardless of who is elected. Believe it or not, the president can only do so much and does not deserve blame or credit for everything that goes down. Obama has not been a perfect president but if you are going to list things as his failures then at least list things in which he has a direct impact over. He is not a dictator and there is a system of checks and balances in place. The fools that have been in congress during his presidency deserve far more blame for everything than he does.
I agree with you. NO President could have cured the Recession by now, no matter what some on the opposing party say.
Obama is not perfect.. I wish at times he would grow some balls instead of trying to negotiate with people who have absolutely NO intention of sorting out the mess but are continually playing party politics at the cost of America and Americans.
Anyone who has ever had their home devastated by a disaster knows that to rebuild is a long haul and costs huge amounts of money... it is made harder if your neighbor is forever coming over and stopping you from rebuilding.
No President is a dictator and they seem not to realize when they make promises on the "stump" that often they cannot do what they promise... no matter how good for America the idea is.
If anyone thinks that by getting rid of Obama in next years election will solve todays problems are in for a rude awakening but it's not to cure America that Parties want to get into the Whitehouse it's just the same old same old political one upmanship... "be careful what you wish for" comes to mind.
LOL.......what do you expect from a community organizer from Chicago. Our Loser in Chief should have never been elected. But why does everyone blame him? It's the American idiot voters who put him into office. Look at all the loser politicians the retarded American electorate keeps putting into office...............Diane Feinstein, B. Boxer, Nancy Pelosi, John McCain........I mean these dems and repubs are complete and utter failures yet the voters keep voting for them. Arizonians are idiots but I gotta say Californians take the cake............Jerry Brown? MY god!!!!!!!!
I think all the 2008 college students who are now unemployed graduates are starting to get that...
Young college students are some of the most brainwashed voters out there. They will vote for any tom dick and jane that promises them more entitlements like student loans, cheaper tuition, and jobs failing miserably to realize those type of promises are what got us into this mess. College kids despite their piece of paper saying how intelligent they are supposed to be are some of the most uninformed, ignorant people in society. Especially out here in liberal lalala land of California. Look at the DREAM act they just passed. LMAO! Pathetic! You know what would happen if I tried to enter into China illegaly and go to school? Or Mexico?
Considering pretty much everything you listed is the result of the recession that started before Obama took office and officially ended within a few months of him taking office, it is entirely inaccurate. In Econ 101 you learn that jobs are the very last thing that recover after a recession and it can take years and years for that to happen regardless of the actions of the government. It also doesnt help that large corporations are hoarding money in cash positions and not hiring at the rate they normally would.
So why did the 0bama admin predict that without his stimulus, unemployment would rise to 8.5% - 9%, and with the stimulus unemployment would not rise above 8%? Obviously the 0bama admin thought jobs would come roaring back by 2010. Joe Biden even claimed in 2010, that that summer was going to be "Recovery Summer" where millions of jobs were going to be created. Guess predicting jobs by 0bama bumps heads with your using "Econ 101" to defend him. Or maybe the man is an dunce when it comes to the economy and job creation by the private sector.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RjRobb2
The things that are listed here would likely be happening regardless of who is elected. Believe it or not, the president can only do so much and does not deserve blame or credit for everything that goes down. Obama has not been a perfect president but if you are going to list things as his failures then at least list things in which he has a direct impact over. He is not a dictator and there is a system of checks and balances in place. The fools that have been in congress during his presidency deserve far more blame for everything than he does.
Face it, 0bama is a wrecking ball for our economy. His EPA and HHS is pumping out regulations that discourage economic growth, and has them all begging for waivers.
One month 0bama signs legislation giving out tax breaks, and claims you cannot raise taxes during a recession, and the next month he publicly demonizes people trying to take advantage of those tax breaks, and pounds his fist demanding for tax increases... the man is psychotic.
Blaming Obama for the U.S.'s woes is like blaming the new beau of a deeply abused women for her attitude. It's fundamentally wrong.
I can see the author's point though. He obviously wants Obama to create some jobs and solve poverty. Obama just simply needs to make some jobs and assign them to people and pay them a livable wage, to protect them from poverty. The author wants the governement to give the people all they need.
Obama belongs in the world of academia. He is an idealist, not a nuts-and-bolts pragmatist. Plus, he doesn't have the necessary temperament. He is too thin skinned, can't take responsibility and has no ability to deal effectively with people who do not share his ideology.
Fixed it.
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