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Here is a list which I compiled of the historical unemployment rate changes during various U.S. Presidencies since 1953:
Clinton (Democrat; 1993-2001): -3.1
Johnson (Democrat; 1963-69): -2.3 Reagan (Republican; 1981-89): -2.1
Kennedy (Democrat; 1961-63): -0.9
Obama (Democrat; 2009-present): -0.4 (as of July 2013; this figure will very likely change by the end of Obama's Presidency)
Carter (Democrat; 1977-81): 0.0 G. H. W. Bush (Republican; 1989-93): +1.9
Ford (Republican; 1974-77): +2.0
Nixon (Republican; 1969-74): +2.1
G. W. Bush (Republican; 2001-09): +3.6
Eisenhower (Republican; 1953-61): +3.7
EDIT: NVM, maybe the (+) signs were supposed to signify that unemployment went up.
Yes, the "+" signs mean that unemployment went up by a certain amount between the start and the end of someone's Presidency, and the "-" signs mean that unemployment went down ...
I am pretty sure that I have the correct data and calculations on here, since I have already visited the Bureau of Labor Statistics website a huge number of times over the last four or more years.
That is funny, because Bill Clinton was a horrible president with the economy.
Yes Bill Clinton's presidency had the booming growth of the internet and the Baby Boomers in their peak spending years, both of which helped spur the economy. However, both of these would have happened no matter who was in office.
Let's look at Clinton's actions and record with the economy.
1) Pushing for China into WTO. Granting permanent most favored nation status to China for trade. The result has been increased trade deficit and increased outsourcing. Clinton viciously attacked anyone who claimed what did happen would happen. Even some liberals are now recognizing this damage.
2) The GOP congress and Clinton deregulated by repealing Glass-Stegall. Clinton was "proud" to sign this bill into law, had vocalized years before that he would support the action, and encouraged Democrats to vote for it. Obama has blamed this for the current mess we are in.
3) Enacting NAFTA with bipartisan support. Many people feel as if this hurt the economy and made many Mexican farmers unemployed, some of which moved here.
4) The Housing Bubble started in 1998. Policies in the 1990s allowed this to happen. Bush can be blamed for allowing it to grow bigger and not cleaning it up (it still isn't cleaned up), but it was born in the Clinton presidency.
5) The NASDAQ Dot Com Bubble burst right before he left office. This index still hasn't recovered to its high. The government encouraged this bubble under Clinton's leadership.
6) The Bush Sr. recession ended before he took office and he left a recession for the next president.
7) There was no surplus that was passed to the next president, this myth was a rosy projection that assumed absurdly large growth, no NASDAQ bubble, and no housing bubble.
8) Every Fiscal Year under Clinton saw a rise in the national debt, the "surplus" was from spending several government program money now.
Bill Clinton's presidency contributed to today's economic woes.
That is funny, because Bill Clinton was a horrible president with the economy.
Yes Bill Clinton's presidency had the booming growth of the internet and the Baby Boomers in their peak spending years, both of which helped spur the economy. However, both of these would have happened no matter who was in office.
Let's look at Clinton's actions and record with the economy.
1) Pushing for China into WTO. Granting permanent most favored nation status to China for trade. The result has been increased trade deficit and increased outsourcing. Clinton viciously attacked anyone who claimed what did happen would happen. Even some liberals are now recognizing this damage.
2) The GOP congress and Clinton deregulated by repealing Glass-Stegall. Clinton was "proud" to sign this bill into law, had vocalized years before that he would support the action, and encouraged Democrats to vote for it. Obama has blamed this for the current mess we are in.
3) Enacting NAFTA with bipartisan support. Many people feel as if this hurt the economy and made many Mexican farmers unemployed, some of which moved here.
4) The Housing Bubble started in 1998. Policies in the 1990s allowed this to happen. Bush can be blamed for allowing it to grow bigger and not cleaning it up (it still isn't cleaned up), but it was born in the Clinton presidency.
5) The NASDAQ Dot Com Bubble burst right before he left office. This index still hasn't recovered to its high. The government encouraged this bubble under Clinton's leadership.
6) The Bush Sr. recession ended before he took office and he left a recession for the next president.
7) There was no surplus that was passed to the next president, this myth was a rosy projection that assumed absurdly large growth, no NASDAQ bubble, and no housing bubble.
8) Every Fiscal Year under Clinton saw a rise in the national debt, the "surplus" was from spending several government program money now.
Bill Clinton's presidency contributed to today's economic woes.
I am strongly aware that correlation does not necessarily equal causation and that Clinton made some serious economic mistakes, especially with the housing bubble (by deregulating Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) and with the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act.
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