The New York Times puts on a brave face for the president,
Having ceded considerable ground to Republicans in the debt ceiling fight, President Obama set out Tuesday to reclaim the initiative on the economy, promising a new effort to spur job creation while seeking to position himself as a proven voice of reason in an era of ideological overreach.
After being cloistered in Washington for a month haggling with Congressional leaders, Mr. Obama will embark on a bus tour of the Midwest the week of Aug. 15 — a chance to show his commitment to reviving the economy in a region of important electoral battlegrounds, and to turn the page from the tangled, often toxic, debate in the capital.
and still manages to mangle the fact that Obama is off to a glitzy fundraiser tomorrow night, not just August 15. And never quite gets around to noting just how many times the president or the Democrats have “pivoted” to jobs since 2009. That number looks to be seven.
And the story of the Administration is, in no small part, one of a constant attempt to pivot formally to jobs. Emily and I identified what seem like six really attempts at it, with the seventh starting now:
February 2009: In a speech to Congress, Obama says his economic plan will be focused on jobs.
November 2009, during the lull in health care debate: “This is my administration’s overriding focus.”
January 2010: “What they can expect from this administration, and I know what they can expect from you, is that we are going to have a sustained and relentless focus over the next several months on accelerating the pace of job creation, because that’s priority number one.”
April 2010: Post health-care, Obama goes on a bunch of “Main Street” tour stops to talk about jobs in April and May.
June 2010: The beginning of recovery summer.
December 2010: “And I think we are past the crisis point in the economy, but we now have to pivot and focus on jobs and growth.”
January 2011: Obama’s State of the Union focuses on jobs and afterward he makes a big jobs push (even though Egypt is taking up his, and the world’s attention), launches “Startup America” initiative.
Plus the latest, and you have seven. The fact that Obama et al keep having to “pivot” toward jobs tells you that, for all the talk, they’re not actually paying attention to jobs or prioritizing economic growth. They’re still fixated on their own agenda. And from Obama’s own remarks begging for yet another stimulus, it’s clear that he’s not living in reality. And the numbers reflect the Democrats’ lack of focus and their lack of understanding of the economy: The US economy added an anemic 114,000 jobs in July, net 85k after all the layoffs, to keep us at an unhealthy 9.2% official unemployment — nearly a full point higher than the worst case scenario presented in the case for the 2009 stimulus.
It may be just as well that the Democrats’ pivot is more like a pointless spin. Word has gone out among the mediaDemocratleft that corporations are eeevil because they’re “hoarding” cash rather than hiring. That would be their own cash, by the way, and it doesn’t belong the the government, but never mind that. Via ObamaCare and all the class warfare and threatened tax hikes on “the rich” when jobs were supposedly the number one priority, and in the wake of the various regulatory attacks on the private sector, the Democrats have only themselves to blame (but being Democrats, they will never actually blame themselves). They have disincentivized hiring from small business on up to the largest conglomerates. Businesses are leery of taking on new hires when they have no idea what the liabilities will turn out to be. Rather than blame themselves and their union allies, as they should, look for the Democrats to try some sort of “jobs initiative” that will try strongarming employers into hiring against their will.
Democrats still don’t get why Texas is creating jobs, while California isn’t. All it takes is a low tax burden, a fair and predictable regulatory environment with reasonable tort, and a government that doesn’t try to create Utopia. The Democrats want ever increasing tax burdens, a regulatory state that is omnipotent, and a government that jams itself into every nook and cranny of life.
That won’t lead to a growing economy anytime soon.
Hey! Quit doing the work the MSM should be doing … it’s not fair!
Bryan
Another great post. Simple and true. We would really miss you here but perhaps you should be back at the GOP!
Well to be fair, high paying government jobs in D.C. are way up since B.O. came to town. So at least one U.S. city has benefited from his jobs programs. sarc/
Debate the finer points all you want but…the fact is, one party has spent more time and focus on the economy and jobs than the other….since January 2009.
The TeaParty-GOP thus far, has had only two simplicitic and superfical solutions in their rhetoric for fixing the economy and jobs problems. Lower taxes! Less government regulations!
A look at historical economic and jobs data sure doesn’t show either of those to be magic fixes across the vast and complex variables.
You’re sorta correct. One party has been TALKING about jobs since 2009, and that’s the Dems. They’ve been in power since 2008, and unemployment remains around 9%.
Small business provide over 50% of all new jobs.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/04/25/economists-credit-small-business-gazelles-job-creation/
According to the White House, it’s over 60%.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/01/18/presidential-memoranda-regulatory-flexibility-small-business-and-job-cre
So the best thing to do is for government to get out of the way. That requires lower taxes and less regulation.
Scream all you want, but volume doesn’t create truth.
Haven’t seen any brilliant economic and jobs solutions coming from you…other than reguritating the TeaParty-GOP political talking points of “lower taxes and less regulation.”
While tax rates and adjusted tax rates and revenues are at historical lows along with interest rates, what precisely should individual and commerce tax rates be? Whats the answer? America’s greatest economic and jobs pinnacles have come at times when the tax rates were much higher. How can that be according to your ‘political’ theories?
Same old political rhetoric of less government regulations but again, what regulations should be removed so the economy can be at full force tomorrow? Whats the answer? We’ve had great economies and jobs in periods where there was essentially as much government regulations.
I know all the redundant political rhetoric! Wheres the real answers to solving the problems…the TeaParty-GOP claims to have?
In the meantime the congress…including the TeaParty-GOP have gone home for a month to raise campaign funds rather than staying on the nations business in a time of economic and jobs crisis.
Support China’s economy…shop Walmart, Target, Sears, Pennys, Macy’s, Home Depot, Lowes……!
So your defense against stupidity is that I am not an economist? Maybe you would get some respect if you stopped regurgitating communist talking points.
Ya know, I realized something today. Do you know why trolls live under bridges? Because bridges make excellent echo chambers.
Now I have to work for a while, so I can’t continue our nice chat for a bit. But while I’m earning $$$, why don’t you meet up with your girl friend Natsy Pelosi and figure out new ways to steal my money and give it to rock stars like this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7XA2UUpXRk
Unlike you, theres a bridge with your name on it just waiting out the time.
I took note of how you avoided answering any of the questions I poised to you. Aside from personalized attacks you’re running on empty bud! I serously doubt you have enough money for even a common neighborhood thief to consider ‘stealing” but hey, if it feeds your ego to claim you have something worth stealing have it. Pelosi is far more in the upscale neighborhood when ‘stealing’ so your pennies are safe.