Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo
President Obama speaking during a fundraiser at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York on Monday.
We all know the economy isn't complicated. That's why we only use one, simple word to describe it: "economy." If the economy was more complicated, we'd call it by more words. "Tennis racquet" is two words for a reason: a tennis racquet is complicated. It begs so many questions: Which side do I hold? How do I turn it on? Why can't I eat rice off of the strings part? For the love of god: can we talk about something one-worded that I don't need a master's degree to understand?
And because the economy is so simple, it goes without saying that one and only one person or political party can be responsible for its health at any given time. To illustrate: House Republican Conference Chairman Jeb Hensarling of Texas reviewed the May jobs report and released this thoughtful, meticulously researched, reflexive statement...
"The president’s policies are failing and making the economy worse..."
And Rep. Jeff Landry of Louisiana also immediately knew who was at fault...
"We have over 9% unemployment and the lowest job creation in 8 months because the President has a disastrous energy policy..."
It's as simple as that. This is Obama's economy. Doesn't matter if the economy is bad or good, unless it's good. After the Department of Labor released a strong jobs report in March, the Rep. Hensarling mentioned above released a statement reading...
"The modest improvement can be attributed to two factors – the free-market economy is slowly moving toward a recovery from this deep recession, and with Republicans controlling one lever of the lawmaking powers, job creators know the upper limits of the Democrats’ legislative pain is behind them."
And the Rep. Landry mentioned above was even more eager to credit House Republicans...
“I believe that if anybody’s going to get a pat on the back for [lower] unemployment and the better economy, it’s House Republicans, and not the president and not the Senate.”
You're probably wondering what happened between March and June that caused the economy to change hands from House Republicans to President Obama. I don't know the answer to that, but it couldn't have been complicated.
Leave a Comment:
According to Bill Clinton in an interview with CNBC's Maria Barteloma broadcast today, the economy is falling into another recession, and he advises Obama to call for the repassing of the Bush Tax Cuts of 2001 and 2003 once again, as they did two years ago.
Hello?
That is a partial truth and what the media (thanks to GOP rewriters) would like everyone to believe without checking facts. What Pres. Clinton said was "he believes the tax cuts for those making under $250k per year should remain and that the upper 2% who have enjoyed those tax cuts for the past decade (10 yrs) and have made 'lots of money' should not be extended the Bush tax cuts". Check out the actual recordings of those taped interviews.
Sorry but nowhere in that transcript does Pres. Clinton advocate
retaining Bush tax cuts for the upper 2%. In fact that information is the makings of Republican's (Boehner for one) and their 'Swiftboat' Spin-machine. What Pres. Clinton did say in other interviews was that he and Pres. Obama were in agreement that the Bush Tax Cuts should remain for those making under $250k per year; further that since the upper 2% had enjoyed and greatly benefited from the Bush Tax Cuts for a decade (10 yrs) they should now be willing to pay their fair share; That 30% was not unreasonable, etc. etc."
BTW, the March and April jobs report had revisions downward also besides the low numbet in May of only 69,000 (it takes 150,000 to 200,000 new jobs growth a month just to meet the increase in working age population in our nation). The real unemployment rate counting the people who are unemployed and underemployed in low pay part time jobs who want full time work at good living salaries and wages is 14.8%.
With an approval rating in the latest ABC-Washington Post poll of only 42% and the rate of unemployment heading in the wrong direction once again, Obama's prospects for reelection are getting dimmer and dimmer, just as is the economic picture in the nation.