OBAMA Pivoting In Circles
The White House And Democrats Insist They Are
Going To Focus On Jobs Now, But Their Pledges Sound Familiar
NOW – AUGUST 2011:
Politico’s Playbook: “DEMS PLAN PIVOT TO JOBS.” (Mike Allen, “DEMS
PLAN PIVOT TO JOBS: Transportation, Infrastructure, Tax Breaks On Fall Agenda,”
Politico’s “Playbook”, 12/23/09)
THEN – DECEMBER 2009:
Politico’s Playbook: “SIREN: White House Plans 'Very Hard Pivot To Jobs' Next
Month.”(Mike
Allen, “SIREN: White House Plans 'Very Hard Pivot To Jobs' Next Month -- Will
Be 'Prescriptive',” Politico’s “Playbook”, 12/23/09)
AT
A CERTAIN POINT, OBAMA NEEDS TO ADMIT IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HIS FOCUS AND
EVERYTHING TO DO WITH HIS POLICIES
11/2/09: President
Obama Said That The Economy Was His “Overriding Focus.” “This is my
administration's overriding focus. Having brought the economy back from the
brink, the question is how are we going to make sure that people are getting
back to work and able to support their families.” (President Barack
Obama, “Remarks By The President During The Meeting Of The President's Economic
Recovery Advisory Board,” The White House, 11/2/09)
12/23/09: “SIREN:
White House Plans 'Very Hard Pivot To Jobs' Next Month.” (Mike Allen, “SIREN:
White House Plans 'Very Hard Pivot To Jobs' Next Month -- Will Be
'Prescriptive',” Politico’s “Playbook”, 12/23/09)
1/14/10: Obama Says
He Will “Have A Sustained And Relentless Focus Over The Next Several Months On
Accelerating The Pace Of Job Creation, Because That’s Priority Number One.” (President Barack
Obama, Remarks At The House Democratic Caucus Retreat, Washington, DC
1/14/10)
1/28/10: Obama Told
Town Hall In Tampa, Florida That “Creating Jobs Has To Be Our Number One
Priority In 2010.”
(President Barack
Obama, Remarks At Town Hall Meeting, Tampa, FL, 1/28/10)
1/29/10: Obama Told
Congressional Republicans That Americans “Want Us To Focus On Their Job
Security.”
(President Barack
Obama, Remarks At GOP House Issues Conference, Baltimore, MD,
1/29/10)
·
By March, The New York Times Asked “Whatever Happened
To That Shift From Health Care To The Economy?” “By the time March
arrived, President Obama was supposed to be entering his third month of the year
talking about three things: jobs, jobs, jobs. … So whatever happened to that
shift from health care to the economy?” (Jeff Zeleny, “A Plan To Talk About
Jobs, Elbowed Aside By Health Care,” The New York Times, 3/2/10)
3/17/10: Sen. Charles
Schumer (D-NY): “Congress Is Focusing On What The American People Want Us To
Focus On, Which Is Jobs, Jobs, Jobs.” (Brian Faler, “Tax Break For New Hires
Clear Congress In Jobs Bill,” Bloomberg, 3/17/10)
4/27/10:
"Obama To Focus On Jobs, Rural Economy In Two-Day Midwest Trip." (Roger
Runningen, "Obama To Focus On Jobs, Rural Economy In Two-Day Midwest
Trip," Bloomberg, 4/27/10)
·
“President Barack Obama Embarks On A Two-Day, Campaign-Style Swing
Through The Rural Midwest Today To Talk About The U.S. Economy And Jobs As He
Turns Attention To What Will Be A Top Issue In The November Midterm Elections.”
(Roger Runningen, "Obama To Focus On Jobs, Rural Economy In
Two-Day Midwest Trip," Bloomberg, 4/27/10)
5/18/10:
"Democrats Shifting Focus Back To Jobs Creation.” (Jackie Calmes,
"Democrats Shifting Focus Back To Jobs Creation," The New York Times, 5/18/10)
·
“A Year That Democrats Decreed Would Be About ‘Jobs, Jobs,
Jobs’ Has Produced A Far Different Check List.” “A year that
Democrats decreed would be about ‘jobs, jobs, jobs’ has produced a far
different check list as its sixth month nears: health care, financial
regulation, energy, a nuclear arms treaty and a Supreme Court vacancy, as well
as investigations into a mine accident, a calamitous oil spill, a failed
terrorist attack in Times Square and alleged Wall Street fraud... They hope to
change that starting this week.” (Jackie Calmes, "Democrats
Shifting Focus Back To Jobs Creation," The New York Times, 5/18/10)
6/17/10: The Obama
Administration Kicks Off “Recovery Summer … A Six-Week Long Push Designed To
Highlight The Jobs Accompanying A Surge In Stimulus-Funded Projects.” “Vice President Joe
Biden today will kick off the Obama administration’s ‘Recovery Summer,’ a
six-week-long push designed to highlight the jobs accompanying a surge in
stimulus-funded projects to improve highways, parks, drinking water and other
public works.” (Mike
Allen, “Obama, Biden Declare ‘Recovery Summer’,” Politico, 6/17/10)
7/12/10: Sen. Harry
Reid (D-NV): “This Work Period, Like Every Work Period, Will Be About Jobs: How
To Create Them, How To Save Them …” (Sen. Harry Reid, Floor Remarks, 7/12/10)
·
8/25/10: MSNBC’s Chuck Todd: “I Have To Say These Housing Numbers,
This Entire Summer, Remember It Began – The Administration Called It ‘Recovery
Summer.’ Every Economic Indicator Has Collapsed In The Last Two Months.”
(MSNBC,
“The Daily Rundown,” 8/25/10)
9/8/10: Obama
Launches A “Hail-Mary Pass To Stimulate The Economy And Create New Jobs.” “Facing a grim
unemployment picture and potentially disastrous mid-term elections for
Democrats, President Obama is launching the political equivalent of a hail-Mary
pass to stimulate the economy and create new jobs.” (Editorial,
“Desperately Seeking Jobs,” The Miami Herald, 9/8/10)
·
“Voters Are Entitled To Ask Why The Administration Has
Waited So Long To Focus On Job Creation …” “Voters are entitled to ask why the
administration has waited so long to focus on job creation (beyond government
jobs). By doing so very late in the game, it suggests that Mr. Obama is
desperate to find solutions for an economic stimulus plan that failed.” (Editorial,
“Desperately Seeking Jobs,” The Miami Herald, 9/8/10)
12/22/10:
President Obama Said “We Now Have To Pivot And Focus On Jobs And Growth.” (President
Barack Obama, News Conference, Washington D.C.,
12/22/10)
·
Obama Added That “Making A Dent In The
Unemployment Rate” Was His “Singular Focus.” (President
Barack Obama, “And my singular focus over the next two years is not rescuing
the economy from potential disaster, but rather jumpstarting the economy so
that we actually start making a dent in the unemployment rate and we are
equipping ourselves so that we can compete in the 21st century.”News Conference, Washington D.C.,
12/22/10)
- The White House In 2009 “Assumed A
Recovery Was Under Way” And So Fixing The Economy Was “No Longer Their Top
Priority.”
“Today, that brief period of optimism looks like one of the worst things
that could have happened to the White House, other Democrats and, above
all, the economy. The nascent recovery removed the urgency that the Obama
administration and Democratic senators felt in early 2009. They still
favored more action, like aid to states and tax cuts, but it was no longer
their top priority. They assumed a recovery was under way.” (David
Leonhardt, “Job Losses Outweigh Administration’s Successes,” The New York Times,10/26/10)
- Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) Said White
House Pushed Health Care And Climate Change Legislation When They Should
Have Been Focused On Jobs. “He said the ‘momentum of the
campaign’ convinced the White House to move forward with health care and
climate change legislation when jobs should have been their priority.
Also, putting forth a health care proposal without much guidance to
Congress complicated life for senators quite significantly, he said. ‘This
health care reform debate was bubbling up through five different
committees without this specific legislative framework,’ he said.”(Marc Ambinder,
“Webb: Obama Had Wrong Focus In The Beginning,” The Atlantic, 10/1/10)
President Obama’s “Lack Of A Laser-Like
Focus” On The Economy Gave Democrats “Cause For Concern.” “The economy, and
Obama's lack of a laser-like focus on the issue, has given some Dems in
competitive districts cause for concern. ‘The economy is the biggest issue for
voters and for most candidates,’ said Maura Dougherty, a Dem consultant who
represents a significant number of clients facing tough re-elections. ‘To have
the White House talking about something else is not helpful.’” (Jeremy P. Jacobs,
“Obama Struggling To Find Footing On Economy,” Hotline’s On Call Blog, 8/30/10) Research: www.gop.com
