SAVE THE DATE 7 p.m. EDT
OBAMA SCHEDULED AFTER
962 DAYS IN OFFICE, WILL RECYCLE HIS LACKLUSTER PITCH FOR MORE GOVERNMENT
SPENDING IN A POLITICIZED ADDRESS TO CONGRESS
MSNBC’s Chuck Todd:
Obama’s Timing “Politicizes A Joint Speech To A Joint Session Of Congress.” CHRIS CILLIZZA: “I
know they wanted to do it after Labor Day. They knew what was happening. They
knew that NBC was hosting a debate. This is not by accident. They want to force
the contrast with Republicans. They want to force a choice of people of what they
want to watch, fact." CHUCK TODD: “It does. It’s tough, it politicizes
though a joint speech to a Joint Session of Congress.” CILLIZZA: “And it makes
you focus on strategy, Chuck, rather than what’s actually in the speech.” (MSNBC’s “Andrea
Mitchell Reports,” 8/31/11)
Obama’s
Original Choice To Deliver His Jobs Speech During The Republican Debate Is
“Remarkable.” “That Mr. Obama was going to make his speech next week was
expected. But it is remarkable that he would choose to do so in such an
elevated setting, and at the same time that Republican candidates for president
will be laying out their own vision for how to get the country out of the
economic doldrums …”
(Helene
Cooper, “Obama Seeks Joint Seesion For Jobs Speech,” The New York Times’ “The Caucus,”8/31/11)
The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza:
“The Idea That The Timing Was Purely Coincidental Was, Well, Far-Fetched.” “And so, when the
White House announced today that President Obama would deliver his
much-anticipated jobs speech on Sept. 7 at 8 pm — the exact same day and time
that the 2012 Republican candidates are scheduled to debate in California — the
idea that the timing was purely coincidental was, well, far-fetched.” (Chris Cillizza,
“Coincidences Don’t Happen In Presidential Politics. Ever.,” The
Washington Post’s “The Fix”, 8/31/11)
- “‘It’s A Bad Idea [And] Seems A
Little Small,’ Said One Democratic Consultant Granted Anonymity To Speak
Candidly.” (Chris
Cillizza, “Coincidences Don’t Happen In Presidential Politics. Ever.,” The
Washington Post’s “The Fix”, 8/31/11)
“If Obama's Fall
Campaign To Tackle The Jobs Crisis Sounds Familiar, That's Because It Is. This
President Has Talked About Jobs More Than 200 Times Since Taking Office.” (Nina Easton,
“Washington Needs To Wake Up To The Jobs Crisis,” CNN
Money,
8/24/11)
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·
<!--[endif]-->“There's Not Much To Show” For Obama’s Job Plans. “He signed an $820
billion stimulus package to buy (mostly public sector) jobs, followed by an $18
billion jobs package lumping construction funds with hiring incentives for
small business. We watched the Paul Volcker-led Economic Recovery Advisory
Board of 2009 disappear, replaced by the much-hyped Council on Jobs and
Competitiveness of 2011, chaired by GE's Jeffrey Immelt. There's not much to
show for all that. In the 26 months after the nation's unemployment rate first
breached 9%, it slid back under only twice.” (Nina Easton, “Washington Needs To Wake
Up To The Jobs Crisis,” CNN
Money,
8/24/11)
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·
<!--[endif]-->Obama Has Promised His Policies Would Create Over 15 Million
Jobs Since Taking Office, Click Here To See The Full
List
OBAMA’S POLICY
PRESCRIPTIONS HAVE CAUSED RECORD DAMAGE TO ECONOMY AND THE WORKFORCE
“Unless The Economy
Turns Around In The Next 18 Months, Obama Is On Track To Have The Worst Jobs
Record Of Any President In The Modern Era. That Would Be An Accurate
Statement.” (Glenn
Kessler, “Rick Perry’s Claim That Obama Has ‘Killed More Jobs’ Than Any Other
President,” The
Washington Post’s “The Fact Checker,” 8/22/11)
- Since Obama Took Office, The
Nation Has Lost 2.4 Million Jobs And The Unemployment Rate Has Increased
From 7.8 Percent To 9.1 Percent. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov, Accessed
8/31/11)
“The Average Length
Of Time A Person Is Unemployed Rose To 40.4 Weeks Last Month, The Longest
Period Ever, And An Estimated 1.1 Million Americans Have Given Up On Looking
For Work Entirely.” (Eli
Saslow, “Virginia House Painter Fights To Keep Business As Recession Becomes A
Way Of Life,” The
Washington Post, 8/29/11)
- “A Record Number Of People Exist
On The Fringes Of The Workforce.” “A record number of people exist
on the fringes of the workforce: part-timers looking for more hours and
the self-employed eager for more work. Like Morales, they hang their fate
on a turbulent economy, sitting in the car, waiting for a call.” (Eli Saslow,
“Virginia House Painter Fights To Keep Business As Recession Becomes A Way
Of Life,” The
Washington Post, 8/29/11)
Consumer Confidence
Have Fallen To Near All-Time Lows. “Consumer confidence stabilized last week
at a level that’s within striking distance of an all-time low as Americans
remained pessimistic about the economy. The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index
was minus 47 in the week to Aug. 21 compared with minus 48.3 reading the
previous period that halted a three-week slide.” (Press Release, “Consumer Index In U.S.
Stabilizes Close To Record Low,” Bloomberg, 8/25/11)
Politico: “The Congressional
Budget Office Painted A Dreary Economic Picture Wednesday In A New Report That
Warns Of ‘Profound Budgetary And Economic Challenges’ Ahead.” (Seung Min Kim, “CBO
Warns Of ‘Profound’ Challenges,” Politico, 8/24/11)
- Congressional Budget Office:
“[T]he Pace Of The Recovery Has Been Slow, And The Economy Remains In A
Severe Slump.” (“The Budget And Economic Outlook: An Update,” Congressional
Budget Office, 8/24/11)
- CBO: “The Slowing In Growth In
U.S. Output During The First Half Of 2011 Might Portend The Onset Of
Another Recession.” (“The Budget And Economic Outlook: An Update,” Congressional
Budget Office, 8/24/11)
The CBO’s Estimates
For Future Unemployment Are Higher Than January’s Due To “Weaker Economic
Activity Expected For The Next Several Years.” “However, CBO’s
projections of the unemployment rate for 2012 through 2016 are higher than they
were in January because of the weaker economic activity expected for the next
several years.” (“The
Budget And Economic Outlook: An Update,” Congressional
Budget Office,
8/24/11) Research: www.gop.com
