President Obama annihilated the Republican claims of economic gloom and doom in a White House appearance where he called out the GOP failed economic policies and the fact that their presidential candidates appear to have no plans of their own for the economy.
Video:
The President first called out Republicans for spreading doom and gloom:
Most importantly, this progress is finally starting to translate into bigger paychecks. Over the past six months, wages have grown at their fastest rate since the crisis. And the policies that I’ll push this year are designed to give workers even more leverage to earn raises and promotions.
So, unemployment, deficits, gas prices are all down. Jobs, wages, and the rate of the insured are up. I should mention, by the way, that since I signed Obamacare into law, nearly 18 million Americans have gained coverage, and our businesses have created jobs every month since. On net, all of them full-time jobs.
So, as I said at my State of the Union address, the United States of America, right now, has the strongest, most durable economy in the world. I know that’s still inconvenient for Republican stump speeches as their doom and despair tour plays in New Hampshire. I guess you cannot please everybody.
The annihilation was only beginning in response to a question about getting credit for the progress of the economy, Obama level Republicans for having no plan.
President Obama said:
Had we adopted some of the policies that were advocated by Republicans over the last four, five, six years, we know that we probably would have done worse. And we know that because a lot of European countries adopted those policies, and they haven’t yet gotten to the same place they were before the crisis. So, evidence, facts are on our side. And this jobs report gives you one more indication that the facts are on our side.
I think that it is important for us then to understand how do we take the next step and make people feel more secure and feel more confident about the future. And that’s why investments in education and job training — going after the high costs of higher education; making sure that issues like paid leave and family leave are put in place; raising the minimum wage so that if you’re working full-time, you’re not in poverty; making sure that we’re investing in transportation, infrastructure, and clean energy; going after the jobs of the future; investing in technology — all those things are a recipe for continued growth and increased security.
And as far as I can tell those who are running down the economy and adding to the anxiety don’t seem to have any plausible, coherent recipe other than cut taxes for the very folks who have been doing the best in this economy and somehow magically that’s going to make other folks feel good.
President Obama was correct. If the country had done what Republicans suggested in 2008 which was to do nothing, the auto industry would be dead, the great recession would have turned into a depression, and the nation would still be struggling. The nation’s that followed the austerity track are not doing as well as the Obama led United States.
Republican economic policies are a proven prescription for failure. President Obama called out Republicans for selling a fantasy of gloom and doom that only exists in their own minds. Saying that the country is no longer great is a much better slogan than admitting that Obama has done an amazing job.
The reason the Republican candidates are so quick to talk about foreign policy or terrorism on the campaign trail is that President Obama has done such a good job that the economy is off limits.
Fantasies don’t win elections. Obama knows this which is why he dropped a megaton economic reality bomb on the GOP today. Obama may not be on the ballot in 2016, but this president still can swing an entire national conversation with one statement.
Barack Obama remains the Democratic presidential election weapon of mass Republican delusion destruction.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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