Understanding President Obama
A recent news report highlighted a new course to be offered by Harvard Law School titled, “Understanding Obama.” According to U.S. News and World Report, tuition at the law school costs more than $146,000 for the three year education. Although possibly confused by the financial logic of a law student spending time and a portion of that outsized tuition cost to “understand” President Obama, most hardworking Americans being squeezed as a result of the Obama economy understand all they need to—the president’s policies have failed and are making things worse.
While the course will no doubt read the books written under his million dollar publishing deal and study his Nobel-prize winning speeches, the old maxim holds: a man should be known by his deeds more so than by his words. So take a minute to ruminate on the 10 facts below and consider your course on “Understanding Obama” complete.
10 Facts to help “understand” President Obama
- The unemployment rate has been at or above 8 percent for 38 consecutive months—the longest such stretch of unemployment since the Great Depression.
- When President Obama took office in January 2009, a gallon of gas cost $1.89. After over three years in office, the cost of a gallon of gas has more than doubled, recently reaching a high of $3.94.
- The president’s government takeover of health care law diverted over $500 billion dollars from Medicare, hastening the bankruptcy of the program relied upon by America’s senior citizens.
- The economy has shed 740,000 net jobs from February 2009—when the Democrats’ “stimulus” was signed into law—through March 2012.
- Since the president’s $1.2 trillion “stimulus” was enacted in February 2009 unemployment has averaged 9.3 percent.
- The U.S. now ranks 13th in ease of starting a business according to a World Bank report. In 2007, the U.S. ranked 3rd.
- In 2010, there were over 46 million Americans living in poverty, the largest number in the 52 years in which poverty estimates have been published by the Census Bureau.
- There are over 46 million Americans receiving food stamps, an increase of 40 percent since President Obama took office.
- Since President Obama took office, median household incomes have dropped by $3,378, falling to its lowest level since 1996. Household income has fallen by 6.4 percent since 2007.
- In less than one term in office, President Obama has increased the nation’s debt by over $5 trillion ($5,034,697,183,685), a new record for American presidents.
Click here for a helpful visual aid of the above info. Also, updated “Win the Debate” kits are available here.
For additional information, contact:
The House Republican Conference Policy Office
