"It Worked?" Americans Aren't So Sure
“Just like we’ve tried their plan, we tried our plan -- and it worked. That’s the difference.”
-- President Obama, Oakland, CA, July 23
President Obama told an audience in Oakland, California on Monday that his economic policies had “worked,” an assessment with which some of the 12.75 million out-of-work Americans might disagree.
In fact, it would seem that a significant number of Americans in general are well aware that the president’s policies have failed and are making the economy worse. A recent CBS/New York Times poll found that:
· 71% of Americans believe the economy is moving in the wrong direction
· 55% of Americans disapprove of the way President Obama is handling the economy
· 46% of Americans feel that the president’s policies will never improve the economy
It might be hard to explain exactly what has “worked” to the 46.1 million Americans receiving food stamps, or the 8.2 million trying to pay their bills on only a part-time job. It now takes a job-seeker nearly 40 weeks to find employment, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). And the list goes on and on. Is it any wonder that the Census Bureau has classified 146.4 million people – 48% of the U.S. population – aspoor or low-income?
After 41 consecutive months of unemployment rates at or above 8% – the worst record since the Great Depression – it is clear that the president’s policies have not, in fact, “worked.” But maybe the president is looking towards the future. Maybe he still has hopes for his small business tax hike, which Ernst & Young reports would destroy more than 710,000 American jobs. Under the President’s proposal, families and small businesses would be hit with an $848 billion tax increase at the worst possible time.
House Republicans remain the only ones in Washington focused on strengthening our economy and creating jobs. This week, as part of the Plan for America’s Job Creators, the House will consider H.R. 4078, the Red Tape Reduction and Small Business Job Creation Act, a combination of bills which is aimed at cutting the government red tape strangling our small businesses. House Republicans also stand ready to stop the president’s massive tax hike set to take effect at the end of this year.
It’s long past time President Obama and Senate Democrats stop blocking our bipartisan jobs bills, and put aside politics in favor of policies that do indeed work.
###
For additional information, contact:
House Republican Conference Press Office (conferencepress@mail.house.gov)
