"At a press conference last week, President Obama claimed that his so-called “stimulus” bill had “already saved or created over 150,000 jobs.” He made that claim on the same day that government figures showed the U.S. economy shrinking at more than 6% in the first quarter of 2009. Needless to say, a lot of folks were scratching their heads trying to reconcile Obama’s statement with the facts. Even some in the liberal media had to question this one.
Here are the facts: The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in the two months after Obama took office (February and March), 1.3 million jobs were lost. Many economists predict at least 500,000 more job losses in April. So, how does President Obama claim that his “stimulus” bill “saved or created over 150,000” jobs? Well, it’s mostly spin. No one is really certain how the White House measures a “saved” job.
As for the 150,000 figure, FactCheck.org reports, “It turns out that the president’s claim is really an estimate of what is economic advisors think the stimulus bill is doing, and not based on any evidence of its actual effects. … there’s very little hard data on where the money is being spent, let alone how many jobs may have resulted from the legislation.”
The late Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY) once remarked that everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts. This White House seems to believe otherwise. Click here for another example of President Obama playing fast and loose with the facts. "
Gary Bauer
Campaign for Working Families
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