Tester & Obama Claimed Stimulus Would Create “Millions Of New Jobs,” Hold Unemployment Below 8%
MISSOULA, Mont. — On the third anniversary of their $800 billion “stimulus” spending binge, a new government report by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reminds Montanans yet again of President Barack Obama and Senator Jon Tester’s failure to create the jobs they promised while they drove our national debt to a record-high $15.3 trillion.
As the CBO reported yesterday:
The rate of unemployment in the United States has exceeded 8 percent since February 2009, making the past three years the longest stretch of high unemployment in this country since the Great Depression. Moreover, the Congressional Budget Office projects that the unemployment rate will remain above 8 percent until 2014.
Notably, Tester claimed the Obama stimulus would create “millions of new jobs,” and told Montanans “I think you're going to see job creation out of this bill within 90 days,” while his allies in the Obama Administration predicted the spending bill would hold unemployment below 8 percent.
But since Obama took office and Tester began supporting his agenda 95 percent of the time, America has instead lost 1.1 million jobs, and the country is in its 36th consecutive month of above-8-percent unemployment.
“Senator Tester and President Obama promised Montanans their $800 billion 'stimulus' spending binge would create 'millions of jobs,' but instead America has lost more than a million jobs since Obama took office and the country is in its 36th consecutive month of above-8-percent unemployment,” said Rehberg spokesman Chris Bond. “It's a powerful example of Senator Tester and President Obama's broken promises and costly, failed economic agenda in Washington.”
Background:
Tester’s Press Release Said The Stimulus Would Create “Millions Of New Jobs” And Cut Taxes “By Hundreds Of Billions Of Dollars.” “Both of Montana’s U.S. Senators today voted in favor of a plan to rebuild America’s struggling economy by creating millions of new jobs, investing in long-term infrastructure, and cutting taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars. Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester voted to pass the Jobs Bill, formally known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.” (Senator Jon Tester, “Baucus, Tester Vote For Final Jobs Bill, At Least $626 Million For Montana,” Press Release, 2/13/09)
Tester: “I Think You're Going To See Job Creation Out Of This [Stimulus] Bill Within 90 Days.” (Kellyn Brown, “Tester On The Flathead, Stimulus Plan And Partisanship,” Flathead Beacon, 2/17/09)
Tester Called The Stimulus A “Jobs Bill,” And Said It Was A “Big Victory For Middle-Class Folks In Montana.” “‘This Jobs Bill is a big victory for middle-class folks in Montana who are paying a tough price after years of failed economic policies,’ Tester said. ‘This Jobs Bill will rebuild our economy from the ground up by putting folks to work and investing in people. We won’t get out of this mess overnight, but passing the Jobs Bill is an important first step, and it will pay us back for generations to come.’” (Senator Jon Tester, “Baucus, Tester Vote For Final Jobs Bill, At Least $626 Million For Montana,” Press Release, 2/13/09)
“‘The Word “Stimulus” Is A Washington, D.C., Word That Doesn’t Mean Much In My Book,’ Tester Said. ‘That’s Why—From Day One—I Have Called This The Jobs Bill. Because That’s Exactly What It Is. You’re Either For Jobs. Or You’re Against Jobs . . . .’” (Senator Jon Tester, “Tester To Congress: ‘You’re Either For Jobs Or Against Jobs,’” Press Release, 2/11/09)
Tester Said He Looked At The Stimulus As A “Jobs Bill,” And Said “We Needed Something To Really Put People Back To Work. I Think This Bill Does That.” MADDOW: “First of all, I know you were a big supporter of the stimulus bill. So, congratulations to you on that legislation passing the Senate today. I have to ask you if you expect to see big changes in the conference committee before the president signs it?” TESTER: “Well, I really don’t. And I really look at it as a jobs bill, Rachel. I think that, you know, when you have the unemployment rates like we’ve had over the last three months, we needed something to really put people back to work. I think this bill does that.” (MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show,” 2/10/09)
Tester On The Stimulus: “I Think It’s A Good Bill Overall. And I’m Happy The Senate Passed It.” TESTER: “I think it’s a nice mix, and I think it really rebuilds our infrastructure from the ground up, plus, puts in some tax credit and puts in some other things like unemployment compensation and Pell Grants that I think are critically important. I think it’s a good bill overall. And I’m happy the Senate passed it. Actually, it just amounts to whether you want to put people to work or you want to play politics. And in the Senate, we decided to put people to work.” (MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show,” 2/10/09)
“As A Member Of The Influential U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, Tester Helped Write, Supported And Voted For The Federal Jobs-Stimulus Bill . . . .” (Senator Jon Tester, “Tester Response To Legislature’s Passage Of Budget,” Press Release, 4/28/09)
The Obama Adminstration Predicted The "Stimulus" Would Keep Unemployment Below Eight Percent. (Christina Romer and Jared Bernstein, “The Job Impact Of The American Recovery And Reinvestment Plan,” 1/9/09)
Tester & Obama's $800 Billion "Stimulus" Failed To Live Up To Their Promises:
Obama and Tester’s $825 Billion Stimulus Failed To Keep The Unemployment Rate Below 8 Percent. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 2/6/12; Christina Romer and Jared Bernstein, “The Job Impact Of The American Recovery And Reinvestment Plan,”1/9/09; Congressional Budget Office, 5/25/11)
- The Unemployment Rate Has Remained Above Eight Percent For A Record 36 Straight Months Since The Stimulus Was Passed. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 2/6/12)
America Has Lost 1.1 Million Jobs Since Obama Took Office And Tester Began Supporting His Agenda. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 2/6/12)
WALL STREET JOURNAL: The Economy Remains In “By Far The Worst Jobs Recovery Since The Great Depression.” “Even with the recent gains, this is also by far the worst jobs recovery since the Great Depression, and the U.S. still has about 5.5 million fewer jobs than it did before the recession began in December 2007.” (Editorial, “The January Jobs Thaw,” The Wall Street Journal, 2/4/12)
- “Our Economy Remains Deeply Depressed… Even At January’s Pace Of Job Creation It Would Take Us Until 2019 To Return To Full Employment.” “That said, our economy remains deeply depressed. As the Economic Policy Institute points out, we started 2012 with fewer workers employed than in January 2001 — zero growth after 11 years, even as the population, and therefore the number of jobs we needed, grew steadily. The institute estimates that even at January’s pace of job creation it would take us until 2019 to return to full employment.” (Paul Krugman, Op-Ed, “Things Are Not O.K.,” The New York Times, 2/5/12)
Tester Has Been A Reliable Rubber-Stamp For President Obama's Unpopular Agenda:
In Both 2009 And 2010, Tester Voted In Support Of President Obama’s Position 97% Of The Time. (Congressional Quarterly Website, www.cq.com, Accessed 8/4/11)
In 2011, Tester Voted In Support Of President Obama's Position 90% Of The Time. (Congressional Quarterly Website, www.cq.com, Accessed 2/1/12)
President Barack Obama's Average Approval Rating In Montana Was Just 33.8% In 2011, According To Gallup's Daily Tracking Average. (Gallup, 1/31/12)
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