Obama’s Legacy: Hope On The Ropes

Flopping Aces ^ | 09-12-09 | nocomme1

[Starman417]

Barack Obama entered office proposing and then passing a Stimulus Plan that was breathtakingly ambitious. This legislation constituted "the greatest increase in government spending in world history". The explicit goal was to halt the serious and precipitous decline of the American economy. One of the central promises of this plan was to slow and then reverse the unemployment rate that had been creeping up at an increasingly alarming rate. Prior to the Stimulus' passage Obama assured a concerned nation that unemployment would go up to 8% and shortly begin a decline.

And then the American people, comforted by this assurance, stepped back and waited for the magic to happen. Seven months later they are still waiting.

Predicting a President's legacy in the seventh month of his first (and only?) forty-eight month term may seem a bit premature but the momentum of this President's economic policies seems inexorable. In January of this year when Obama entered office the unemployment rate was at a troubling 7.6%. Instead of climbing to 8% and then receding the unemployment rate has gone up every month until it now stands at 9.4%, an increase of almost 24%. According to Mortimer Zuckerman of the Wall Street Journal,

"The cumulative job losses over the last six months have been greater than for any other half year period since World War II, including the military demobilization after the war."

As of this date the Administration and the Democratic Congress are now both saying they expect that unemployment will continue to rise for the foreseeable future. Many economists predict that it may not drop down to pre-recession levels for five years or longer.

Unemployment is usually dealt with in the media as a function of how it is affected by or how it affects the economy. But unemployment can't just be viewed as a dry statistical artifact. Job loss has very real effects on very real people. And as President Obama was largely elected on feelings it is reasonable to assume that his legacy will largely be based on how the American public feels when he leaves office.

Since the Great Depression a large body of research has been compiled on the psychological effects of unemployment. From the seminal works of Jahoda, Lazarsfeld, Zeisel (1933), Bakke (1933) and Eisenberg Lazarsfeld (1938) to the recent work of Arthur H. Goldsmith (2008) the deleterious effects joblessness has on the psychology of the unemployed has been well documented.

[FormerACLUmember]

“Obama’s Legacy: Hope On The Ropes”

Obama’s Legacy: DOPE On The Ropes

[Jeff Head]

It was never about Hope as far as any traditional American values, prosperity, or way of life are concerned. That was all hype and smoke an mirrors.

It has always been about Obama and his marxist ideology...and transforming America to fit it.

OBAMA IS A MARXIST IDEOLOGUE

AMERICA AT THE CROSSROADS OF HISTORY

A PETITION ON FACEBOOK FOR CONSTITUTIONAL RESTORATION

[television is just wrong]

and please don’t forget the old soap on a roprah

[Tzimisce]

Hope on a rope?

I think it fell off the string - now we’re all going to get butt raped....

[all the best]

There is no hope in dependence. Only servitude and despair.

[texmexis best]

The headline is unfortunate for Obama. “Hope on the Rope” is perfect.

[UncleVanya]

TAKE ACTION NOW - NO MORE SITTING ON THE SIDELINES
The thing we have to do now, without any hesitation, is vote out this current Congress in 2010. Then take back our Nation in 2012. If we do not mobilize ourselves and others now to do this in ways far beyond where most of us have ever engaged in political matters, we will lose this country. And have ourselves to blame.

[tet68]

Hope on Dope.
Dupes on Dope.