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Romney: U.S. economy ‘getting better’ under Obama
Washington Monthly ^ | January 23, 2012 | Steve Benen (left-wing blogger)

Posted on 01/23/2012 2:20:24 PM PST by Qbert

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) appeared on “Fox News Sunday” yesterday and argued that President Obama’s policies “have actually made our economy worse.” Then he said it again. And again. All told, the House Republican repeated the claim five times in one interview (and in each instance, host Chris Wallace offered no pushback whatsoever).

For those who care about reality, Boehner’s claim isn’t true. Since the president took office, every aspect of the American economy — job creation, economic growth, manufacturing, the stock market, etc. — has improved considerably. Repeating a lie five times doesn’t make it true.

But what I find especially important about this is the extent to which Mitt Romney, the likely Republican presidential nominee, disagrees with Boehner.

Consider this remarkable exchange between Romney and conservative radio-host Laura Ingraham late last week: (thanks to F.B. for the tip)

INGRAHAM: You’ve also noted that there are signs of improvement on the horizon in the economy. How do you answer the president’s argument that the economy is getting better in a general election campaign if you yourself are saying it’s getting better?

ROMNEY: Well, of course it’s getting better. The economy always gets better after a recession, there is always a recovery. […]

INGRAHAM: Isn’t it a hard argument to make if you’re saying, like, OK, he inherited this recession, he took a bunch of steps to try to turn the economy around, and now, we’re seeing more jobs, but vote against him anyway? Isn’t that a hard argument to make? Is that a stark enough contrast?

ROMNEY: Have you got a better one, Laura? It just happens to be the truth.

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say this may be the most important statement Romney has made since launching his 2012 presidential campaign. Think about it: the likely GOP nominee argued, on the air and on the record, that the economy is getting better under President Obama, and it “happens to be the truth” that Obama took steps to turn the economy around, resulting in more jobs for American workers.

If Laura Ingraham had asked a Democratic ally of the president the same question, she likely would have heard a similar answer.

What’s more, as I noted over a week ago, Romney keeps saying this. He told voters in South Carolina and New Hampshire that under Obama, the economy is “getting better.”

Romney’s message, of course, comes with a catch: he believes the economy is improving, but he doesn’t want the president to get credit for it. But as Ingraham noticed, that’s an argument that will fail miserably.

A month into 2012, the Republican is effectively arguing, “Sure, Obama inherited a deep recession. And sure, he took a bunch of steps to turn the economy around. And sure, we’re now seeing more jobs being created and more economic growth. But vote against him anyway.”

This isn’t just a tough sell; it’s an impossible one.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: ecomonygettingbetter; economy; economybetter; florida; greateconomy; johnboehner; loser; mclameii; obamalovesromney; romney; romney4dnc; romney4obama; romney4romney
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To: Track9

What planet does Romney live on? Counting the days until the lack of business activity completely kills my business. The only people I meet who are okay with this stagnation are Romney types with unlimited capital they can skate on.


121 posted on 01/23/2012 11:19:57 PM PST by antceecee (Bless us Father.. have mercy on us and protect us from evil.)
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To: Qbert

Creative Editing Sucks

Full quote:

Mitt Romney on Laura Ingraham’s radio program: “Of course it’s getting better. The economy always gets better after the recession. There’s always a recovery. There’s never been a time anywhere in the world where an economy has never recovered. The question is how is recovered by virtue of something the president has done or has he delayed the recovery and made it more painful? And the latter, of course, is the truth.”

“The president’s policies have made the recession deeper and have made the recovery more tepid and more difficult on the American people. This is the worst recovery that we have seen from a recession since Hoover. And President Obama wants to take credit for things getting better, he’s in fact made things worse. He’s made this recovery take much longer, but, will our economy get better someday? Of course it will.”

When Laura Ingraham asks Romney if it is hard argument to make that ‘Obama is making the economy better, but vote for me,’ Romney says ‘Do you have a better one Laura?’


122 posted on 01/23/2012 11:22:19 PM PST by woofie (It takes three villages and a forest of woodland creatures to raise a child in Obamaville)
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To: dps.inspect

Newt has it right and true blood Americans know it.... it’s all about the Socialist transformation with Obama. Forget the window dressing they are trying to sell.


123 posted on 01/23/2012 11:25:47 PM PST by antceecee (Bless us Father.. have mercy on us and protect us from evil.)
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To: Qbert

Sorry ...it was not a confused message...However He needs to beat it into people’s heads that Obama made things worse and that the American people will work around anything he puts in their way eventually


124 posted on 01/23/2012 11:27:51 PM PST by woofie (It takes three villages and a forest of woodland creatures to raise a child in Obamaville)
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To: Qbert

what a MORON!!!


125 posted on 01/24/2012 12:06:00 AM PST by tina07 (In loving memory of my father,WWII Vet. CBI 10/16/42-12/17/45, d. 11/1/85)
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To: Qbert

On just what issues is Romney planning to run on against Obama? He’s just taken the economy off the table.


126 posted on 01/24/2012 12:09:18 AM PST by kevao
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To: Qbert

here is proof of the U.S. economic decline .

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2832195/posts

China was backward, a few decades ago, living like they did 1000 years ago. Now they make most of things we use including smart phones , computers and have all the technology,rising middle class etc. China did it by stealing the U.S. technology and stealing the U.S. market. Why do we keep allowing this? We could still turn the tables on China and so grow like they did. We have to stop what they are doing to us, and the only way is to restrict things coming in from china.let’s say the U.S. bans import of cell phones. You know then companies will have to build factories here ( like Japan did for Toyota etc) .And that will bring jobs, technology , manufacturing ability back to the U.S.. China is destroying the U.S.

here is proof of the U.S. decline .

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2832195/posts

U.S. lost at least 15 million jobs in the last 10 years due to China.We have no jobs just welfare , and debt.


127 posted on 01/24/2012 2:08:59 AM PST by Democrat_media (China is destroying all our jobs and manufacturing ability. China makes everything.)
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To: Jim Robinson

McCain and Mitt don’t need to experiment with hallucinogenic substances, they obviously are tripping permanently on their own!


128 posted on 01/24/2012 3:33:48 AM PST by Darksheare (You will never defeat Bok Choy!)
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To: Qbert

I’m half-expecting to see Ace and Mitt go on tour telling us how well Hussein is doing and how much he really cares about each and every one of us.

Only LOSERS praise Hussein and claim to be Republican.

You’d think they would have learned from Ace and Crist.

FUBO and ALL your mindless fans!


129 posted on 01/24/2012 5:34:05 AM PST by treetopsandroofs (Had FDR been GOP, there would have been no World Wars, just "The Great War" and "Roosevelt's Wars".)
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To: RC one

“I believe Obama’s chances of reelection are inversely proportional to the price of a gallon of gas in the months leading up to election day.”

Worked well for the Hussein Heads in 2008...


130 posted on 01/24/2012 5:39:40 AM PST by treetopsandroofs (Had FDR been GOP, there would have been no World Wars, just "The Great War" and "Roosevelt's Wars".)
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To: pgyanke

“The economy has recovered.”

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Horsefeathers, if you had been sick in bed with a temperature of 104.4 and it dropped to 104.3 would you claim to have recovered?


131 posted on 01/24/2012 5:41:42 AM PST by RipSawyer (This does not end well!)
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To: Qbert

Che stronzo!

(I’m not allowed to say that here in English. Google Translator will help if you don’t know the Italian meaning.)


132 posted on 01/24/2012 6:18:26 AM PST by Scanian
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To: Qbert

Can Romney be this clueless that he doesn’t understand the small drop in unemployment is due to those who have given up looking no longer being counted in the Administration’s official figures.

Job creation during the Obama recession hasn’t even kept pace with population growth. If Romeny doesn’t understand the basic accounting concepts involved in calculating unemployment that tells me he was probably a “Political hire” for his private sector jobs.


133 posted on 01/24/2012 6:30:52 AM PST by NavVet ("You Lie!")
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To: Unrepentant VN Vet

the planet kolob that is where mormons come from,that is where dark skinned people will turn white and be a delightful people if they join the mormon church and are good.this is in the book of mormon,look it up do like glen beck says find out for yourself


134 posted on 01/24/2012 6:39:20 AM PST by bob1123
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To: RipSawyer
Horsefeathers, if you had been sick in bed with a temperature of 104.4 and it dropped to 104.3 would you claim to have recovered?

That isn't how recessions and expansions are measured. The recession is over. $685B in GDP output lost has been recovered ($690B). Sure, we still have high unemployment and the housing market is in a slump (albeit just a cooling off from the outrageous highs) but expansions are the tool to creating new jobs and new wealth. The point is that this expansion is anemic due to Obama's actions, not that there is no expansion. It may be fueled by debt (but it isn't really, or not entirely) but it is an expansion.

Just because we don't like the guy in the White House doesn't mean we can change definitions to suit our rhetoric. Obama is a disaster... but the economy is resilient in spite of his attacks.

135 posted on 01/24/2012 6:57:07 AM PST by pgyanke (Republicans get in trouble when not living up to their principles. Democrats... when they do.)
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To: glock rocks; Jeff Head; tubebender; Pete-R-Bilt; Brad's Gramma

Getting a tad bit agitated with those on “our” side using tactics of the left, be it half-truths or even outright lies.

That said, it’s a bit difficult for me to buy into a candidate that’s lived on the government teat since Ronald Reagan.


136 posted on 01/24/2012 7:12:26 AM PST by SouthTexas (You cannot bargain with the devil, shut the government down.)
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To: woofie

"Sorry ...it was not a confused message..."

Well, I guess if woofie says so, then it wasn't...

137 posted on 01/24/2012 7:41:50 AM PST by Qbert ("The best defense against usurpatory government is an assertive citizenry" - William F. Buckley, Jr.)
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To: Qbert; littleharbour; RC one; NoRedTape; All
Wow.

Even with the full context of the interview, what Romney said was pretty stupid.

As a business leader, he should be able to articulate what it means to have a “dead cat bounce.” His expertise is supposed to be in business and finance.

This former head of a multimillion dollar investment company can't explain something that Freeper LittleHarbour was able to do easily (or, for that matter, most regular readers of the Wall Street Journal)?

But maybe Romney learned something about how Americans reacted to his prior animal abuse and was afraid to use the term “dead cat bounce” because it might offend someone. /sarc

106 posted on Monday, January 23, 2012 8:32:58 PM by RC one: “I believe Obama’s chances of reelection are inversely proportional to the price of a gallon of gas in the months leading up to election day.”

There's a lot of truth in that.

George Bush couldn't convince the Saudis to help lower the price of gas until it was too late. I wonder if Obama can.

115 posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 12:17:51 AM by NoRedTape: “Who is under the rock behind the rock that is pushing for Mittens to somehow even be in the polls? Wow.....there are some severely misguided people in this voting public. So very sad. I truly hope they will wake-up soon.......”

I think three things are at work.

First, there are sincere conservatives who oppose Obama and think Romney is the best choice to beat him or that he's the inevitable Republican winner so they might as well support him. They're wrong, and with the the South Carolina vote showing that, a lot of Romney's support will implode. The sooner those voters leave Romney and get behind some other candidate, the better.

Second, there are Republican establishment people who are backing Romney because he's part of the establishment and has been for decades. I understand why people do those things, but it's not me. I was born into the same political culture, but I burned my bridges decades ago with the moderate wing of the GOP and I have little use for people who are fueled by a “country club elite” mentality of what it means to be a Republican.

Third, let's not minimize the power of “operation chaos” methods. The Democrats don't have a race this year. That means lots of liberal-leaning independents are voting in the Republican races. Even assuming they're not doing so for malicious motives, they're voting for the candidate most like themselves, and this year that means Romney.

138 posted on 01/24/2012 8:51:31 AM PST by darrellmaurina
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To: Qbert

Mitt Romney is just a redux of Republican weak sister, John McCain, who in the 2008 campaign told us all what a good man Barack Hussein “Muslim Brotherhood Adoree” was and still in his humble opinion!!! romney is as weak as a candidate for POTUS can come!!! He will be hugging and kissing “traitor” Obama from head to toe!!!!

By the way, Freepers, how about starting a campaign today to boycott the Obama SOTU farce address by America hater and America, would be destroyer, POTUS Obama this evening. We are not watching it this evening, and are hoping millions of Americans will not tune in either!!!


139 posted on 01/24/2012 9:02:18 AM PST by JLAGRAYFOX (My only objective is defeat and destroy POTUS Obama & his Democrat Party, politically!!!)
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To: bigdirty
Every single debate answer:
“I agree with President Obama, but...”


Just wait until Obama opens their first debate by thanking Romney for providing the model for Obamacare. Mitt will flash that big grin and say, "You're welcome, Mr. President!", everyone will laugh, and the campaign will pretty much end right there.
140 posted on 01/24/2012 9:05:05 AM PST by Deo volente (God willing, America will survive this Obamination.)
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