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Democrats: Economy better now than it was before Obama By Michael O'Brien - 09/07/10 01:29 PM ET The economy is in a better position now than it was when President Obama took office, Democrats argued Tuesday. The White House and a top congressional leader made the case that the economy has improved under Democratic control of government, though polls showed voters are less convinced. "I think by virtually any measure, our economy is a better place than it was two years ago," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said at his daily briefing. The assertion came amid new polls showing...

Call it the "Rodney Dangerfield Recovery." It gets no respect from any quarter. Republicans pound away at its weakness, Democrats lament it, the media chronicles its troubles, investors fret about it, and many average citizens question whether it even exists. Polls show many people believe the economy is still in recession or getting worse. (Snip) "The labor market does continue to improve, despite a national pessimism," said Ward McCarthy, an economist at Jefferies & Co. The problem is growth in jobs and the economy overall is so sluggish it is "trying the patience of policymakers and the millions of unemployed

Next week, President Obama is scheduled to propose new measures to boost the economy. I hope they’re bold and substantive, since the Republicans will oppose him regardless — if he came out for motherhood, the G.O.P. would declare motherhood un-American. So he should put them on the spot for standing in the way of real action. But let’s put politics aside and talk about what we’ve actually learned about economic policy over the past 20 months. When Mr. Obama first proposed $800 billion in fiscal stimulus, there were two groups of critics. Both argued that unemployment would stay high —...