Who can we blame for job losses?

[ProSense]

Who can we blame for job losses?

"Obama's America," tweets Republican political consultant Patrick Ruffini, linking to this map of economic devastation.



Fairly or not, Ruffini raises an interesting question: How much unemployment can we blame on the Obama administration? Economist Rob Shapiro dug into some Bureau of Labor Statistics data and came back with the best numbers I've seen on the subject. He separated job losses into two buckets: Those that happened before the stimulus, which was Obama's major effort to deal with joblessness, and those that happened after the stimulus. Here's what he found:

From December 2007 to July 2009 – the last year of the Bush second term and the first six months of the Obama presidency, before his policies could affect the economy – private sector employment crashed from 115,574,000 jobs to 107,778,000 jobs. Employment continued to fall, however, for the next six months, reaching a low of 107,107,000 jobs in December of 2009. So, out of 8,467,000 private sector jobs lost in this dismal cycle, 7,796,000 of those jobs or 92 percent were lost on the Republicans’ watch or under the sway of their policies. Some 671,000 additional jobs were lost as the stimulus and other moves by the administration kicked in, but 630,000 jobs then came back in the following six months. The tally, to date: Mr. Obama can be held accountable for the net loss of 41,000 jobs (671,000 – 630,000), while the Republicans should be held responsible for the net losses of 7,796,000 jobs.

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That said, though this wasn't Obama's economic crisis, it is his economic recovery. There's a fair question as to whether another set of policies could've led to faster job growth over the last year or so. And the recent shakiness in the recovery is cause for concern on that front. So it's worth looking at Shapiro's proposal to strengthen the recovery, too:

First, create jobs by expanding an Administration initiative already in place: Deep cuts in the payroll tax for employers who expand their workforce. Second, shore-up the weak housing market and stabilize falling home prices with a long-overdue, new initiative: A loan program for homeowners with mortgages in trouble, modeled on federal student loans, to bring down foreclosure rates. Third, prepare tens of millions of Americans for the jobs the economy will begin to create once it’s back on track: Provide grants to community colleges to fund free computer training for any American adult who walks in and asks for it. And fourth, put in place some long-term deficit reduction to head off higher interest rates when the economy does begin to expand again.

[NJmaverick]

1. K & R!

[Bitwit1234]

2. OH NO listening to the republicans it is time to stop blaming

the previous administration for anything. Take responsibility ourselves and explain why we having created jobs.

Forget about every job bill they have obstructed or voted no against. We should say everything that has happened is the Democrats and Obama's fault. Suck it up....reverse history.

[MannyGoldstein]

3. Here's a more relevant graph:

Change in employment rate during post-WWII recessions:



It accounts for a couple of facts:

1. Because of an expanding work force, we need to add 150k or so jobs each month just to break even.
2. The shape and size of the bounceback is important.

It doesn't account for the phony "discouraged worker" adjustment that Clinton added, so the real numbers are actually much worse. But this graph is a start.

[DCBob]

6. And who was President when that slide was in its steepest decline?

Hint: his name isnt Obama.

[MannyGoldstein]

8. Hint: I probably did better at math than you did

Check again.

So - what's your point.

[Andy823]

4. Well...

Now all we have to do is get republican voters to see the "truth" about who killed the jobs, and who is trying to fix the mess Bush left him! Of course that's kind of like asking Glen Beck to be sane! As long as the talking heads can get rightwingers to buy into their lies and BS, it will always be "Obama's fault" no matter what facts may show.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

5. Ezra Klein!

:woohoo:

[OHdem10]

7. The Republican Conservative Economic Fundamentalism--FREE TRADE

POLICIES. No management of trade, permitting the corporations
to be as free as birds to chase the cheapest labor. They (GOP)
will say Bill Clinton passed it. He could only have passed it
with the push of the Republicans. It was a Republican Bill
and The Rubin Crowd convinced Clinton it was a good deal.

Globalization has now run its course and we are adjusting
to the new normal. Our standard of living is being lowered
so that it is more in harmoney with with countries around
the world. Think about it. How many poor countries can afford
to buy products made in America??? Not many---we have sent
mfg out of this country.

Point 3: They deliberately made a decision we would be a service
economy. Surprise: A service economy cannot sustain this country
and we are deep in the trenches trying to dig out.

Blame the FREE MARKET Free Traders starting in Reagan Administration.