Axelrod: America In Better Position Than 4 Years Ago

The Prof · Sep 2, 2012

Are Americans better off today than they were four years ago?

That's the question Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace immediately posed to President Barack Obama's Senior Adviser David Axelrod, who didn't quite answer directly.

"We're in a better position than we were four years ago." Axelrod said, citing, for example, how the nation has experienced 29 straight months of jobs growth.

He acknowledged that the nation's economy isn't where Obama would like it to be, but that he inherited an extremely dire situation.

"It's going to take some time to work through it," Axelrod said, taking the opportunity to pan Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney who "never offered anyone a plausible alternative" during last week's Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.

"In that sense, his convention was a terrible failure," Axelrod argued.

Axelrod: America in a 'better position' today than four years ago - POLITICO.com

patience, it's gonna take time

romer/bernstein, anyone?

Romer and Bernstein on stimulus - Krugman/NYTimes.com

a week ago friday, the nyt reported that a full 58% of the very few jobs created since the end of the recession, which coincides almost directly with the assumption of hussein, were in the bottom third of wage earners, those making between $7.69 and $13.83 per hour

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/31/business/majority-of-new-jobs-pay-low-wages-study-finds.html

leading the way were retail jobs, averaging $10.97 per hour, followed by food service at $9.04

60% of jobs lost DURING the recession were in the middle earner group, $13.84 to $21.13

only 22% of the very few jobs created SINCE then are in this middle income third

they're all, those lucky few who can find work at all, going to the bottom of the ladder, with very little hope of climbing back up

way too many of em, laments the lady (nyt), are seniors and folks nearing retirement

just the week before, the la times revealed that middle class wages fell almost twice as fast (-4.8%) AFTER the recession ended than they did DURING those deepest darkest days (-2.6%)

Household income fell 4.8% during economic recovery - latimes.com

ie, despite almost a billion in wasted stim, after almost 3T of pump from qe1 and qe2, things have gotten WORSE for middle americans in the barack hussein "recovery" than they were in the days when the bottom fell out

the middle class is shrinking, poverty is taking its place

American middle class is shrinking - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

How America's Losing The War On Poverty : NPR

and altho it's outright racist to say so, the number of our neighbors and friends dependent on food stamps is exploding

CNN: Food stamp use rises to record 45.8 million

33.8 million hungry americans were nourished by snap in 09, 45.8 million in 2011, an increase of a little over 40%

the number of americans even interested in trying to find work, known as the participation rate, is at depressing depths

Labor force participation rate lowest in 30 years, despite lower unemployment

everyone's going on disability

More Americans went on disability than found jobs in last 3 months

and aside from jobs and wages, we are confronted with gas prices, groceries, utilities, premiums and a housing market still desperately underwater

we are feeling hope replaced by a bitter and abiding disappointment

hardest hit are our youth, including college grads, hispanics, african americans, especially the young, and our neighbors, family and friends nearing retirement

and only 20% of the jobs created since the start of the barack hussein "recovery" three years ago have gone to women

Women are lagging behind men in landing new jobs - Los Angeles Times

in sum, we are looking at the worst economic "recovery" after a recession since the great depression of franklin deficit roosevelt

Job creation limps along after recession - USATODAY.com

and so the white house this morning CANNOT look america in the tv and declare we are better off

but aren't we all gratified to hear that we're in better position

no spin, lynn

as for romney's convention being a failure, politico's top story yesterday observed the 100 great american success stories told by the impressively diverse list of speakers in tampa "worked"

it was "the smart play," the convention "refocused the national debate on the economy" and away from transparent distractions like todd akin and tax returns

"mission accomplished," proclaimed jonathan allen, roger simon's and coffee joe's scarborough's favorite journolister

Obama's new challenge: Disappointment - Jonathan Allen - POLITICO.com

disappointed?

specklebang · Sep 2, 2012

We ARE in a better position than we were in 2008. That's not saying much though since that was the low point.

Since this century began, America hasa lost sight of what makes a nation great. We're now a nation of retailers and paper shufflers instead of developers and producers.

Helix · Sep 2, 2012

America's economic trend is in better shape than in 2008, certainly. as for wall street, i tend to believe that the economic snapshot at this point would look about the same whether McCain or Obama had won. however, had McCain won, my suspicion is that we would be significantly more involved in global police actions, and it's my opinion that america needs to think and act domestically for a while. the economic impact of a president is more observable in eight years than in four, and honestly, it takes a lot longer than that to form a definitive analysis.

Fishstyx · Sep 2, 2012

specklebang said:
We ARE in a better position than we were in 2008. That's not saying much though since that was the low point.

Since this century began, America hasa lost sight of what makes a nation great. We're now a nation of retailers and paper shufflers instead of developers and producers.

Thats a common incorrect theme these days. The US is still the worlds largest manufacturer. In fact, high tech manufacturing is currently hurting for hires. They require technical skills but many don't require actual degrees. Problem is, not the availability of jobs but getting a kid who spent $200k on an 18th Century French Literature degree to open up to the potential for working an assembly line.

We've failed this generation entering the workforce. We've told them over and over to get a desk job. Manufacturing and trades jobs have somehow become a life of low standing. Its a shame really. Especially considering that Plumbers charge about $100 an hour these days!

nota bene · Sep 2, 2012

Was there higher unemployment in 2008?

pbrauer · Sep 2, 2012

nota bene said:
Was there higher unemployment in 2008?

At the end of the year we were losing an average of 750K jobs per month.

Travis007 · Sep 2, 2012

pbrauer said:
At the end of the year we were losing an average of 750K jobs per month.

That was 2 years after Pelosi and Reid...after 6 great years by GWB post 9/11

Obama is a fraud.. I think everyone by now knows that.. even his minions know he is a loser..

Debra · Sep 2, 2012

I feel we are in a waaay better position than 4 years ago ! The GOP would have a much better case if they had passed more of the Presidents bills ( transportation bill, jobs bill, etc) if they had passed those and thing were still moving this slow then I would say they have a case to make a change, but blocking everything the President has tried to do then try to blame him is more a reflection on the GOP then the President,

Bronson · Sep 2, 2012

Kudos, by the way, to the administration-in-waiting for providing this — it will be a joy to argue policy with an administration that provides comprehensible, honest reports, not case studies in how to lie with statistics.

That said, the report is written in such a way as to make it hard to figure out exactly what’s in the plan. This also makes it hard to evaluate the reasonableness of the assumed multipliers. But here’s the thing: the estimates appear to be very close to what I’ve been getting.

These 2 paragraphs are the nail in the coffin to liberal socialist democratic economic theory

Krugman has lost all credibility as an economist

AdamT · Sep 3, 2012

Bronson said:
These 2 paragraphs are the nail in the coffin to liberal socialist democratic economic theory

Krugman has lost all credibility as an economist

And with that statement you have lost whatever credibility you may have had. :roll:

Paul Krugman earned his B.A. in economics from Yale University summa cum laude in 1974 and his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1977.

Krugman joined the faculty of MIT in 1979. From 1982 to 1983, Krugman spent a year working at the Reagan White House as a staff member of the Council of Economic Advisers. He rejoined MIT as a full professor in 1984. Krugman has also taught at Stanford, UC Berkeley, Yale, and the London School of Economics.

In 2000, Krugman joined Princeton University as Professor of Economics and International Affairs. He is also currently Centenary Professor at the London School of Economics, and a member of the Group of Thirty international economic body He has been a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research since 1979. Krugman was President of the Eastern Economic Association in 2010.

He has published countless textbooks and articles on economics.

Recent awards:

1991, American Economic Association, John Bates Clark Medal.[94] Since it was awarded to only one person, once every two years (prior to 2009), The Economist has described the Clark Medal as 'slightly harder to get than a Nobel prize'.[95]
1992, Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS).[35]
1995, Adam Smith Award of the National Association for Business Economics[96]
1998, Doctor honoris causa in Economics awarded by Free University of Berlin Freie Universität Berlin in Germany
2000, H.C. Recktenwald Prize in Economics, awarded by University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany.
2002, Editor and Publisher, Columnist of the Year.[97]
2004, Fundación Príncipe de Asturias (Spain), Prince of Asturias Awards in Social Sciences.[98]
2004, Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa, Haverford College[99]
2008, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for Krugman's contributions to New Trade Theory.[100] He became the twelfth John Bates Clark Medal winner to be awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize.
2012, Doctor honoris causa from the Universidade de Lisboa, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa and Universidade Nova de Lisboa[101][102]

Navy Pride · Sep 3, 2012

The Prof said:
Axelrod: America in a 'better position' today than four years ago - POLITICO.com

patience, it's gonna take time

romer/bernstein, anyone?

Romer and Bernstein on stimulus - Krugman/NYTimes.com

a week ago friday, the nyt reported that a full 58% of the very few jobs created since the end of the recession, which coincides almost directly with the assumption of hussein, were in the bottom third of wage earners, those making between $7.69 and $13.83 per hour

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/31/business/majority-of-new-jobs-pay-low-wages-study-finds.html

leading the way were retail jobs, averaging $10.97 per hour, followed by food service at $9.04

60% of jobs lost DURING the recession were in the middle earner group, $13.84 to $21.13

only 22% of the very few jobs created SINCE then are in this middle income third

they're all, those lucky few who can find work at all, going to the bottom of the ladder, with very little hope of climbing back up

way too many of em, laments the lady (nyt), are seniors and folks nearing retirement

just the week before, the la times revealed that middle class wages fell almost twice as fast (-4.8%) AFTER the recession ended than they did DURING those deepest darkest days (-2.6%)

Household income fell 4.8% during economic recovery - latimes.com

ie, despite almost a billion in wasted stim, after almost 3T of pump from qe1 and qe2, things have gotten WORSE for middle americans in the barack hussein "recovery" than they were in the days when the bottom fell out

the middle class is shrinking, poverty is taking its place

American middle class is shrinking - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

How America's Losing The War On Poverty : NPR

and altho it's outright racist to say so, the number of our neighbors and friends dependent on food stamps is exploding

CNN: Food stamp use rises to record 45.8 million

33.8 million hungry americans were nourished by snap in 09, 45.8 million in 2011, an increase of a little over 40%

the number of americans even interested in trying to find work, known as the participation rate, is at depressing depths

Labor force participation rate lowest in 30 years, despite lower unemployment

everyone's going on disability

More Americans went on disability than found jobs in last 3 months

and aside from jobs and wages, we are confronted with gas prices, groceries, utilities, premiums and a housing market still desperately underwater

we are feeling hope replaced by a bitter and abiding disappointment

hardest hit are our youth, including college grads, hispanics, african americans, especially the young, and our neighbors, family and friends nearing retirement

and only 20% of the jobs created since the start of the barack hussein "recovery" three years ago have gone to women

Women are lagging behind men in landing new jobs - Los Angeles Times

in sum, we are looking at the worst economic "recovery" after a recession since the great depression of franklin deficit roosevelt

Job creation limps along after recession - USATODAY.com

and so the white house this morning CANNOT look america in the tv and declare we are better off

but aren't we all gratified to hear that we're in better position

no spin, lynn

as for romney's convention being a failure, politico's top story yesterday observed the 100 great american success stories told by the impressively diverse list of speakers in tampa "worked"

it was "the smart play," the convention "refocused the national debate on the economy" and away from transparent distractions like todd akin and tax returns

"mission accomplished," proclaimed jonathan allen, roger simon's and coffee joe's scarborough's favorite journolister

Obama's new challenge: Disappointment - Jonathan Allen - POLITICO.com

disappointed?

What planet is this guy from?

disneydude · Sep 3, 2012

Yeah NP....Prof is a little out there. I'm surprized that you don't agree with him. LOL......

The Prof · Sep 3, 2012

uh oh, another cory booker

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) on Monday said the country was “clearly” better off than four years ago, walking back remarks he made this weekend.

“We are clearly better off as a country, because we are now creating jobs rather than losing jobs,” said O’Malley on CNN’s “Starting Point.” “We have not recovered all that we lost in the Bush recession,” he added.

O’Malley’s comments came after Republicans seized on a remark he made on Sunday saying that voters were not better off.

O’Malley was asked by CBS host Bob Schieffer on “Face the Nation” if he could “honestly say that people are better off today than they were four years ago.”

“No,” replied O’Malley, a prominent Obama surrogate, “but that’s not the question of this election. “Without a doubt, we are not as well-off as we were before George Bush brought us the Bush job losses," O'Malley had added.

O'Malley Walks Back Remark, Says Country 'Clearly' Better Off/The Hill

next thing you know, he'll probably say bain is sterling

LOL!

which omalley are we to believe?

complete incompetence

Bobcat · Sep 3, 2012

Axelrod = Chicago slime dressed up in a suit. what a pathetic excuse for a human being. the guy is as low as it gets.

Mithros · Sep 3, 2012

Is amnesia contageous? Seriously, doesn't anyone remember what it was like in late 2008 through early 2009.

Everything was in free fall. Everyone was terrified. Friends and family members provided me with a continual stream of horror.... Everyone was downsizing, entire departments and branches were dissapearing. Friday's were the worst. Mass firings always happened on a Friday. And for those of us fortunate enough to keep a job, salaries were frozen through '10.

It's one thing to say that things could be better today, but come on. It is ludicrous to say that we're worse off.

ChuckBerry · Sep 3, 2012

Fishstyx said:
getting a kid who spent $200k on an 18th Century French Literature degree to open up to the potential for working an assembly line.

I find it hard to believe that this French literature major, who likely works at Starbucks for a bit more than minimum wage, would seriously refuse to work a manufacturing job at which he could earn twice as much or more. It's more likely that these types of jobs are not available in his area, a legitimate reason for not taking a higher paying job.

There are also life choice issues to be considered. I earn a decent living working offshore, better than any job I can currently find onshore, but I give up a large chunk of my family life to do it. I blame no one for taking less pay so they can be with their families more. You of all people on this site can relate to that.

considering that Plumbers charge about $100 an hour these days!

...which pays for all the costs of their small business, including the wages of their helpers, insurance, a shop/warehouse, etc. etc. etc. Plumbers certainly don't pocket $800-$1200 per day before taxes.

Aberration · Sep 3, 2012

AdamT said:
And with that statement you have lost whatever credibility you may have had. :roll:

Paul Krugman earned his B.A. in economics from Yale University summa cum laude in 1974 and his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1977.

Krugman joined the faculty of MIT in 1979. From 1982 to 1983, Krugman spent a year working at the Reagan White House as a staff member of the Council of Economic Advisers. He rejoined MIT as a full professor in 1984. Krugman has also taught at Stanford, UC Berkeley, Yale, and the London School of Economics.

In 2000, Krugman joined Princeton University as Professor of Economics and International Affairs. He is also currently Centenary Professor at the London School of Economics, and a member of the Group of Thirty international economic body He has been a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research since 1979. Krugman was President of the Eastern Economic Association in 2010.

He has published countless textbooks and articles on economics.

Recent awards:

1991, American Economic Association, John Bates Clark Medal.[94] Since it was awarded to only one person, once every two years (prior to 2009), The Economist has described the Clark Medal as 'slightly harder to get than a Nobel prize'.[95]
1992, Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS).[35]
1995, Adam Smith Award of the National Association for Business Economics[96]
1998, Doctor honoris causa in Economics awarded by Free University of Berlin Freie Universität Berlin in Germany
2000, H.C. Recktenwald Prize in Economics, awarded by University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany.
2002, Editor and Publisher, Columnist of the Year.[97]
2004, Fundación Príncipe de Asturias (Spain), Prince of Asturias Awards in Social Sciences.[98]
2004, Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa, Haverford College[99]
2008, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for Krugman's contributions to New Trade Theory.[100] He became the twelfth John Bates Clark Medal winner to be awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize.
2012, Doctor honoris causa from the Universidade de Lisboa, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa and Universidade Nova de Lisboa[101][102]

Just goes to show you that education can't fix stupid.

Fishstyx · Sep 3, 2012

ChuckBerry said:
I find it hard to believe that this French literature major, who likely works at Starbucks for a bit more than minimum wage, would seriously refuse to work a manufacturing job at which he could earn twice as much or more. It's more likely that these types of jobs are not available in his area, a legitimate reason for not taking a higher paying job.

There are also life choice issues to be considered. I earn a decent living working offshore, better than any job I can currently find onshore, but I give up a large chunk of my family life to do it. I blame no one for taking less pay so they can be with their families more. You of all people on this site can relate to that.

I agree and money is everything. I was being semi-faceous on the "18th Century French Literature Degree" but pointing out that there are areas of study that grossly in demand yet not many kids are pursuing it. Medicine, engineering, science is in demand.

Just knocking on this theme and really knocking what many parents have instilled in their kids in the last 20 years. Again, manual labor or trades have become synonymous with a lower standing in society. That kids should go to college and try for a nice suit/tie desk job. So what happens? You saturate the job pool with tons of Business majors or various other degrees that aren't in demand.

As far as their area, you go where the work is. Its hard to do and leaving an area where you have a support network makes it harder (this I'm certainly familiar with). But its better than working a low wage job or worse living off government handouts.

ChuckBerry said:
...which pays for all the costs of their small business, including the wages of their helpers, insurance, a shop/warehouse, etc. etc. etc. Plumbers certainly don't pocket $800-$1200 per day before taxes.

No, there's overhead which could be minimal w/a one man operation. But what you described would likely be a 4-5 man operation on the minimum. Thats 4-5 guys going out (or more) each bringing the owner in $100 an hour. Again, just emphasizing there ways to make a pretty darn decent living without massing a huge student loan debt as well as not having to pout and sit behind a counter slinging food or coffee. I see wanted ads all the time for above minimum wage jobs that require the applicant to do physical labor. Sadly, I don't think a lot of young people today would take it.

Bobcat · Sep 3, 2012

Mithros said:
Is amnesia contageous? Seriously, doesn't anyone remember what it was like in late 2008 through early 2009.

Everything was in free fall. Everyone was terrified. Friends and family members provided me with a continual stream of horror.... Everyone was downsizing, entire departments and branches were dissapearing. Friday's were the worst. Mass firings always happened on a Friday. And for those of us fortunate enough to keep a job, salaries were frozen through '10.

It's one thing to say that things could be better today, but come on. It is ludicrous to say that we're worse off.

first of all, it wasn't that bad, but the reality is that everything has gotten worse under obama, not one of the measures of an economy has gone up in the last 4 years. The obama administration has been an economic disaster, nothing but mistakes-----or intentional actions to bring the country to its knees so the socialists can take full control.

But keep up the blame-bush lines------they are amusing and make you look foolish.

Travis007 · Sep 3, 2012

Bobcat said:
Axelrod = Chicago slime dressed up in a suit. what a pathetic excuse for a human being. the guy is as low as it gets.

that about sums it up.. you only missed " scum snake oil salesman and paid lying machine"...

Travis007 · Sep 3, 2012

Mithros said:
Is amnesia contageous? Seriously, doesn't anyone remember what it was like in late 2008 through early 2009.

Everything was in free fall. Everyone was terrified. Friends and family members provided me with a continual stream of horror.... Everyone was downsizing, entire departments and branches were dissapearing. Friday's were the worst. Mass firings always happened on a Friday. And for those of us fortunate enough to keep a job, salaries were frozen through '10.

It's one thing to say that things could be better today, but come on. It is ludicrous to say that we're worse off.

Yes.. 2 years of Pelosi and Reid had started to erode us ...cap and trade, no drilling and the spectre of the repeal of the GWB tax cuts and then throw in the fear of socialized medicine, and the blocking of F and F being cleaned up ...and BANG.. we have the start of bad economy..

history hates libs.. history is always right..

disneydude · Sep 3, 2012

Bobcat said:
first of all, it wasn't that bad,..

You completely lost credibility in the first line. "Not that bad"....hemoraghing 750,000 a month, isn't "that bad"......seriously dude......talk about things that make you look foolish.

Travis007 · Sep 3, 2012

disneydude said:
You completely lost credibility in the first line. "Not that bad"....hemoraghing 750,000 a month, isn't "that bad"......seriously dude......talk about things that make you look foolish.

nobody believes it was 750,00 ..talk about foolish..

disneydude · Sep 3, 2012

Travis007 said:
nobody believes it was 750,00 ..talk about foolish..

Do your homework. During the last 4 months of GWB we were losing 750,000 jobs a month. You may not like it....but facts is facts

Travis007 · Sep 3, 2012

disneydude said:
Do your homework. During the last 4 months of GWB we were losing 750,000 jobs a month. You may not like it....but facts is facts

you do the markets and Cos react to the data on the horizon.. you do know Pelosi and Reid are despised by the private sector and we saw Cos scramble seeing that the Lib plan for destruction was going to be in play...

if the economy gets stronger between now and the election ( it cant so it wont) then it would say the street feels Romney will win..

Axelrod: America In Better Position Than 4 Years Ago

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The Prof

specklebang

Discount Philosopher

Helix

Fishstyx

nota bene

pbrauer

Travis007

Debra

Active member

Bronson

AdamT

Navy Pride

disneydude

The Prof

Bobcat

Well-known member

Mithros

ChuckBerry

Aberration

Fishstyx

Bobcat

Well-known member

Travis007

Travis007

disneydude

Travis007

disneydude

Travis007