Research Briefing

After Pledging To Focus On Jobs This Year, Obama Doubling Down On His Government-Run Health Care Experiment As Unemployment Continues To Rise

OBAMA BEGAN 2010 WITH NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION TO FOCUS ON JOBS

DECEMBER 23: The White House Pledged “To Make A Very Hard Pivot To Jobs In The Run-Up To The State Of The Union. You’ll See An Intense Focus On The Economy And Jobs From This White House In The Beginning Of 2010.” (Mike Allen, Politico’s “Playbook,” 12/23/09)

JANUARY 14: Obama Told Congressional Democrats That He Would “Have A Sustained And Relentless Focus Over The Next Several Months On Accelerating The Pace Of Job Creation, Because That’s Priority Number One.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks At The House Democratic Caucus Retreat, Washington, DC 1/14/10)

JANUARY 27: In State Of The Union Address, Obama Said “It’s Time The American People Get A Government That Matches Their Decency” By Beginning “With Our Economy.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks In State Of The Union Address, Washington, DC, 1/27/10)

CNN: Obama Used “His First State Of The Union Address To Hit The Issue Of Jobs Hard … A Pivot Point To Show The Country He’s Learned From Mistakes In The First Year.” (Ed Henry, “Analysis: State Of The Union Offers Obama A Pivot Point,” CNN, 1/27/10)

JANUARY 28: Obama Told Town Hall In Tampa, Florida That “Creating Jobs Has To Be Our Number One Priority In 2010.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks At Town Hall Meeting, Tampa, FL, 1/28/10)

JANUARY 29: Obama Told Congressional Republicans That Americans “Want Us To Focus On Their Job Security.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks At GOP House Issues Conference, Baltimore, MD, 1/29/10)

BUT DESPITE RISING UNEMPLOYMENT, OBAMA NEVER TRULY WAVERED FROM PUSHING HIS HEALTH CARE EXPERIMENT

Obama Began Push For Government Takeover Of Health Care One Year Ago Today, March 5. “He began this process by inviting Republican and Democratic leaders to the White House on March 5 of last year, and he’s continued to work with both parties in crafting the best possible bill.” (Jesse Lee, “Gibbs Responds To Boehner, Cantor,” The White House Blog, 2/8/10)

• Since Obama Started Push For Government-Run Health Care Last March, 2.2 Million Jobs Have Been Lost.  (U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 3/5/10)
  
  
• And 36,000 Jobs Were Lost In The Month Of February, And Unemployment Rate Is 9.7 Percent.  (U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 3/5/10)

Now Obama’s “Plan to Talk About Jobs Elbowed Aside by Health Care.” “By the time March arrived, President Obama was supposed to be entering his third month of the year talking about three things: jobs, jobs, jobs. That was the plan of the White House — and the plea from many Democrats — as the unemployment rate remained frozen near 10 percent and the economy showed only hints of brightening …Democrats on midterm election ballots feel a growing sense of worry that the year is quickly ticking away.” (Jeff Zeleny, “A Plan To Talk About Jobs, Elbowed Aside By Health Care,” The New York Times, 3/2/10)

• As Obama “Focused” On Reconciliation Immediately After Election Of Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) On January 19. “Senior Congressional aides said that lawmakers and the White House were increasingly focused on a plan by which the House would adopt the health care bill approved by the Senate on Dec. 24, with any changes made in a separate bill using the budget reconciliation maneuver. But Democratic leaders are no longer confident that rank-and-file House Democrats would be willing to go along. The victory by the Republican, Scott Brown, in Massachusetts last Tuesday not only denied Democrats their 60th vote, but raised a specter of fear for Democrats over the midterm elections.” (David Herszenhorn & Robert Pear, “Decision Looms On Advancing Health Care Bill,” The New York Times, 1/25/10)

AND THE THREAT OF OBAMACARE HAS DISCOURAGED BUSINESSES FROM HIRING, DISCOURAGING AMERICANS FROM SEEKING JOBS

Small Businesses Not Hiring Due To Concerns About Obama’s Government-Run Health Care Bill. “But a health-care overhaul grinding through Congress could bring unknown new obligations to insure employees. Bush-era tax cuts are set to end next year, and their fate is unclear. Legislation aimed at tackling climate change might raise businesses’ energy costs. … Many companies say they have responded by freezing hiring, cutting benefits and delaying expansion plans. With at least 60% of job growth historically coming out of the small-business sector, according to the government’s Small Business Administration, that kind of inertia could impede an economic recovery.”  (Gary Fields, “Political Uncertainty Puts Freeze on Small Businesses,” The Wall Street Journal, 10/28/09)

• Companies Not Hiring Until “Health Care, Climate Legislation – Go Away Or Are Resolved.” “Companies large and small are saying, ‘I am not going to do anything until these things -- health care, climate legislation -- go away or are resolved,’ said Dan DiMicco, chief executive of steelmaker Nucor Corp.”  (Neil King Jr. & Gary Fields, “White House, Business Leaders Split On How To Create Jobs,” The Wall Street Journal, 11/30/09)
  
  
• In Lorain County, Ohio the Threat Of Obama’s Medical Device Tax Is Causing One Of The Largest Local Businesses To Stop Hiring. “[I]n the short run, some of his policies could cost existing jobs, especially health-care reform, if it is enacted. One of the few large businesses that has prospered in Lorain County in recent years has been Invacare, a maker of home medical devices, such as walkers and wheelchairs… The company has 1,300 employees in Lorain County but has stopped hiring in anticipation of a tax on medical devices that was proposed to help pay for the president’s health-care reform plan.” (Michael A. Fletcher, “Assessing Obama’s Promises Of Jobs In A Hub Of Manufacturing,” The Washington Post, 1/22/09)

Since Obama Started Push For Government-Run Health Care Last March, 519,000 Americans Became Discouraged From Seeking Work. (U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 3/5/10)

• In February Alone, 139,000 Americans Became Discouraged From Seeking Work. (U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 3/5/10)
  
  
• And The Unemployment Rate Including Discouraged Workers Is Now At 16.8 Percent. (U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 3/5/10)