Will Manchin Back Second Stimulus After Supporting First $787 Billion Debacle?
As he cheered for President Barack Obama’s $787 billion stimulus, Democrat U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) promised it would “make a big difference in the job market,” while his friends in the Obama Administration projected the deficit-spending spree would hold unemployment below 8 percent.
But instead, our country has lost 2.4 million jobs since President Obama came into office and is now in its 30th consecutive month with higher-than-8-percent unemployment – while our national debt has skyrocketed to $14.5 trillion.
So where does Manchin stand now, as Obama calls for West Virginians to foot the bill for yet another round of costly “stimulus” spending in Washington?
As Fox News reports:
In his weekly address on Saturday, President Barack Obama called for Congress to approve more money for a new—and vaguely defined—program to repair roads, bridges and airports as a means of creating jobs for construction workers… The president did not explain how loaning money to a company that wants to help repair a road, bridge or airport would cause more roads, bridges or airports to be repaired and thus necessitate the hiring of more construction workers to repair them. He also gave no details of the loan program he envisions—who would qualify for a government loan under it or on what terms the lenders would pay the taxpayers back.
Meanwhile, Obama repeated his calls for more spending in remarks at the White House today, demanding – without details or elaboration – that more borrowed Federal money be spent to “help companies who want to repair the roads and bridges and airports so that thousands of construction workers who have been without a job can get work and spur economic growth.”
“Joe Manchin still thinks it was smart for Washington to borrow and spend $787 billion from China in order to lose 2.4 million American jobs, so it’s a safe bet he’ll side with President Obama once again in calling for a second round of stimulus spending on top of our $14.5 trillion debt,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Chris Bond.
Background Information:
Manchin & The Democrats Promised Their Stimulus Would “Save Or Create 3.5 Million Jobs” And Would “Make A Big Difference In The Job Market”
“The Obama administration is defending its claim that the $787 billion economic stimulus plan will save or create 3.5 million jobs before 2011 even while conceding that unemployment will likely continue to rise beyond its earlier predictions.” (Stimulus plan will create or save 3.5 million jobs, White House says, Associated Press, 05/11/09)
President Obama’s Economic Advisors Christina Romer And Jared Bernstein Predicted Unemployment Would Not Rise Above 8 Percent If The Stimulus Was Passed. (Christina Romer and Jared Bernstein, “The Job Impact Of The American Recovery And Reinvestment Plan,”1/9/09)
In February 2010, Manchin Said The Stimulus Would “Make A Big Difference In The Job Market.” Q “Looking back at the success of the stimulus package, there seems to be a sense that a lot of states are making hard decisions and maybe it wasn’t such a great thing after all. Do you share that assessment? Do you think it’s fair?” . . . Gov. Manchin: “There’s an awful lot of that money that is coming out now going towards infrastructure — projects, state by state, I think it will make a big difference in the job market.” (Press Conference With Governor Joe Manchin (D-WV) et al, 2/22/10)
In December 2008, Manchin Said Obama’s Plan For An Economic Stimulus Package With Funding For Infrastructure Projects Would Jumpstart The U.S. Economy Immediately By Creating Jobs And Demand For Construction Materials. “After meetings with President-elect Barack Obama on Monday and Tuesday, Gov. Joe Manchin said he is convinced Obama will move quickly on economic stimulus packages for the states. Manchin said federal funding for highway construction and other infrastructure projects would jump-start the U.S. economy by immediately creating jobs and demand for construction materials. ‘With infrastructure projects, these jobs are ready to go tomorrow,’ Manchin said Tuesday afternoon, after Obama met with the Democratic Governors Association Monday evening and the National Governors Association Tuesday morning in Philadelphia.” (Phil Kabler, “Obama Will Help, Manchin Says,” The Charleston [WV] Gazette, 12/3/08)
- “Manchin Said, ‘He’s [Obama’s] Not Just Throwing Money At This (Recession). He Wants To Make Sure There Are Investments And Value.’” (George Hohmann, “Manchin Says Obama Here To Help,” Charleston [WV] Daily Mail, 12/3/08)
