41 Straight Months Of High Unemployment, Yet Casey Contends That Obama’s Policies Have Helped Pennsylvania’s Economy

Over three years ago, liberal Democrat Bob Casey was a strong supporter of a massive “stimulus” spending bill – paid for by borrowing billions of dollars from China – that he flatly predicted would “create or save” thousands of Pennsylvania jobs.

At the same time, Casey vigorously supported the massive health care law which the Supreme Court confirmed last week represents a significant tax hike on Pennsylvania families and small businesses.  In fact, Casey remarkably claimed that passing ObamaCare was a “significant component” to getting the economy back on track.

Yet, since President Obama has taken office and the Democrats have run Washington, our country has actually lost over 400,000 jobs, and today marks the 41^st straight month that the national unemployment rate has remained above 8 percent.

In fact, the June unemployment report shows the worst quarter of job creation in two years.

As CNBC reports:

CNBC’s John Harwood: “Not Good News For The American Economy”

“Between last week’s Supreme Court decision and today’s jobs report, it’s a sobering reminder that at a time when Bob Casey and the Democrats should have been focused on jobs, they focused instead on a massive middle class tax hike and reckless government spending programs,” National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Jahan Wilcox said today.  “As Pennsylvanians recall that two years ago Senator Casey said passing ObamaCare was critical to getting the economy back on track, they are right to wonder just how out of touch he is.”  

BACKGROUND…. 

Casey-Obama Economic Record….

• Since President Obama Took Office, The Nation Has Lost 473,000 Jobs And The Unemployment Rate Has Increased From 7.8 Percent To 8.2 Percent. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 7/6/12)

• In June, The Hispanic Unemployment Rate Remained At 11.0 Percent. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 7/6/12)

• The African American Unemployment Rate Increased From 13.6 Percent To 14.4 Percent. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 7/6/12)

• The Unemployment Rate Has Remained Above Eight Percent For A Record 41 Straight Months. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 7/6/12)

• The Real Unemployment Rate, Including Those That Are Working Part-Time Due To Economic Reasons, Increased To 14.9 Percent. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 7/6/12) 

VERSUS….

Bob Casey’s Rhetoric….

• Casey: Obama “Can Help Us Rebuild America.” CASEY: “Barack Obama can lead us, he can heal us, and he can help us rebuild America.” (Senator Bob Casey, “Senator Casey Endorses Barack Obama For President,” Pittsburg, PA, 3/28/08)

• Casey: “I Think The President Has A Lot Of Really Good Ideas About How To Create Jobs.” MITCHELL: “Do you buy that argument? That this jobs bill alone would prevent a double-dip?” CASEY: “I think the president has a lot of really good ideas about how to create jobs…I think the president is right to focus on jobs. I think his ideas are going to have a lot of support in the Senate and across the country.” (MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” 10/6/11)

• Casey Said The “Stimulus” Would “Create Jobs And Create Economic Opportunity.” CASEY: “The passage of the American Recovery And Reinvestments Act was a positive step forward for our country. It made investments in areas we had not invested in in a long time and it also will help us recovery- to get our economy out of the ditch and get us moving in the right direction to create jobs and to create economic opportunity.” (Senator Bob Casey, “Five Months Of Accomplishments And Goals For The Future,” www.youtube.com, Accessed 9/7/11)

• Casey Said Our Economy Is “Moving In The Right Direction” And That “We’re Benefitting… From The Actions Taken In The Last Two Years.” Casey: “If we look at the last 14 months, we have now recorded over those 14 months private sector job gains, and during that time we’ve added to 2.1 million private sector jobs… So we’re moving in the right direction. We’re benefiting, in my judgment, from the actions taken in the last two years, in 2009 and 2010, in dealing with this challenge.” (Senator Bob Casey, Joint Economic Committee Hearing On April Unemployment, 5/6/11)

• Casey Said “A Significant Component Of Strengthening Our Economy Is Healthcare Reform.” “‘A significant component of strengthening our economy is healthcare reform,’ Casey said. ‘We need to keep moving forward to implement legislation to crack down on insurance companies, cover 3 1 million Americans with no health insurance and reduce the deficit.’” (Larry Miller, “Change Comes To Obama,” Sun Reporter, 1/28/10)

• Casey: “No One In The Senate Has Worked Harder Than I Have To Get This Done.” CASEY: “But I also voted to get the bill out of the committee, and I want to get health-care legislation passed. No one in the Senate has worked harder than I have to get this done, and we will get it done.” (MSBNC, 12/7/09)