41 Straight Months Of High Unemployment, Yet Tester Stands By Democrats’ Reckless Spending Agenda
Over three years ago, liberal Democrat Jon Tester was an outspoken advocate in Washington in support of a massive “stimulus” spending bill – paid for with billions of dollars borrowed from China – that he flatly predicted would put thousands of Montanans back to work.
At the same time, Tester was rallying his liberal friends to support a massive new health care law which the Supreme Court confirmed last week represents a significant tax hike on Montana families and small businesses.
And the federal debt has skyrocketed past $15 trillion in the wake of all this reckless spending, despite the fact that as a candidate in 2006, Tester routinely attacked Republicans for deficit spending and proclaimed his support for a “balanced budget.”
Yet, since the Democrats have run Washington over the last four years, our country has actually lost over 400,000 jobs, and today marks the 41st 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 Senator Tester 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. “Tester’s prediction that President Obama’s spending policies would actually help the Montana economy is just a reminder how out of touch his liberal record is with Montana.”
BACKGROUND….
Tester-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)
- 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….
Jon Tester’s Rhetoric….
- Tester Called The Stimulus A “Jobs Bill,” And Said It Was A “Big Victory For Middle-Class Folks In Montana.” “‘This Jobs Bill is a big victory for middle-class folks in Montana who are paying a tough price after years of failed economic policies,’ Tester said. ‘This Jobs Bill will rebuild our economy from the ground up by putting folks to work and investing in people. We won’t get out of this mess overnight, but passing the Jobs Bill is an important first step, and it will pay us back for generations to come.’” (Senator Jon Tester, “Baucus, Tester Vote For Final Jobs Bill, At Least $626 Million For Montana,” Press Release, 2/13/09)
- “‘The Word “Stimulus” Is A Washington, D.C., Word That Doesn’t Mean Much In My Book,’ Tester Said. ‘That’s Why—From Day One—I Have Called This The Jobs Bill. Because That’s Exactly What It Is. You’re Either For Jobs. Or You’re Against Jobs . . . .’” (Senator Jon Tester, “Tester To Congress: ‘You’re Either For Jobs Or Against Jobs,’” Press Release, 2/11/09)
- Tester Said He Looked At The Stimulus As A “Jobs Bill,” And Said “We Needed Something To Really Put People Back To Work. I Think This Bill Does That.” MADDOW: “First of all, I know you were a big supporter of the stimulus bill. So, congratulations to you on that legislation passing the Senate today. I have to ask you if you expect to see big changes in the conference committee before the president signs it?” TESTER: “Well, I really don’t. And I really look at it as a jobs bill, Rachel. I think that, you know, when you have the unemployment rates like we’ve had over the last three months, we needed something to really put people back to work. I think this bill does that.” (MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show,” 2/10/09)
- Tester: “I Think You’re Going To See Job Creation Out Of This [Stimulus] Bill Within 90 Days.” (Kellyn Brown, “Tester On The Flathead, Stimulus Plan And Partisanship,” Flathead Beacon, 2/17/09)
- September 2011: “Tester Said He Won’t Run Away From His Votes, And That The Stimulus Bill Helped Create Jobs In Montana, ‘Stopped The Bleeding’ In A Badly Damaged Economy, And Stopped Massive Job Losses. ‘We have a ways to go, because we’re not creating enough jobs, but we’re certainly not losing jobs like we were,’ he said.” (Mike Dennison, “Tester: If Truth On My Record Gets Out, I Win,” Billings Gazette, 9/18/11)
- February 2011: Tester: “That’s Why I’m Proud Of My Vote For The Recovery Act. A Bill That Put Thousands – Let Me Repeat, Thousands – Of Montanans To Work.” (Senator Jon Tester, “Tester’s Address To Montana State Legislature,” Press Release, 2/11/11)
- “[J]on Helped Write And Pass The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act, Which Created Jobs Through Infrastructure Projects such as the Rocky Boy’s/North Central Regional Water System, which will deliver clean drinking water to more than 50,000 people across northcentral Montana.” (Jon Tester Senate Campaign Website, www.jontester.com, Accessed 6/26/12)
