"Double Down" Brown Faults Obama Stimulus

Release:

COLUMBUS - Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine released the following statement today in response to the new jobs study, and Sherrod Brown's statement that President Obama's stimulus bill has failed to create Ohio jobs:

"While I welcome Sherrod Brown's acknowledgement in Cincinnati that the president's stimulus has not met expectations, he must be delusional if he believes Ohio taxpayers are willing to fork over billions more in tax dollars to double down on another job crushing stimulus," said Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine. 

"This study shows that Sherrod Brown's continued support of failed spending policies only serves to shackle Ohio job creators and threaten the economic well being of future generations of Americans. The only thing Obama's left-hand man, Sherrod Brown, has managed to stimulate is the anger of Ohio taxpayers who will seek his forced retirement in 2012."   

Background Information:

New Study Finds that Stimulus Destroyed Private Sector Jobs. The study released this week by economists Timothy Conley from the University of Western Ontario and Bill Dupor from Ohio State University found that the President's failed stimulus "destroyed/forestalled roughly one million private sector jobs." The full study, titled The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Public Sector Jobs Saved, Private Sector Jobs Forestalled, is available here.

In 2009, the White House Falsely Claimed that If the Stimulus Passed, Unemployment Would Not Rise Above 8 Percent. In reality, unemployment is currently 9 percent and has been above 8 percent for 27 months. In the same report, the Obama Administration claimed the stimulus would "save or create at least 3 million jobs by the end of 2010."  The Conley/Dupor report found, "surprisingly, either negligible or negative effects of the Act on total employment."

Brown Admits Stimulus Didn't Go Far Enough.  "Brown said the administration of President Barack Obama has spent a lot of energy in efforts to right the economy in the last two years, but those efforts are not showing up enough in Cincinnati, Forest Park and other communities. He called for another stimulus package that would focus more on improving infrastructure." ("Local African American elected officials share ideas with Sen. Brown at Urban League," Cincinnati Herald, 5/21/11)

Brown Was THE Deciding Vote in Favor of Obama's Failed Stimulus.  "Although most senators voted shortly after 5:30 p.m., the 60th and final vote was not cast until 10:46 p.m. by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. ... The White House arranged to fly Brown to Washington last night on a government plane after concluding he could not have reached the Capitol by a regular commercial flight."  ("Stimulus Bill Approved," Columbus Dispatch, 2/14/09)

Brown Said Stimulus Would "Go a Long Way Toward Putting Americans Back to Work." "'This bill will go a long way toward putting Americans back to work and our economy back on track,' Mr. Brown said. 'It includes critical infrastructure funds that provide immediate job creation while driving long-term economic development. It also creates a new generation of green jobs that will revive our nation's manufacturing base while reducing our dependence on foreign oil.'" (Tom Troy, "Brown, Kaptur Back Stimulus; GOP's Voinovich Rejects It," The [Toledo, OH] Blade, 2/12/09)

Brown: "When I Hear People Say the Stimulus Had No Impact, They're Just Dead Wrong."  "'When I hear people say the stimulus had no impact, they're just dead wrong,' Brown said." (Bobby Warren, "Business Leaders: Recovery Will Be Long and Slow," Daily Record [Wooster, OH], 9/6/10)