ORP: Recovery Bummer

Release:

Columbus – Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine released the following statement on the one year anniversary of President Obama’s “Recovery Summer” declaration:

“One year ago President Obama came to Ohio and promised the American people that massive deficit spending would bring us a ‘Recovery Summer,’ but the economic realities facing Ohio taxpayers and families today are better described as a recovery bummer,” Chairman DeWine said.

“Two years of pep rallies and broken promises by Barack Obama and Sherrod Brown have cost Ohio nearly 40,000 jobs, and pushed a massive burden of debt onto the backs of future generations. Speaker Boehner and Senator Rob Portman have put forth economic plans which empower the private sector, not the government, to create jobs. President Obama and Sherrod Brown should pick them up as summer reading before once again using Ohioans as a political prop for their failed economic policies.”

SUMMER BUMMER: Democrats’ Failed Stimulus Promises

President Obama came to Ohio to cite the success of the stimulus: President Obama claimed that his trillion dollar stimulus was creating “…progress all across the country. Businesses are beginning to hire again.” He also said that the economy “is now growing at a good clip,” and he gave credit to Democrats in Congress for passing the “successful” stimulus. (Presidential press conference, Columbus, OH, 6/18/2010)

Sherrod Brown claimed as many as 133,000 jobs would be created in Ohio: “Ohio will receive more than $8 billion to help create as many as 133,000 Ohio jobs. The funds are designed to stimulate Ohio's economy through investment in infrastructure projects, foster new business growth and new industry, and help millions of Ohio middle class families with much-needed tax relief.” (Sherrod Brown, February 2009 Wrap Up, Press Release, 02/09)

Sherrod Brown said the stimulus would the economy “back on track”: “‘This bill will go a long way toward putting Americans back to work and our economy back on track,' Mr. Brown said.” (Tom Troy, "Brown, Kaptur Back Stimulus; GOP's Voinovich Rejects It," Toledo Blade, 2/12/09)

Brown said the stimulus would jump start the economy: “BROWN: And that’s what this program’s all about over the next two years, jump-starting that economy.” (CNN, 1/28/09)

SUMMER BUMMER: Democrats’ Now Claim Ownership of Struggling Economy

DNC Chairwoman claims ownership of present economy: “We own the economy. We own the beginning of the turnaround and we want to make sure that we continue that pace of recovery…” (Molly Ball, “Debbie Wasserman Schultz: ‘We Own the Economy’,” FoxNews, 6/15/2011)

President Obama said his job was to “solve problems” when it came to the economy: “‘This is Obama’s economy. … ‘That’s fine. Give it to me ... So I welcome the job. My job is to solve problems.’” (Sam Youngman, “Obama takes ownership of economy,” The Hill, 7/14/09)

White House: Poor jobs numbers “bumps on the road to recovery”: “The White House downplayed a disappointing May jobs report Friday that showed unemployment inched up to 9.1 percent, with President Obama’s chief economist Austin Goolsbee calling the latest number one of the ‘bumps on the road to recovery.’” (Kara Rowland, “Poor Jobs Numbers ‘Bumps on the Road to Recovery,” Washington Times, 6/3/11)

SUMMER BUMMER: Economic Realities Ohio Faces

More Ohio jobs lost: As of April 2011, Ohio has lost 38,046 jobs since the stimulus passed in February 2009. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics Website, www.bls.gov, Accessed 6/15/11)

Ohio unemployment rate no longer decreasing: “It's a pause after 14 straight months of falling unemployment.” (Associated Press, 6/17/11)

Fewer Ohio businesses being created: Ohio had 5,831 fewer “Starting and Active Businesses” in 2009 over 2008 and still 3,489 fewer from 2009 to 2010 (2008 = 233,681; 2009 = 227,850; 2010 = 224,361). (Ohio Department of Development, “Ohio County Indicators,” p. 167, June 2011)

Butler County has lost 3,500 Jobs Since 2009: “Butler County has lost nearly 1,300 jobs in the first six months of this year and about 3,500 jobs since 2009, according to county and state data.” (Michael D. Pitman, “Butler County ranks No. 1 in job loss for entire region,” Dayton Daily News, 6/9/11)

SUMMER BUMMER: Our National Econom

Unemployment, national debt and gas prices have increased: In the 28 months since the stimulus was passed, unemployment has increased at a rate of 25%, our nation’s debt has risen 35% and the cost of a gallon of gas is up 104%. (NBC’s “Meet the Press,” 6/12/11)

1.9 million fewer people employed twenty-eight months after “stimulus” was passed: “Twenty-eight months after Congress passed President Obama’s signature economic stimulus law, and nearly one year after he declared the summer of 2010 to be ‘Recovery Summer,’ 1.9 million fewer people are employed.” (Matt Clover, “1.9 Million Fewer Americans Have Jobs Today Than When Obama Signed Stimulus,” CNS News, 6/14/11)

Unemployment Duration Hits Longest Amount on Record: “Long-term unemployed I: Average length of unemployment hit longest amount on record (going back to 1948) of 39.7 weeks.” (Lisa Desjardins, “Cheat Sheet: Unemployment Report,” CNN, 6/3/2011)

Ohio State 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.” (Timothy Conley and Bill Dupor, “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Public Sector Jobs Saved, Private Sector Jobs Forestalled,” 5/17/11)

Ohio Republicans Offer Alternative Job Plans

Ohio’s Republican delegation is leading the way in providing ideas which will lead to job growth:

On May 3rd, Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) unveiled the Senate Republican Jobs Plan.

U.S. House Republicans unveiled A Plan for America’s Job Creators, a plan that builds on the Pledge to America and GOP efforts to spur private sector job growth.

If President Obama and Sherrod Brown would like information on what it will take to create jobs and move America’s economy toward a sustained recovery, Senator Portman’s Jobs Plan can be viewed here. The jobs plan put forth by Speaker Boehner can be found here.