Obama Q+A at the 2010 House Republican retreat: on Jobs


Barack Obama: Recession job losses more severe than anticipated

Rep. PENCE: Your administration told us that we'd have to borrow more than $700 billion to pay for a so-called stimulus bill. It was a piecemeal list of projects and boutique tax cuts, all of which--we were told--had to be passed or unemployment would go to 8%, as your administration said. Well, unemployment is 10% now.

Pres. OBAMA: You're absolutely right that when I was sworn in the hope was that unemployment would remain around 8%. What ended up happening was that the job losses from this recession proved to be much more severe than anybody anticipated. We underestimated how severe the job losses were going to be. But those job losses took place before any stimulus, whether it was the ones that you guys have proposed or the ones that we proposed, could have ever taken into effect. Now, that's just the fact, Mike, and I don't think anybody would dispute that. You could not find an economist who would dispute that.

Source: Obama Q&A at 2010 House Republican retreat in Baltimore Jan 29, 2010

Mike Pence: $700B stimulus did not deliver promised employment

Rep. PENCE: Your administration told us that we'd have to borrow more than $700 billion to pay for a so-called stimulus bill. It was a piecemeal list of projects and boutique tax cuts, all of which--we were told--had to be passed or unemployment would go to 8%, as your administration said. Well, unemployment is 10% now.

Pres. OBAMA: You're absolutely right that when I was sworn in the hope was that unemployment would remain around 8%. What ended up happening was that the job losses from this recession proved to be much more severe than anybody anticipated. We underestimated how severe the job losses were going to be. But those job losses took place before any stimulus, whether it was the ones that you guys have proposed or the ones that we proposed, could have ever taken into effect. Now, that's just the fact, Mike, and I don't think anybody would dispute that. You could not find an economist who would dispute that.

Source: Obama Q&A at 2010 House Republican retreat in Baltimore Jan 29, 2010

  • The above quotations are from Obama Q+A at the 2010 House Republican retreat.
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2016 Presidential contenders on Jobs:
  Republicans:
Gov.Jeb Bush(FL)
Dr.Ben Carson(MD)
Gov.Chris Christie(NJ)
Sen.Ted Cruz(TX)
Carly Fiorina(CA)
Gov.Jim Gilmore(VA)
Sen.Lindsey Graham(SC)
Gov.Mike Huckabee(AR)
Gov.Bobby Jindal(LA)
Gov.John Kasich(OH)
Gov.Sarah Palin(AK)
Gov.George Pataki(NY)
Sen.Rand Paul(KY)
Gov.Rick Perry(TX)
Sen.Rob Portman(OH)
Sen.Marco Rubio(FL)
Sen.Rick Santorum(PA)
Donald Trump(NY)
Gov.Scott Walker(WI) 		Democrats:
Gov.Lincoln Chafee(RI)
Secy.Hillary Clinton(NY)
V.P.Joe Biden(DE)
Gov.Martin O`Malley(MD)
Sen.Bernie Sanders(VT)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren(MA)
Sen.Jim Webb(VA)

2016 Third Party Candidates:
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Roseanne Barr(PF-HI)
Robert Steele(L-NY)
Dr.Jill Stein(G,MA)
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Page last updated: Dec 03, 2018