Fight the stimulus messaging with 'without stimulus we would be at 14% unemployment'

[Dawgs]

Every Democrat should get on a simple message like this is; and they need to spread it often and everywhere.

Republicans are winning the messaging because the Democrats answer is pathetic.

[Llewlladdwr]

1. Prove it. NT

[stevenleser]

4. Prove that it isnt true.

We have the CBO. What have you got?

[Dawgs]

6. Prove what? That 2.5 to 3.5 million lost jobs wouldn't have collapsed the economy?

It's really not too hard.

The stimulus, along with the auto bailout probably kept us from getting to 30% unemployment.

Your response is just sad.

[Llewlladdwr]

24. You're missing the point guys.

It's easy to say "oh, the stimulus saved us from a depression and prevented unemployment from going to 14%". Telling those who disbelieve you that they need to do their own research in support of your conclusion is a non-starter. You need to have a very strong argument, butressed by facts (that you can repeat and exlain), or you're just going to look like a cheerleader.

[Canuckistanian]

2. Where does the 14% come from?

I believe you, but you have to have some proof.

[stevenleser]

5. The CBO n/t

[Canuckistanian]

7. Then that should be part of his argument

As in, "According to the Congressional Budget Office, the unemployment rate would be 14% WITHOUT the stimulus."

[dunn]

3. The stock market is up about 30% under Obama's policies.

Under Bush's polices it dropped from 10700 to 8000 - a drop of 25%.

I have not seen anyone make that point anywhere.

[Exilednight]

8. If you take into account those that fell off of unemployment rolls .............

due to their benefits running out and have stopped looking for work, then we probably are at 14% unemployment.

When Bush was in office, everyone on here knew that the the real unemployment number was higher than the reported number. Now that Obama is in office, people have a convenient lapse of memory.

[Skittles]

9. we are past 14% unemployment

[dunn]

10. 9.6% unemployment means 90.4% are employed.

That's 15% better than the great depression.

[Skittles]

11. uh huh

http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewarticle/articleid/4472902

[golfguru]

23. When you add discouraged job seekers, Unemployment is double

of the gov't figure.

[dunn]

26. That would apply to the Depression numbers also.

The economists said the stimulus bill would prevent a depression. The fact that the current unemployment numbers are so much better than the Depression numbers shows they were correct.

[MadHound]

12. Umm, we're actually at almost seventeen percent unemployment right now

Counting the full number of people who are unemployed, not just the U3 number.

And frankly, if it wasn't for trying to be bipartisan and vainly pursuing 'Pug votes by making forty percent of the stimulus bill even more tax cuts, many more people would be employed right now.

[dunn]

15. And that makes republicans happy.

They said when he got in there that they hoped he failed.

[Dawgs]

18. Your post is exactly why Democrats lose the messaging battle.

Americans don't know or don't care what the number is; they know that the stimulus didn't keep the unemployment rate at 8% because of the Republican messaging.

Democrats are losing because they don't have a simple message to counter that spin.

Your response has nothing to do with my point.

[Milo_Bloom]

13. That would have worked IF....

They didn't have a ton of quotes from the WH about where the unemployment rate would get without the stimulus, when they were trying to sell it.

[dunn]

14. That's what the economists were saying at the time.

[Milo_Bloom]

16. Actually, the economist I remember pretty much predicted this

exactly right... an no one listened to him!

[dunn]

17. The majority of economists were saying the same thing the White House was saying.

[Milo_Bloom]

20. You mean the economists who didn't see the problem coming in the first place?

Maybe they shouldn't have relied on the same old sources and done some independent thinking for a change.

But, because of their unwillingness to do so, they have no way to now claim, "it would have been worse", since it is already worse than they predicted it would be WITHOUT the stimulus.

[dunn]

25. There are those doom and gloom economists that always sees a recession coming.

They just prove the adage that a stopped clock is sometimes right.
Even they said the stimulus would help employment.

[Dawgs]

19. Wrong. They can easily say, 'You are correct, but without it we would be at 14%'.

Would Americans really care if they knew that things would have been much worse without it?

You on the right site?

[Milo_Bloom]

21. They should only say that if they want to look foolish.

[Exilednight]

27. We are actually at about 14% unemployment. Some economists put the number even higher.

There's two unemployment numbers, the number that is reported, and the real number.

[DrSteveB]

22. Obama's team said it would be 9% without the stimulus at this point

And about 7% with the stimulus:




http://tinyurl.com/2d9lvjf