1 Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee, www.democrats.org. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. February 3, 2012 This week, the President held the first completely virtual interview at t he White House with more than 227 ,000 Americans, where he answered questions ab out his State of the Union address. He convened a Cabinet meeting that focused on small business growth and encouraging startup companies, and he laid out new steps the Administration is taking to lend a hand to America’s responsible homeowners – making it easier for them to refinance their homes and avoid foreclosure. Later in the week, President Obama spok e about his faith and the values that all Americans share during the 2012 National Prayer Breakfast. On Friday, building on the release of Ja nuary jobs numbers showing that the economy has seen 23 consecutive months of private sector job growth for a total of 3.7 million jobs over that period, the President spoke in Virginia about the need to continue our economic growth and announced a new initiative to put America’s veterans ba ck to work. Additionally, the Democratic National Committee released a statement commemorating February as Black History Month. With the Republican presidential candidates in both Florida and Nevada to continue their battle for the GOP nomination, the DNC joined state and local Democrats in continuing to ho ld Mitt Romney accountable for his failed agenda, out-of-touch positions, and willingness to say a nything to get elected. And the DNC joined Democrats across the country in holding a range of events and activities highlighting the President’s positive record on helping America’s homeowners, creating jobs and building our economy– and contrasting those achievements with Mitt Romney’s failed record.Economy Adds Private Sector Jobs i n January for 23 Straight Months of Growth On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released jobs numbers for the month of January, showing that th e economy added 257,000 private sector jobs in January and that the unemployment rate fell to 8.3 percent. This is now the 23 rd consecutive month of private sector job growth, for a total of 3.7 million jobs over that period. The following chart shows the progress we have made on private sector job creation under President Obama’s policies:
Transcript
8/3/2019 Democratic National Committee 2-03-2012 Weekly Update
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February 3, 2012
This week, the President held the first completely virtual interview at the White House with more than 227,000 Americans, where he answered questions about his State of the Union address. He convened a Cabinet meeting thatfocused on small business growth and encouraging startup companies, and he laid out new steps the Administrationis taking to lend a hand to America’s responsible homeowners – making it easier for them to refinance their homesand avoid foreclosure. Later in the week, President Obama spoke about his faith and the values that all Americansshare during the 2012 National Prayer Breakfast. On Friday, building on the release of January jobs numbersshowing that the economy has seen 23 consecutive months of private sector job growth for a total of 3.7 million jobsover that period, the President spoke in Virginia about the need to continue our economic growth and announced anew initiative to put America’s veterans back to work. Additionally, the Democratic National Committee released astatement commemorating February as Black History Month.
With the Republican presidential candidates in both Florida and Nevada to continue their battle for the GOPnomination, the DNC joined state and local Democrats in continuing to hold Mitt Romney accountable for his failedagenda, out-of-touch positions, and willingness to say anything to get elected. And the DNC joined Democratsacross the country in holding a range of events and activities highlighting the President’s positive record on helping
America’s homeowners, creating jobs and building our economy – and contrasting those achievements with MittRomney’s failed record.
Economy Adds Private Sector Jobs in January for 23 Straight Months of Growth
On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released jobs numbers for the month of January, showing that the economyadded 257,000 private sector jobs in January and that the unemployment rate fell to 8.3 percent. This is now the23rd consecutive month of private sector job growth, for a total of 3.7 million jobs over that period. The followingchart shows the progress we have made on private sector job creation under President Obama’s policies:
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These numbers are a sign that the economy is moving in the right direction, though the President believes we needfaster economic growth to keep moving America forward.
President Obama Speaks to the American People in First Completely Virtual Interview at the White House
This week, the President participated in areal-time, online discussion with more than227,000 Americans through an interviewwith YouTube and Google+. This Google+hangout was the first completely virtualinterview ever held from the White House,with President Obama answering questionsabout his State of the Union address frompeople all over the country.
You can watch video of the President’sGoogle+ hangout here.
The President Holds Cabinet Meeting Focusing on Small Business Agenda
On Tuesday, President Obama convened a meeting of his Cabinet to discuss the vision for moving America forwardthat he laid out during his State of the Union address last week. Attending the meeting was a new member of theCabinet – Karen Mills, the head of the Small Business Administration – who the President elevated to guarantee thatthe small business community always has a direct line to the Oval Office. The meeting was focused on ways the
Administration can continue to help small businesses succeed in America, with an emphasis on aiding and promotingthe growth of startup companies. In remarks delivered before the Cabinet meeting, President Obama said:
“One of the top priorities that I mentioned during the State of the Union was the need for us to promotesmall business. And I’m very pleased that we’ve got Karen Mills here, who has participated in our meetingsbefore, but is now an official member of the Cabinet.
“It is a symbol of how
important it is for us tospur entrepreneurship, tohelp startups, to moveaggressively so that wecan assure morecompanies that createthe most jobs in oureconomy are getting aleg up from the variousprograms that we havein our government.
“I mentioned at the Stateof the Union that there
have been discussions,bipartisan discussionsbetween Republicans andDemocrats, about awhole set of measuresthat can accelerate
financing to startup companies; can provide tax breaks to startups and small businesses that are interestedin either hiring more workers or increasing their wages; that looks at innovative ways for them to raisecapital.
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“ And my expectation and hope is, is that they will get a bill together quickly, that they will pass it and get iton my desk. I will sign it right away, and I would like to see that bill signed this year. ”
Watch the President’s remarks here.
Continuing to Lay Out Blueprint for America, the President Announces New Actions to Aid Homeowners
In Falls Church, Virginia on Wednesday, President Obama expanded on the ideas he laid out during his State of theUnion address on ways to lend a hand to America’s homeowners. The President has sent Congress a broad
refinancing plan that would let responsible homeowners save hundreds of dollars a month and an average of $3,000
per year. This and other newly announced actions – including a Homeowner Bill of Rights that ensures borrowers
and lenders are playing by the same rules – build on the executive action President Obama already took last fall to
lower interest rates for eligible Americans. The President delivered remarks announcing these actions, saying:
“I want to be clear: This plan, like the other actions we’ve taken, will not help the neighbors down the streetwho bought a house they couldn’t afford, and then walked away and left a foreclosed home behind. It’s notdesigned for those who’ve acted irresponsibly, but it can help those who’ve acted responsibly. It’s not goingto help those who bought multiple homes just to speculate and flip the house and make a quick buck, but itcan help those who’ve acted responsibly.
“What this plan will do is help millions of responsible homeowners who make their payments on time butfind themselves trapped under falling home values or wrapped up in red tape.
“If you’re ineligible for refinancing just because you’re underwater on your mortgage, through no fault of your own, this plan changes that. You’ll be able to refinance at a lower rate. You’ll be able to save hundredsof dollars a month that you can put back in your pocket. Or you can choose those savings to rebuild equityin your homes, which will help most underwater homeowners come back up for air more quickly.”
Watch President Obama’s remarks here.
President Obama Discusses His Values at 2012 National Prayer Breakfast
On Thursday, the President spoke at the 2012 National Prayer Breakfast. During his speech, President Obama
described how his faith informs his thinking as a leader. He also stressed the importance of recognizing our shared
set of values as Americans. The President said:
“So instead, I must try
-- imperfectly, but I
must try -- to make
sure those values
motivate me as one
leader of this great
nation.
“ And so when I talk
about our financial
institutions playing by
the same rules as folks
on Main Street, when I
talk about making sure
insurance companies
aren’t discriminating
against those who are
already sick, or making sure that unscrupulous lenders aren’t taking advantage of the most vulnerable
among us, I do so because I genuinely believe it will make the economy stronger for everybody. But I also
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do it because I know that far too many neighbors in our country have been hurt and treated unfairly over
the last few years, and I believe in God’s command to ‘love thy neighbor as thyself.’ I know the version of
that Golden Rule is found in every major religion and every set of beliefs - – from Hinduism to Islam to
Judaism to the writings of Plato.
“ And when I talk about shared responsibility, it’s because I genuinely believe that in a time when many folks
are struggling, at a time when we have enormous deficits, it’s hard for me to ask seniors on a fixed income,or young people with student loans, or middle-class families who can barely pay the bills to shoulder the
burden alone. And I think to myself, if I’m willing to give something up as somebody who’s been
extraordinarily blessed, and give up some of the tax breaks that I enjoy, I actually think that’s going to
make economic sense.”
You can watch the President’s speech here.
In Northern Virginia, the President Announces New Initiative to Put Veterans Back to Work
President Obama visited a local firehouse in Northern Virginia on Friday, where he announced the details of his new
Veterans Jobs Corps initiative which will help put veterans back to work on a range of projects that leverage skills
developed in the military. The Obama Administration’s new veteran employment initiative, combined with the
important work President Obama has already done to create employment opportunities for veterans, will help puttens of thousands of veterans back to work. During his remarks making today’s announcement, the President said:
“Over the past three years, my administration has made it possible for states to keep thousands of first
responders on the job. But today, we’re announcing that communities who make it a priority to recruit
veterans will be among the first in line when it comes to getting help from the federal government.
“And I know that’s one of the things, Chief, that you’ve been doing here in Arlington.
“So we want to prioritize veterans and we want to help states and local communities hire veterans to
firehouses and police stations all across the country.
“The second thing we want to
do is to connect up to 20,000veterans with jobs that involve
5Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee, www.democrats.org. This communicationis not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Democratic National Committee Commemorates Black History Month
On Wednesday, to commemorate February as Black History Month, Democratic National Committee Chair DebbieWasserman Schultz released the following statement:
“As we begin our national celebration of Black History Month today, we honor the critical role that African Americans have played in making our country a more perfect union. We also recognize the vast
accomplishments of African Americans throughout our nation’s history and celebrate the contributions andtriumphant victories of leaders like Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, Fannie Lou Hamer, Dr. MartinLuther King Jr., and Rosa Parks, who helped to lead the way in overcoming the stain of segregation andensuring that all Americans have access to the ballot box.
“In this critical moment, we cannot afford to turn back the clock —there is still much more work to do. Weknow that we must continue moving America forward on the path of progress, opportunity and fairness forall. That means standing up to attempts to suppress the right of all citizens to cast a ballot, ensuring that all
Americans have access to quality affordable health care, and investing in education to guarantee that everysingle person in this country has a fair chance at living the American Dream.
“Throughout Black History Month, we reaffirm our commitment to a more perfect union as we honor andcelebrate the contributions of African Americans to our great nation —as we continue the critical work of striving for justice and equality for all.”
Holding Republicans Accountable
With the Republican presidential candidates in Florida at the beginning of the week to make their final pitch to votersbefore Tuesday’s primary, the Democratic National Committee was in the Sunshine State to keep the heat on MittRomney as he crisscrossed the state misleading voters about his record. DNC Executive Director Patrick Gaspard andCongressman Xavier Becerra (D-CA) held a press conference in Miami to discuss Romney’s record as a corporateraider for Bain Capital who lined his pockets at the expense of American workers and shuttered businesses, as wellas his ties to Damon Corporation – one of the largest perpetrators of Medicare fraud in American history – and hisrefusal to release multiple full years of tax returns or disclose certain assets on his financial disclosure statements.
On Tuesday, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz held an event at a Florida senior center as well as a pressconference call with Alliance for Retired Americans Executive Director Ed Coyle – taking Romney to task formisleading Florida seniors about his plans to gut Social Security and Medicare.
As the GOP candidates then made theirway to Nevada in advance of Saturday’sRepublican caucus, Chair WassermanSchultz and Nevada State Senate MajorityLeader Steven Horsford held a pressconference call welcoming Mitt Romney toNevada. During the call, they drove homethe message that Romney has no corevalues, he’ll say anything to get electedand has already done it on any number of issues, he’s out of touch with working andmiddle-class Americans who just want tobe rewarded for their hard work and expect
everyone from Wall Street to Main Street toplay by the same set of rules, and unlikethe President – who announced newactions this week to help responsiblehomeowners refinance their home and avoid foreclosures – Romney has not offered a single plan to lendhomeowners assistance. Instead, he’d rather double down on his outrageous statement that we should letforeclosures hit the bottom and let responsible homeowners lose their homes.
With Romney in Minnesota for a campaign rally in former Governor Tim Pawlenty’s hometown, Eagan Mayor MikeMacguire and Minneapolis Mayor and DNC Vice Chair RT Rybak held a press conference outside the rally – hitting
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Romney for his failed policies and unwillingness to level with the American people, and highlighting the fact thatPawlenty, now a campaign surrogate for Romney, had all but said Mitt Romney was unelectable when he wasrunning against Romney in the GOP primary. Pawlenty’s past critiques of Romney were furthered detailed in aresearch document released by the DNC, which can be viewed here.
Additionally, the DNC released a new web video, “Not Concerned,” on Mitt Romney’s comment this week that he’s “not concerned about the very poor.” You can watch it here.
On Thursday, as the President laid out a series of actions to help America’s struggling homeowners – including abroad refinancing plan letting responsible homeowners save hundreds of dollars a month and an average of $3,000per year – Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) held a national press call contrasting the President’s efforts withMitt Romney, who has no plan whatsoever to help homeowners and who recently doubled down on his previouscomments that we should let the foreclosures hit the bottom.
Following Donald Trump’s endorsement of Mitt Romney on Thursday, the DNC released a web video, “Mitt Romney And Donald Trump: They Both Like Firing People.” You can watch it here.
Additionally, Nevada Democratic Party Chair Roberta Lange held a press conference with DNC Vice Chair LindaChavez-Thompson, the Nevada Hispanic Legislative Caucus, and DREAM Act advocates to discuss Mitt Romney’sextremism on immigration issues and its implications for Nevada. DNC Chair Wasserman Schultz joined ColoradoDemocrats in holding a press conference call welcoming Mitt Romney to Colorado ahead of next Tuesday’s
Republican caucus, where they highlighted the fact that Romney will say anything to win.
The DNC closed out the week with a web video, “Some of the Time,” which highlights Mitt Romney’s changingpositions on whether or not the President has made the economy worse – and the fact that Romney reluctantlyacknowledged that President Obama has taken difficult steps to foster our economic recovery. Watch it here.
Key Issues in the News and Background
Romney’s Role in Medicare Fraud Shows He Can’t Be Trusted (1/30/12)
Key Point: Mitt Romney’s role in one the largest Medicare fraud schemes in history shows why Americans don’t trust
Mitt Romney as they learn more about him.
The DNC last week released a memo detailing Mitt Romney’s role in a Medicare fraud scheme that endedwith the then-largest criminal fine ever levied in a health care fraud case. Under attack by both Newt
Gingrich and labor groups, Romney’s involvement again proves to Americans how Romney can’t be trusted.
Romney was a director of Damon Corporation, a medical testing company that paid a record $119 million
fine for illegally billing Medicare. Romney took in more than half a million dollars while the company profited
by defrauding taxpayers.
Romney claims he blew the whistle on the fraud at Damon, but he has refused to provide any
documentation to prove his claim. Court records showed the fraud was occurring the entire time Romney
was on the board and did nothing to stop it.
Romney would gut Social Security and privatize Medicare, so it’s not too surprising that he would let seniors
be defrauded out of millions of taxpayer dollars.
President Obama has led one of most unprecedented crackdowns on health care fraud in history, recovering
$8.4 billion since 2009, and his landmark health care reform is helping millions of seniors save on their
prescriptions by closing the Medicare Part D “donut hole.”
One thing is clear: the more the American people learn about Mitt Romney, the less they trust him to lead
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###
Romney Shows Struggling Florida Homeowners He’s Out of Touch With Middle Class (1/31/12)
Key Point: Mitt Romney’s comments to struggling homeowners today prove he’s out of touch with the middle class.
Mitt Romney today doubled down on his out-of-touch belief that foreclosures should continue so investors
can come in and make a quick buck, saying he would “let the market work” instead of stopping fraudulent
foreclosures.
Mitt Romney is clearly out of touch with middle-class Americans, millions of whom are struggling to hold
onto their homes. Just last week he told struggling homeowners in Florida that banks are “feeling the same
thing” they are.
Mitt Romney accused Newt Gingrich of “cashing in” off of Freddie Mac during the housing crisis, but Mitt
Romney had up to $500,000 invested in Fannie and Freddie. Romney will say anything to get elected.
Romney hasn’t proposed a single refinancing plan to help the 44 percent of Florida homeowners who owemore than their homes are worth. He doesn’t mention housing once in his 59-point economic plan.
President Obama is helping millions of responsible Americans stay in their homes through refinancing, loan
modifications and other programs. He took executive action so responsible borrowers with little or no equity
in their homes can refinance and take advantage of current low mortgage rates. And at the State of the
Union, he proposed a new re-financing plan that could save participants about $3,000 a year.
###
Romney Misleads FL Seniors About Plan to Privatize Medicare and Cut Social Security (1/31/12)
Key Point: Mitt Romney misled Florida seniors about how he would cut Social Security and end Medicare was we
know it, proving again he’ll say and stand for anything to get elected.
Yesterday Mitt Romney told seniors in Florida that he “will never go after Medicare or Social Security,”
proving time and again that he’ll say and stand for anything to get elected. Romney would actually gut
Social Security and turn Medicare into a voucher program.
Romney will tell any audience whatever he thinks will get their votes. He told Florida seniors he’d look out
for programs they rely on, but his proposed budget plan would:
o Deeply cut Social Security for the 2.7 million Florida seniors who rely on it.
o Replace Medicare with a private voucher program that would more than double out-of-pocket costs
for Florida’s 3.3 million seniors who rely on Medicare.
Romney’s falsehoods can’t cover up his role in a Medicare fraud scheme that ended with the then-largest
criminal fine ever levied in a health care fraud case.
o Romney was a director of Damon Corporation, a medical testing company that paid a record $119
million fine for illegally billing Medicare.
o Romney took in more than half a million dollars while the company profited by defrauding
taxpayers.
o Court records showed the fraud was occurring the entire time Romney was on the board and that
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###
Extreme and Wrong Positions Drive Hispanics Away from Romney and Gingrich (1/31/12)
Key Point: Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are losing Hispanic voters across the country after running to the far
right and taking the wrong side of every issue important to the Hispanic community.
The campaign yesterday released a memo detailing how recent polls show Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich
may have sealed their fate to lose the Hispanic vote in the general election. Their low support shows the
Republican frontrunners are on the wrong side of every issue important to Hispanic voters.
Hispanic voters are the fastest-growing voter bloc in the country. With their extreme rhetoric on immigration
during televised debates rejecting our history as a nation of immigrants, Romney and Gingrich have
alienated millions of Hispanic voters across the country.
Romney and Gingrich are on the wrong side of every issue important to the Hispanic community:
o They oppose the President’s health care reform that will give every American access to quality and
affordable health care and insure 9 million Hispanics that currently lack health insurance.o They would gut Social Security, which nearly half of Hispanic seniors depend on, and cut the Pell
Grants that help millions of Hispanic students pay for college.
o Both have pandered to the Tea Party right on immigration, irreversibly opposing an earned path to
citizenship.
o The DREAM Act would let those who came here as children through no fault of their own and know
no other home earn a path to citizenship by serving our country or going to school. Though 85
percent of Hispanics support it, Romney called it a “handout” and promised to veto it.
9Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee, www.democrats.org. This communicationis not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Romney’s free-fall over the past three months isn’t normal, even in a contested primary.
o Both President Obama and Hillary Clinton had significantly higher favorable than unfavorable
ratings at this point in the 2008 race.
o Unlike Romney, both candidates’ numbers had improved rather than declined since the previous
November, and voters’ satisfaction with their field continued to rise. Bush and Gore enjoyed
similarly positive ratings.o Last election, three in five Republicans called their party’s field excellent or good – the same
proportion of Republicans who this year hope another candidate will get in the race.
Romney’s unique ability to push away key constituencies rather than attract their support will continue to
weaken his appeal to general-election voters, no matter how many primaries he wins.
As the Republican race now moves to Nevada, Romney’s out-of-touch positions on housing, seniors’ health
and immigration – as well as his lonely support of the Yucca Mountain project Nevadans overwhelmingly
oppose and President Obama ended – will continue to repel the very voters who will decide the general
election.
###
Romney Falsely Claims He’s Focused on Middle-Class Americans (2/1/12)
Key Point: Mitt Romney is falsely claiming to be focused on the middle class, but his policies show the opposite.
Mitt Romney said today that he’s “not concerned about the very poor” but that he’s focusing on the middle
class. Not only is that a startling comment from someone running to represent all Americans, but Romney
isn’t focusing on the middle class at all.
Romney’s policies would let foreclosures hit the bottom and force seniors and the middle class to foot the
bill for more tax breaks for millionaires, billionaires and large corporations. Half his tax cuts would go to the
0.4 percent of Americans making more than $1 million a year.
Romney’s tax plan would further shift the tax burden into hardworking middle-class Americans.
o It extends Bush tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, cutting Romney’s own taxes almost in half.
o It adds over a trillion dollars more in tax cuts for investors and corporations that would explode the
deficit, give $146,000 to families making over $1 million a year, and provide just $138 a year to
middle-class families.
President Obama is asking the wealthiest to pay their fair share, proposing the Buffett Rule that makes sure
Warren Buffett doesn’t pay lower taxes than his secretary. Buffett himself supports it, but Mitt Romney
opposes it. Romney thinks millionaires and billionaires should keep paying lower taxes than middle-class
families.
President Obama outlined today his plan to create new opportunities for responsible homeowners to
refinance their mortgages and save $3,000 a year. Meanwhile, Romney doubled down yesterday on letting
the foreclosure process “hit the bottom” so investors can come in and make a quick buck while struggling
middle-class families lose their homes.
###
Mitt Romney is Wrong for Nevada on Every Issue Important to Nevadans (2/1/12)
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Key Point: Mitt Romney’s true record on jobs, housing, immigration and Yucca Mountain show his ideas are wrong
for Nevada.
Nevada’s elected leaders are reminding voters heading into Saturday’s caucus that Mitt Romney is wrong for
Nevada. On every issue important to Nevadans – jobs, housing, and immigration – the contrast and choice
is clear: Romney is on the wrong side.
Romney is running on his business experience and job creation record, but he won’t tell voters how his
business was really creating wealth for him and his fellow corporate raiders. Across the country Romney
made millions from buying companies, closing factories, firing workers and sending jobs overseas.
President Obama visited Nevada last year and proposed new ways to help struggling homeowners keep
their homes. Today he outlined his plan to create new opportunities for responsible homeowners to
refinance their mortgages and save $3,000 a year. Mitt Romney came to Nevada and told homeowners how
he would let the foreclosure process “hit the bottom” so investors can come in and make a quick buck – an
out-of-touch belief he repeated just yesterday.
President Obama promised in the State of the Union to sign the DREAM Act if Congress passed. It would letthose who came here as children through no fault of their own and know no other home earn a path to
citizenship by serving our country or going to school. Though 85 percent of Hispanics support it, Romney
called it a “handout” and promised to veto it.
President Obama stopped the plan to dump high-level nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain. Romney went to
South Carolina and got the endorsement of its Tea Party governor who said she supports Romney because
he wants to bring the Yucca Mountain project back from the dead.
Romney’s record speaks for itself. As he begins campaigning in Nevada ahead of Saturday’s caucus, voters
will realize how he is wrong for Nevada and wrong for the country.
###
Steady Jobs Growth Shows the President Stopped the Free-fall and Reversed the Trend (2/3/12)
Key Point: President Obama not only helped the private sector stop the free-fall, but reverse the trend.
Today’s jobs numbers show President Obama is leading a steady, consistent recovery for the middle class.
America’s businesses have now added jobs for 23 straight months, with the private sector adding 3.7 million
jobs. The unemployment rate is now at its lowest level in three years.
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This chart illustrates the massive job loss threatening the economy as President Obama took office, showing
that under his leadership, the private sector reversed its free-fall and begun creating jobs.
o After more than a decade of job losses, American manufacturing has been creating jobs since
December 2009.
o The American auto industry is coming back. GM is again No. 1 in the world and the auto industry is
expected to create more than 100,000 new jobs by 2014.
o American oil production is at its highest in eight years.
President Obama stopped the bleeding and invested in America, taking swift action to address theimmediate jobs crisis.
o He rescued the auto industry, saving more than 1.4 million jobs up and down the supply chain.
o He cut taxes for every working family and for small businesses, which create the vast majority of
new jobs in this country.
o He held Wall Street accountable so this crisis doesn’t happen again.
o He’s reining in abuses in the mortgage and credit card industries and protecting consumers like
never before.
We have much more work to do, but we’re moving in the right direction. While this momentum is
encouraging, we’re at a make-or-break moment for the middle class. We need an economy built to last –
one where:
o Hard work once again pays off and responsibility, not recklessness, is rewarded.
o We out-build, out-educate and out-innovate the rest of the world.
o Everyone from Main Street to Wall Street gets a fair shot, does their fair share and plays by the
same rules.
That’s why the President outlined a vision for an America built to last. It’s a blueprint based on American
manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers and a renewal of the American values that
made the middle class the envy of the world – values like fairness and opportunity.
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Mitt Romney and the Republicans in Washington don’t share this vision.
o They don’t want to invest in our workers, our students or American industries like carmakers and
clean energy.
o They would let Wall Street write its own rules again, going back to the same failed policies that led
to the economic crisis in the first place.
o They aren't optimistic about this recovery continuing. They won’t even admit that it’s happening.
