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Send This Chart To Your Bush Hating Friends Who Are Voting For Obama

By: Myra Adams (Diary)  |  July 27th, 2012 at 05:23 PM  | 

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Recently I had a discussion with an old friend who is an ardent George W. Bush hater and, as a result, will be voting for President Obama again, no matter what.

We were discussing the economy and I happened to mention that the average unemployment rate was much lower during Bush’s two terms despite the September 11, 2001 attacks. However, at that moment, I was not sure of the exact figures. So after a quick search, I found this handy chart that you can send to your unemployed or under-unemployed friends or any George W. Bush haters in general and ask them exactly what part of Bush’s unemployment rate history they still hate.

They might discover they actually miss President Bush after they read this  chart from the Department of Labor – Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Year

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

2001

 4.2 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.3 4.5 4.6 4.9 5.0 5.3 5.5 5.7

2002

 5.7 5.7 5.7 5.9 5.8 5.8 5.8 5.7 5.7 5.7 5.9 6.0

2003

 5.8 5.9 5.9 6.0 6.1 6.3 6.2 6.1 6.1 6.0 5.8 5.7

2004

 5.7 5.6 5.8 5.6 5.6 5.6 5.5 5.4 5.4 5.5 5.4 5.4

2005

 5.3 5.4 5.2 5.2 5.1 5.0 5.0 4.9 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.9

2006

 4.7 4.8 4.7 4.7 4.6 4.6 4.7 4.7 4.5 4.4 4.5 4.4

2007

 4.6 4.5 4.4 4.5 4.4 4.6 4.7 4.6 4.7 4.7 4.7 5.0

2008

 5.0 4.9 5.1 5.0 5.4 5.6 5.8 6.1 6.1 6.5 6.8 7.3

2009

 7.8 8.3 8.7 8.9 9.4 9.5 9.5 9.6 9.8 10.0 9.9 9.9

2010

 9.7 9.8 9.8 9.9 9.6 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.5 9.5 9.8 9.4

2011

 9.1 9.0 8.9 9.0 9.0 9.1 9.1 9.1 9.0 8.9 8.7 8.5

2012

 8.3 8.3 8.2 8.1 8.2 8.2

Here are the key findings from this chart to share with your friends.

When President Bush took office in January, 2001 the unemployment rate was 4.2%.

After the jolt of the September 11, 2001 attacks, the highest the unemployment rate rose was 6.3% in June, 2003.

This rate seems remarkably low by today’s economic standards.

Then the economy calmed down and actually grew, dropping the unemployment rate to the mid 5% range, where it stayed for the next two years.

In fact, the rate was 5.4% in November, 2004 when Bush was reelected.

Really good news came in December, 2005 when the unemployment rate dipped to 4.9% and stayed in the 4% range straight through to November, 2007.

Then in December, 2007 it went to 5.0%, rose slowly and really shot up in August, 2008 to 6.1%. When the economy tanked, the rate blew right through the 6% range ending December, 2008 at 7.3%.

Rising still in January, 2009 when President Obama took office, the rate was 7.8%.

It saw a high of 10% in October, 2009 and now in July, 2012 the rate has come down to 8.2% where it seems to be stuck in what I call, “the new normal” for this president.

The takeaway here is the highest unemployment rate during President Bush’s entire eight years in office was his last at 7.8%, compared to President Obama’s low of 8.1%.

It is ironic how Obama still loves to blame the “economy he inherited” from Bush, when at this point in the presidential election campaign, Obama would love to have the 7.8% unemployment rate he did in fact inherit from Bush in January, 2009 or better yet the 6.8% from November, 2008 when he was elected.

As a follow up, I will email this chart to my dear old friend from college and look forward to some of his snarky comments in return. But since he lives in California, his vote for Obama will not affect the election outcome.  It’s my Bush hating friends in Ohio and Virginia I really need to work on. And if you have some as well, please forward them this chart.

Re-posted from PJ Media

See you all at the Red State gathering next weekend. My first!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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COMMENTS

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  • dragan

    but on the unemployment numbers, I beg to differ. The low unemployment numbers during the Bush 2nd term were a product of the fraudulent Housing bubble which wouldnt have been sustainable even if Jim DeMint were the president. I also wish we stop touting these numbers.

    If the numbers were as good as you claim, George Bush would be the leading campaigner for Romney given that Romney wants the economy to be the centerpiece issue in Nov 2012. The establishment has made sure that he not even attend the convention. What an insult to a great president who kept us safe in the aftermath of 9/11

    • http://www.myraadams.com Myra Adams

      There was confidence in the economy and growth.

      • dragan

        in the economy and expectations of growth were the result of false spending power fuelled by the housing bubble. Please stop going the route of “Bush was good for the economy”. He was NOT.

        • gekster

          Low unemployment, sustained growth.

          It wasn’t his fault for the houseing bubble.
          What did he do that was bad for the economy.

          • dragan

            that Bush was NOT good on the economic front when the housing bubble collapsed. I didnt say he did do anything bad to cause the collapse. In fact, he cant be held responsible for the collapse. In the same vein, President Bush cannot take credit for the low unemployment rate during his watch as the bogus growth arose as a result of the bogus housing market.

            The problem with Bush, on the economic front, was that he suspended free market capitalism to so called save the same. I am one of those whose wealth got negatively impacted once my home value collapsed. I am not blaming anyone for that collapse and I take complete responsibility. However, I was right in shorting the WallStreet pigs in 2008. The fact that Bush and Hank Paulson intervened to save Goldman and the likes never made me recover my lost wealth.

            I hate TARP as Wall Street banks’ destruction would have led to new banks rising up to make up for their demise. Would we suffered through a credit crunch ? YES. But we would have also recovered by now. By using TARP, we have TBTF zombie banks that are not helping the economy. All they do is take money from the FED at 0.25% and invest them in Treasuries at 1.5%. If this is what they are for, then we definitely dont need them. They might have as well died and helped people like to recover their wealth in the natural way possible.

          • acat

            You are aware that the GOP – not sure how far into it Bush got – did attempt to clean up the Fannie/Freddie/Countrywide mess prior to the collapse, yes?

            You are aware that the Dems – through the CRA and anti-redlining grievance theater – pushed banks to write bad loans, yes?

            You are aware that the White House had very little control following the 2006 election of a Dem majority in the House and Senate, right?

            I find your argument to be .. silly. Yes, Bush could have done more .. heck, both Bushes could have done more .. and I’ll further agree that the way TARP was implemented is highly problematic.

            I question, though, whether the continued existence of the zombie banks should be blamed on Bush / Paulsen, who created them, or on Obama / Geitner, who have failed to slay them.

            I suggest you open your eyes.

            Mew

  • aesthete

    that disliking GWB *and* Obama are hardly mutually exclusive acts.

    In point of fact, there’s little that a President can do about unemployment per se. As dragan points out, the employment #s under Bush were unsustainable. There is much that a President can to to create unemployment, and Obama (and to a lesser extent, Bush) has much to answer for on that front.

  • http://www.myraadams.com Myra Adams

    http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000
    Somehow the link in the piece for the word “chart” is wrong.
    Here is the correct one.

  • Viet71

    That graph, IMO, presents a much starker and scarier picture, especially if overlaid with a graph showing GDP growth.

  • emptybucket

    I often wonder when I run into someone I know who is still spewing hatred toward former Presidnet G.W. Bush if they are mentally ill and needing help. The last 2 years of G.W.’s administration the Congress was under full Democrat control. It was during that time more than the previous 6 years that I ranted most at some of the decisions President Bush made.

    Kept telling myself that it would all turn good at some point in history and to be patient. G,W, angered a large number of Republicans who like idiots either stayed home in 2008 (refusing to vote for a woman, etc.) or bought into Obama’s Hope & Change campaign. The good might be that now our attention is captured into understanding Obama for 4 more years will certainly mess America up more. Those GOP who voted for Obama are not going to repeat that folly. It seems that Democrats refuse to see the writing on the wall with their “he just needs more time”. Which I might add is contrary to what Obama is saying. Obama suggests his plans have already borne fruit.

    For someone at this point in time to still be hating G.W. to the point that they don’t even think about their own good, never mind the good of America, is not healthy. Am wondering if your friend might truly have mental illness issues that need to be addresses.

    What good does it do anyone to hate to that extreme? Glad this friend has you in their life to help them out.

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