Think Obama's the Problem? Think Again

It's funny, how well the right wing comes together to invent lies about Democrats. In the last three years, I've seen Obama called a fascist-socialist-communist (in the same breath), an atheist-muslim, and of course, a evil Kenyan Marxist who wants to ruin the economy.

On top of the name calling, Obama has been blamed for the record levels of debt, our high national deficit, the bank bailouts, and record unemployment.

The facts, stubborn things as they are, show a completely different story. Dave Johnson of the Campaign for America's Future lays out three charts which show how the three biggest lies about President Obama's record are, for all intents and purposes, poppycock.

Lie Number One: Obama Tripled Spending

Lies, lies, lies. Government spending exploded under George Bush, rising 88 percent from his first budget to his last. Under Obama, spending has gone up a mere 7.2 percent. I think most Sesame Street viewers can identify which number is larger and which number is smaller. Can your average Tea Party fanatic? Apparently not.

Lie Number Two: Obama Exploded the Deficit

Wrong. This would be true if, and only if, Obama's name were actually "George W. Bush". Bush inherited a surplus of $128 billion and managed to turn it into a $1.4 TRILLION deficit. Not bad for eight years of Reaganomics. Obama's budget went up slightly the first year and is on a downward trajectory — and that's BEFORE we factor in the massive upcoming cuts that the Super Best Friends Congressional Committee is working on.

Lie Number Three: Obama's Stimulus Killed Jobs That Bush Created

This one is actually, literally, laughable. Go ahead. Laugh a bit, and then come back to the article. I'll wait.

Are you back? Good. Now, here are the facts. Under Bush, private payroll jobs went from 50,000 a month in losses down to 850,000 a month in losses. The jobs decline under Bush is the PRIMARY reason why President Obama was elected in the first place. It's the golden rule of presidential elections: jobs determine who wins. The Republicans had a terrible jobs record on election day, and Obama won because of it.

Notice that as soon as Obama takes over, job losses start declining. Notice again that as soon as the stimulus is implemented, job losses significantly decrease. Notice further that ending the stimulus early, and making the stimulus too small are really the only things that kept the trend lines from pushing the economy back into full employment mode.

What's the sum of these three charts? Bush and the Republicans screwed the economy, spent a ton of money, and killed the job market. Obama's policies have reversed these trends. This may be why a majority of Americans blame Bush, and not Obama, for the remnants of the crappy economy.

You can reach the author by email john@benzinga.com or on twitter @johndthorpe.