Constant Conservative

Ed Morrissey at HotAir has some very good questions with regards the 150,000 jobs which have been saved/created by the federal government since President Obama got the ball rolling:

It takes a lot of nerve to get up in front of the press and claim job creation or salvation with specific numbers as unemployment skyrockets.  Of course, when Barack Obama does it, the act takes a little less courage, as the everyone knows the national media won’t challenge him on it:

This budget builds on the steps we’ve taken over the last 100 days to move this economy from recession to recovery and ultimately to prosperity.

We began by passing a Recovery Act that has already saved or created over 150,000 jobs and provided a tax cut to 95 percent of all working families.

Really?  Which 150,000 jobs were those?  Does Obama have any supporting data for this claim?  We wouldn’t know from the performance at the press conference, as not one single reporter asked Obama to corroborate that claim.  The only follow-up on jobs came from Andre Showell, who asked a softball about black unemployment and how Obama would address it.

When I throw out a number which doesn’t have any backing, I usually realize it the moment said number passes my lips (and both wish I could back it up as well as understand that someone–if he or she is paying attention–really should call me on it).

Then again, it is one thing to inaccurately generalize “Well, I believe better than half the people who shop here wouldn’t mind paying for carts” and another matter to say “We did something which saved or created a specific number of jobs and here the number is.”

Indeed it is well and good to be positive about things, but not to the point where one wonders what became of Baghdad Bob.

UPDATE

Speaking of Baghdad Bob, here is one of his jewels of wisdom:

Yes, the American troops have advanced further. This will only make it easier for us to defeat them.

Perhaps this really is the President’s approach to joblessness, and the economy in general. I wonder if we will ever hear Mr. Gibbs saying something like:

Yes, the American economy has declined even further. This will only make it easier for us to turn it around.

Please, don’t think me so far out with this suggestion. This is, after all, the administration which has assured us that the path to  fiscal responsibility lies through the Swamp of Debt.

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