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Lincoln’s So-Called “Stimulus” Job Creation Overstated By “Thousands”
Thursday, 29 October 2009 12:21
As the AP notes today "An early progress report on President Barack Obama's economic recovery plan overstates by thousands the number of jobs created or saved through the stimulus program, a mistake that White House officials promise will be corrected in future reports."
In addition, "The AP review found some counts were more than 10 times as high as the actual number of jobs; some jobs credited to the stimulus program were counted two and sometimes more than four times; and other jobs were credited to stimulus spending when none was produced."
According to Senator Lincoln in February 2009, the stimulus bill that was rammed through Congress by the Democrats included "time-sensitive investments [that] will help put Arkansans back to work and help put our economy back on the right track."
"Today’s report shows that Senator Lincoln was incredibly wrong about the so-called ‘stimulus’ bill, which she claimed would ‘help create new jobs’ and ‘strengthen our economic security when she voted for its passage in February,’" said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokeswoman Amber Wilkerson Marchand. "It’s just too bad the Democrats didn’t mistakenly overestimate the trillion-dollar price tag of the bill instead of overestimating just how many jobs it would create."
"Arkansas has continued to lose jobs since Lincoln supported Obama’s massive ‘stimulus’ legislation, and now the families, seniors, and small businesses in her state are paying the price for her mistake," Wilkerson Marchand continued. "Nearly nine months later, Lincoln is faced with a critical decision surrounding another one of President Obama’s massive spending bills, which the people in her state do not support. This time, let’s hope Senator Lincoln puts her constituents’ priorities before politics as she determines her position on the critical health care debate."
Background Information
Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) And The Obama Administration Touted The So-Called "Stimulus" Bill As A Means Of Job Creation:
Senator Blanche Lincoln Said The "Stimulus" Bill Contained "Time-Sensitive Investments" That Would "Help Put Arkansans Back To Work." "The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is balanced legislation that will provide much-needed tax cuts for Arkansas’s small businesses and families hit by the economic crisis. The recovery bill also includes timely, targeted, and temporary investments that will help create new jobs, improve our communities, and strengthen our economic security. These time-sensitive investments will help put Arkansans back to work and help put our economy back on the right track." (Senator Blanche Lincoln, Press Release, "The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Of 2009: What Will It Mean For Arkansas?" 2/20/09)
Lincoln: "[T]he Recovery Plan Is Bringing Jobs And Dollars To Arkansas That Would Not Have Been Here Without Significant Government Investment." (Seth Blomeley, "Accolades From Biden Get Lincoln Bid Rolling," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 3/15/09)
The Obama Administration Claimed The "Stimulus" Bill Would "Jumpstart Growth And Transform Our Economy." ("American Recovery And Reinvestment Act: State-By-State Jobs Impact," The White House, 2/13/09)
An Obama Administration Analysis Of The Overall Employment Impact Of The "Stimulus" Bill Concluded It Could Result In The Creation Of An Estimated 31,000 Jobs In Arkansas. ("American Recovery And Reinvestment Act: State-By-State Jobs Impact," The White House, 2/13/09)
