Two Years After Premature Proclamations Of Recovery, The Buck Stops Anywhere But Obama

August 2, 2010: Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner Writes An Op-Ed Titled “Welcome To The Recovery” (Timothy Geithner, Op-Ed, “Welcome To The Recovery,” The New York Times, 8/2/10)

• Geithner Attributed A Shaky Recovery Here To The European Fiscal Crisis. “We saw that this past spring, when the European fiscal crisis posed a serious challenge to the markets and to business confidence, dampening investment and the rate of growth here.” (Timothy Geithner, Op-Ed, “Welcome To The Recovery,” The New York Times, 8/2/10)

June 8, 2012: Obama Had Blamed Headwinds For The Economy “At Least 17 Times In The Past Three Years.” “Headwinds. President Barack Obama has talked about them — what the American economy still faces as it recovers from the worst recession since the 1930s — at least 17 times in the past three years.” (Mark Silva, “Obama’s ‘Headwinds’ Echo In Ad,” Bloomberg, 6/8/12)

July 30, 2012: At A Campaign Fundraiser In New York, Obama Again Warned That “We’re Going To Have Some Continued Headwinds Over The Next Several Months….Europe Is Still A Challenge.” “‘We’re going to have some continued headwinds over the next several months,’ Obama said. ‘Europe is still a challenge.’” (Margaret Chadbourn, “Obama Warns Of Economic ‘Headwinds,’ Sees Euro Surviving,” Reuters, 7/30/12)

Obama Promised To Hold Himself Accountable

Obama: “As President Of The United States, It’s Pretty Clear To Me That I’m Responsible For Folks Who Are Working In The Federal Government And You Know, Harry Truman Said The Buck Stops With You.” OBAMA: “Well, here’s what I know, we were just talking about responsibility and as president of the United States, it’s pretty clear to me that I’m responsible for folks who are working in the federal government and you know, Harry Truman said the buck stops with you.” (“President Obama Says Romney Should Answer Bain Capital Questions,” WJLA, 7/13/12)

Obama Said “I Expect To Be Judged By Results.  And There’s No — I’m Not Going To Make Any Excuses.” OBAMA: “I expect to be judged by results.  And there’s no — I’m not going to make any excuses.  If stuff hasn’t worked and people don’t feel like I’ve led the country in the right direction, then you’ll have a new President.” (President Obama, Remarks At Fort Myers Town Hall, Fort Myers, Fl, 2/10/09) 

In 2009, Obama Said “If I Don’t Have This Done In Three Years, Then There’s Going To Be A One-Term Proposition.”  OBAMA: “That’s exactly right. And — and, you know, a year from now I think people — are going to see that — we’re starting to make some progress. But there’s still going to be some pain out there. If I don’t have this done in three years, then there’s going to be a one-term proposition.” (NBC’s “The Today Show,” 2/2/09)

But Obama Is No Stranger To Excuses For His Failure To Fix The Economy

Reuters: “Part Of [Obama’s Campaign] Pitch Will Include Steering Attention To Outside Forces As Causes For Economic Woes At Home.” “That bump is a political challenge for the president, whose re-election in 2012 may depend on his ability to convince voters that his economic policies have been successful. Part of his pitch will include steering attention to outside forces as causes for economic woes at home. The president did just that in his weekly radio and Internet address, broadcast Saturday, by highlighting ‘head winds’ that are affecting the United States.” (“Obama Blames Europe, Japan For U.S. Economic Woes,” Reuters, 6/4/11)

• In The Third Year Of His Administration, Obama Blaming Anyone Else For The Economy Is “Downright Silly.” “Within the first six months or even a year of a new administration, it’s fair game to blame predecessors for any problems. Indeed, it’s a legitimate and time-honored tradition by presidents of both parties. But such arguments get much less convincing as the second year comes to an end. Once into the third year, such claims sound downright silly. Gradually, any president and any administration take ownership of the problems facing the country.” (Charlie Cook, “Owning It Democrats Are In A Corner On Their Ownership Of The Economy And What They Can Do To Help Turn It Around,”National Journal, 6/6/11)

• Obama Blamed ATMs And Airport Kiosks For His Failure To Create Jobs. “[T]here are some structural issues with our economy, where a lot of businesses have learned to become much more efficient, with a lot fewer workers. You see it when you go to the bank and use an ATM — you don’t go to a bank teller. Or you go to the airport, and you’re using a kiosk, instead of checking in at the gate.”  (NBC’s “Today,” 6/14/11)

• “So Far, He Has Blamed The Stagnant Economy On ATMs, Ditches, Slurpees, Corporate-Jet Owners, The Tea Party, Republicans, Japan’s Earthquake, The Arab Spring, The Arab Summer, George Bush, And ‘Fat-Cat’ Wall Street Something-Or-Others. The Kitchen Sink May Be Next.” (Salena Zito, “Battlegrounds Of Resentment,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review8/28/11)

Obama Tried To Blame The Japanese Earthquake And Arab Spring For Poor Economic Numbers. OBAMA: “Let me start by saying a few words about our economy.  There is no doubt this has been a tumultuous year.  We’ve weathered the Arab Spring’s effect on oil and gas prices, the Japanese earthquake and tsunami’s effect on supply chains, the extraordinary economic uncertainty in Europe.  And recently, markets around the globe have taken a bumpy ride.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks, Washington, D.C., 8/5/11)

Obama’s Treasury Secretary Geithner Has Also Taken To Blaming Everyone But His Own Boss. TREASURY SECRETARY TIM GEITHNER:“While the economy is regaining strength, we still face significant economic challenges. Unemployment is still far too high, the housing market remains weak, and the overall effects of the financial crisis remain an obstacle to growth.  The strength of our recovery will depend in part on events beyond our shores, as we saw last year when U.S. growth was buffeted by headwinds from Europe.” (Secretary Tim Geithner, House Committee On Appropriations, U.S. House Of Representatives, Testimony, 3/28/12) 

Obama Fails To Acknowledge His Responsibility For The Failing Economy While More And More People Call It His Own

ABC’s Matthew Dowd Says That “The President Is Now Responsible” For The State Of The Economy. DOWD: “Let’s switch now to the economy and the President got into a little hot water over his comments about “you didn’t build it” that he made. Many people think a gaffe is really a politician accidentally telling the truth, which people think. But I want to focus, Robert, on the 1.5% GDP number that came out on Friday. Many people think that is an extremely anemic number, that that’s not the kind of growth that we need. Do you think the president – Well the President is now responsible. Is this the president’s economy, does he own this economy? Should he be held accountable for whatever happens in this economy?” ROBERT GIBBS: “Well, look Matthew, the President is the President of the United States. He understands where the buck stops. We also understand what we inherited.” (ABC’s “This Week With George Stephanopoulos,” 7/29/12)

CBS’ Bob Schieffer Says That “Our Economy Is Really Just Limping Along” And That “It Is President Obama’s Policy.” SCHIEFFER: “I can’t let you off the hook with asking you about some pretty dismal economic figures that came out Friday. Our economy is really just limping along. It is President Obama’s policy. He’s been there for a long time now. So with the election just 100 days away now, Congresswoman, is the President running out of time here in terms of turning this economy around?” REP. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: “Well, we have made progress from where we were when President Obama took office, when the economy had just contracted almost by 9%. Now we’ve begun to turn things around and had our 12th straight quarter of growth.” (CBS’ “Face The Nation,” 7/29/12)

Former Secretary Of Labor During The Clinton Administration Robert Reich Says Of Obama That “It’s His Economy Now, And Most Voters Don’t Care What He Inherited.” “In Ohio yesterday, Obama reiterated that he had inherited the worst economy since the Great Depression. That’s true. But the excuse is wearing thin. It’s his economy now, and most voters don’t care what he inherited.” (Robert Reich, “The Jobs Doldrums And Obama’s Future,” The Huffington Post, 7/6/12)