McCain sees ‘great economic progress’ under Bush

April 19, 2008

It’s encouraging to see someone jump on this.

Three days before the Pennsylvania presidential primary, Senator Barack Obama barely mentioned his Democratic rival here today, but rather criticized Senator John McCain’s assessment of the American economy.

“John McCain went on television and said that there has been great progress economically over the last seven-and-a-half year years,” Mr. Obama said. “John McCain thinks our economy has made great progress under George W. Bush? How could somebody who has been traveling across this country, somebody who came to Erie, Pennsylvania, say we’ve made great progress?” […]

“Here’s what happened since George Bush took office, here’s what John McCain calls great progress,” Mr. Obama said. “We went through the first period of sustained economic growth since World War II that saw incomes drop; 11 million more Americans don’t have health care; 2 million more Americans are out of work; millions of families are facing foreclosure. The poverty rate has gone up. You are working harder for less.”

“You’re paying more for tuition, you’re paying more for groceries, more at the pump. That’s what John McCain calls great progress,” Mr. Obama said. Later, he added: “Only somebody who spent two decades in Washington could make a statement as disconnected from the hard times that people are facing all across America.”

A very annoyed McCain campaign responded, “American families are hurting and Barack Obama is being recklessly dishonest. It is clear that Barack Obama is intentionally twisting John McCain’s words completely out of context.”

So, who’s right?

ThinkProgress has the video clip of McCain chatting with Bloomberg Television on Thursday. The reporter offered the senator a “version of the Ronald Reagan question,” and asked, “Do you think if Americans were asked, ‘Are you better off today than you were before George Bush took office more than seven years ago?’ What answer would they give?”

McCain responded:

“Certainly, at this time, we’re in very challenging times. We all recognize that. Families are sitting around the kitchen table this evening and figuring out whether they’re going to be able to keep their home or not. They’re figuring out whether they’re, why it is that suddenly and recently someone in their family or their neighbor has lost their job. There’s no doubt that we’re in enormous difficulties.

“I think if you look at the overall record, and millions of jobs having, being created, etc., etc., you can make an argument that there’s been great progress economically, over that period of time. But that’s no comfort, that’s no comfort to families now that are facing these tremendous economic challenges.

“But let me just add, Peter, the fundamentals of America’s economy are strong.”

Was Obama “recklessly dishonest”? I don’t see it. McCain suggested that he’s aware of the difficulties currently facing millions of American families, but when asked about the economy under Bush’s leadership, McCain believes that the “overall record” point to “great progress economically” over the last seven years. The context shows that McCain seems vaguely aware of the fact that some have enjoyed this progress more than others, but his overall assessment of the Bush economy is a positive one.

Obama isn’t “recklessly dishonest” for calling him out on this; McCain is “recklessly foolish” to look at the economy since 2001 and see “great progress.”

In some ways, this is at least as bad as the “100 years quote.” In fact, it might even be worse.

Expect to hear more about this one.

When McCain and Bush say “we’ve made great progress”, they refer, of course to wealthy republicans (not elite in any way, of course). These are their base, the only ones they care about, and the The 28% of the country still foolish enough to think this idiot is doing a “great job” have earned every bit of suffering their getting.

  • McCain tries to yada yada yada over the failings of the Bush era. For instance “those millions of jobs created” are about 1/3 of Bill Clintons administration.

  • McCain is a doddering old fool,before anyone thinks I’m being hard on the aged I should add I’m no spring chicken myself having just turned 63 .

    Having been around a few years and seen men come and go I see Obama as that rare breed of man that if one is lucky enough may see once in his lifetime.

  • Would that be “recklessly dishonest” like suggesting that cutting a few tens of $billions of earmarks can be used to offset a half a $trillion worth of corporate welfare?

  • Let’s not give McCain a pass on anything due to his age. . . He has never been the sharpest knife in the drawer . . . More to the point – He sees himself as a Leader and therefore has never seen the need to know the details of most issues. . . Sound familiar? . . . Get rid of a Decider and get a Leader – Each of whom have gut feelings about what is the correct course of action.

  • Shorter McCain: If Americans don’t have the sense to go out and marry their own beer company heiress, too bad for them. Being married to someone else already is NOT an excuse.

  • The real question is how the press will play this. If, according to form, they give McCain a pass or offer excuses. Or if they start holding him accountable. My bety is on Numer 1.

  • You are all being far too harsh on mclame.

    As the one of the 2 potential heirs to the criminal cabal that brought us dur chimpfurher, of course there has been “great economic progress.”

    They are bankrupting the federal treasury, setting the fiscal agenda for generations to cove.

    They have created and endless war and enabled the military-industrial complex to loot the federal treasury

    They are crushing the middle class

    They have made the dollar almost worthless

    They have the stage set to start selling off government assets and programs for pennies on the dollar – further enriching the criminal cabal.

    It is MISSION ACCOMPLISHED indeed.

    If our choices in the fall come down to clinton or mclame – they will have succeeded in guaranteeing their crime spree will not end.

  • Hey! Cut Sunset City Mack some slack. He has already told us that he doesn’t understand economic issues. He’s married to an heiress, why should he ?
    In the future all questions about the economy should be directed to his surrogate, John “The Paunch” Gibson – a regular whiz at capital gains taxation.

  • McCain finished fifth from the bottom of his USNA class of eight hundred ninety-nine. Advanced age may add to his incompetence, but it’s been there in spades all along.

    He’s lived on military bases (son and grandson of four-star admirals) and ever since Vietnam on the Federal gravy train (supplemented by takings from the Savings & Loan scandal and god knows what else). What does he know about how the real (non-governmental) economy affects real people?

  • Good to see that Obama is hitting McCain’s extremely weak flank hard. Tie it in with the Iraq war (as in losing billions if not trillions of dollars on a war that didn’t need to be fought.)

    What’s a matter Johnny? Trying to “black baby” Obama by linking him to Hamas and then when he hits back with FACTs, you cry no fair. Whaahhhhh…

  • For certain groups McCain’s politics represent (the war and energy and ins. profiteers) this past seven years have been economically fantastic…extremely profitable…so much so that now those who profited most can let all that money and prosperity trickle down…right McCain?
    The right’s least embarrassing candidate shouldn’t worry too much…it will all be over soon and you and your wife’s money can retire.

  • “I think if you look at the overall record, and millions of jobs having, being created, ”

    We must always remind those who brag about Bush job growth that the labor force is constantly increasing, just as the general population is. The rule of thumb (and I admit I’m not sure how accurate it is) is that 150,000 workers are added to the labor force each month. So a good month might be 200,000 or more jobs created. And a bad month might be 100,000 or less. So how has the Bush economy really fared? Not so well. And remember, too, that this is fhe first post war expansion in which workers did not gain ground, did not share in the nation’s increased wealth. Now that could very well be attributed to the Bush tax cut policy of throwing trillions at the rich and nothing at anybody else.

  • Gee, hark, don’t we have to let trillions and trillions flow to the wealthiest so that they can then piss some if it down on us?

  • McCain is so incredibly ignorant of the issues facing this nation. He takes no solid stand on human rights (torture against and now for it), and he is so out of touch with respect to what is happening in Iraq and the ethnic groups involved, it’s amazing that he can display such ignorance in public and continue.

  • Aw Come on. They’re both right.

    McSame drank the Kool-aid, put on the rose colored glasses and covered his ears while shouting “la la la la I can’t hear you” when looking at the economy, so it looks great for the last 7 years.

    Obama looked at something called “reality” and reported what he and 80% of the USA saw.

    I know from all the druggies I knew in my youth that you can see all kinds of things when you stay away from that “reality” stuff

  • McCain is, as my four year old nephew says, a crapweasel. Roughly translated from Sasha-speak, that means someone who does something bad and when caught, whines about it.

  • As an AZ. resident I wouldn’t vote for McCain for dog catcher. The crime, the drugs, the illegals the poor wages if you can find a job are what he’s managed to accomplish for this state. It’s so bad here they had to run a special called Crystal Darkness on every local station including PBS to address the meth problem, most of which is coming across from Mexico. The sheriff is being accused of racial profiling because he’s trying to do something about the illegals. If there was an increase in the minimum wage it didn’t happen here.

  • Obama quoted McCain out of context. That’s nasty.

    However… McCain’s “context” was incoherent.

    It’s as if he’s complaining, “I said two mutually exclusive things, and Obama is only quoting the one that makes me look like a doofus!”

  • Families are sitting around the kitchen table this evening and figuring out whether they’re going to be able to keep their home or not.

    McCain is wrong. This family is sitting around the table trying to make $187 last for two weeks worth of groceries and household items. We already lost the house we were leasing three years ago when the owners went into foreclosure and we didn’t find out until the notice got posted to the door.

    I’ve been laid off from two different jobs in three years with no chance of recall. The first job has only laid off more people and the second has closed their doors forever.

    I am bitter. I am pissed. I want a job that is not working at Wal-Mart or McDonalds when I am qualified to do so much more but blacks simply are not being hired and are the first to go when the layoff chainsaw comes around. Even temp agencies send you out for an “interview” before you can land a job. It’s just one more way to screen out “undesirables” and keep companies lily white.

    Our neighborhood used to be filled with small businesses. Now we have empty storefronts and boarded up windows. Every few houses has a for sale sign or for rent sign out front.

    And worse, we here in what used to be “Middle America” but is now poverty stricken hanging on by your fingernails America are tired of hearing how poor the dollar is doing when all we have are American dollars to deal with. It’s not like we can just run out and convert our meagre dollars to Euros or some other currency. It’s laughable. Or would be if it weren’t so deadly and tragic.

    We see the bottom falling out and we are helpless.

    The fact that some people see McCain as a viable candidate can mean either two things: they are filthy rich, pitifully stupid or both.

  • #21 Deborah: I’m so sorry to hear of your difficulties.

    My cousin got laid off from his job because the company he worked for went out of business due to the recession. He was good at his job, as I’m sure you were good at yours.

    A woman who started coming to my church now lives at the homeless shelter (that our church helps support, and where she was able to get a low-paying job) because she lost her $23/hr job due to economic circumstances. Over 70% of the people living at the homeless shelter have jobs but can’t afford a place to live. And the shelter is full, with more needing help.

    Most of us are vulnerable and it’s damned scary.

    McSame is completely out of touch.

  • This is a classic McCainism. This is how McCain operates — he trinagulates his way out of every situation. Look at every comment he ever makes and you’ll find the same pattern: John will concede some of the facts being presented and then despite all the evidence draw a completely opposite conclusion to the facts he has agreed to in order to support his party’s errant position.

    On Iraq, he’ll say sure we’re suffering troop losses that are too high and financial costs that are too extreme, but therefore it’s still worth it. On the economy, sure it the worst economy in our generation and sure it’s been mismanaged but somehow things are still great.

    If there’s a clear trend to be seen, Obama recognizes the facts and draws the correct and logical conclusion, McCain will acknowledge the facts yet draw a completely wrong conclusion despite them. John McCain is simply George W. Bush with a war record, less hair and no charm.

  • Why is John McCain, married to a millionaire and making $400 K drawing Social Security? All the elderly I know are penalized for working & have money taken from their SS checks?

  • Maybe its just me ,but this guys makes my skin crawl,just watching him. There’s an abcessed soul ,there, an empty echo. Oh,there’s just NO authenticity in his responses. (And for a REALLY cheap shot,has anyone noticed he looks like Charlie Chaplin in Chaplin’s elder years?The actor who portrayed the “Little Tramp” many years ago?)

  • ok, so why shouldn’t the corporate pimps at cnn, msnbc, and fox play obama’s quote about mcbush’s economic delusions 24/7 for a week like they did his ‘bitter’ comment and have all talking corporate farts editorialize about mcbush’s disconnect from the actual economic reality of 95 percent of all americans and how this disconnect should serve as his final downfall from those 95 percent of all americans ……. anyone wanna take bets that this will happen ? sure ……….

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