Back in 2004, Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), then chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, was a little worried about President George W. Bush’s re-election. The number of jobs created over Bush’s first three years — after two massive tax breaks — was negative 700,000.
So, exactly eight years ago this month, a jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics looked pretty good, and Boehner was triumphant. “Eight consecutive months of positive job growth shows the Republican plan for economic prosperity is working,” Boehner said at the time.
Of course, if that’s the standard — eight months of positive job growth = success — then Boehner should obviously be applauding President Obama.
I thought of this after seeing Benjy Sarlin’s tweet this afternoon.
Now, in fairness, it’s worth noting that it’s been 26 consecutive months of private-sector job growth at the national level; overall it’s been 19 consecutive months of the U.S. economy adding jobs. But if the point is Rick Perry deserves a pat on the back for a job-creation streak in Texas — or that Texas’ approach should serve as some kind of model — the right should realize that the streak at the national level in recent years, in the midst of an economic crisis and after President Obama inherited an economy in free fall, is a far more impressive record.
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