If George Bush had made a bunch of claims and promises after spending nearly a trillion dollars and none of them came true the media would have a real beef with him and rightfully so… Obama made a lot of claims and promises and nearly all of them have failed to materialize and the media says nothing – so where’s the beef?
Stimulus Two Years Later, Networks Ignore Obama’s Failed Job Promise
Where Were Stories about the 8 Percent Promise? Just nine stories out of 589 (less than 2 percent) referred to the unemployment prediction in two years of network news coverage.
Networks Instead Promoted More Stimulus: When the effects of the stimulus plan were discussed, network news shows promoted even more stimulus. ABC’s Bianna Golodryga asked Warren Buffet if he thought unemployment would hit 11 percent to which he said yes. Then, instead of noting that the stimulus failed, she asked if a second stimulus was needed. To this Buffet replied it may be necessary because the first bill “was sort of like taking half a tablet of Viagra.”
Bush Forced to Defend 5 Percent Unemployment: Under the administration of President George W. Bush, negative economic stories were pushed when unemployment was below 5 percent – less than half the number reached after the stimulus passed. CBS’ Dan Rather on Oct. 8, 2004, asked “Tonight, where are the jobs?” yet few stimulus stories have even mentioned Obama’s unemployment prediction.
ABC Was The Worst With Only One Story: ABC “World News” only mentioned the 8 percent prediction one time in nearly two years of coverage, making it the worst of the three networks. Instead ABC credited the stimulus with lower unemployment as reporter Betsy Stark claimed Dec. 4, 2009, when unemployment dropped to 10 percent: “Economists credit the government’s massive stimulus spending with getting the job market to this point.”
CBS Was the Best With a Mere Four Stories: “Evening News” did a better job of reminding viewers of Obama’s promise than ABC and NBC did, but still only mentioned it four times over two years. But unlike others Katie Couric actually brought it up in an interview with Obama on July 21, 2009 and asked him to respond. That was one of the few examples of what the networks should have done more often.
Journalistic hypocrisy? You be the judge…
But wait there’s more…. The White House’s new Beltway Bob – Jay Carney said the Stimulus goals have been met…
WH’s Jay Carney: Stimulus “Goals Have Been Met”
White House press secretary Jay Carney says the Recovery Act added several million jobs and lowered the unemployment rate. According to Carney, the “goals” of the stimulus package “have been met.”
A reporter asked Carney why unemployment is at 9% and not 7%, the percentage projected if the stimulus worked. Carney dismissed the question. “We’ve said repeatedly that we don’t want to relitigate the battles of the past,” Carney told the reporter.
What ever Jay… Obama lied, the economy died.