Making a Dent in Liberal Disinformation: Manufacturing Jobs
by Lester Dent
Friday, August 13, 2004
Talking Point 6: Bush and the Worst Economy Since the Great Depression: Manufacturing Jobs
From John Kerry's website: ''Every Month: Manufacturing jobs have been lost every single month of the Bush Presidency.” johnkerry.com
Update the site, John. Since January 2004, manufacturing has added 91,000 jobs. Last month (July), manufacturing added 10,000 net new jobs (that’s taking into account layoffs and other job losses in manufacturing).
Even at the time this statement was made, it was disingenuous. Looking at the Bureau of Labor Statistics data, one finds that, with the exception of one month of gains, there was a steady manufacturing job loss under the Clinton White House from August 2000 to January 2001 – a net loss of 371,000 manufacturing losses in 5 months. That’s an average of 74,000 manufacturing jobs a month during the last five months of the Clinton administration. data.bls.gov
Contrast that with the average monthly loss of 59,500 manufacturing jobs during the Bush administration.
The economy, the stock market, and job losses were all heading down when Bush took office. Since then, he has had to deal with 9/11 and the 1.4 million jobs lost in the following 6 months, the corporate accounting scandals (which primarily occurred under the Clinton administration but were caught and prosecuted under Bush), and two costly wars.
Maybe these things had some impact? I would expect a highly decorated Vietnam veteran to understand how any plan does not survive contact with the enemy. |
