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Post by robeiae on Oct 23, 2018 8:59:23 GMT -5
thehill.com/homenews/campaign/412617-obama-when-you-hear-economys-improving-remember-who-started-itOne can't blame him, I guess, for wanting to take credit, just as Trump wants to take credit.* But I have to admit that Obama's claim kinda makes me laugh, given what his people were saying about the economy and where it could go, not to mention Obama's infamous "you didn't build that" speech. * I don't think one can fairly hand out credit solely to a President, when to comes to the economy, regardless of political party. It's much more valid to affix blame to Presidents when their specific actions fail to do what they claimed. See Carter, Nixon, etc.
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Post by Amadan on Oct 23, 2018 9:22:54 GMT -5
One can't blame him, I guess, for wanting to take credit, just as Trump wants to take credit.* But I have to admit that Obama's claim kinda makes me laugh, given what his people were saying about the economy and where it could go, not to mention Obama's infamous "you didn't build that" speech. Come on. "You didn't build that" has to be one of the most maliciously out-of-context quoted lines in recent history. I agree that no President is solely, or even largely responsible for the economy, but they do have an impact, and it's more reasonable to credit them with the state of the economy, good or bad, at the end of their term than midway through. |
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Post by robeiae on Oct 23, 2018 9:34:17 GMT -5
Pardon, but I'm not taking his quote out of context at all. The point is that Congress is there, too. I'm betting Obama doesn't want to extend the credit that far...
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Post by Amadan on Oct 23, 2018 9:38:51 GMT -5
Pardon, but I'm not taking his quote out of context at all. Yeah, you are. "You didn't build that" did not mean, as is often interpreted, and as you are doing, "None of your accomplishments are actually yours." It meant "You did not do that all by yourself." When Obama cites economic figures when he left office, I am pretty sure he isn't actually claiming that he did that all by himself. He's saying he did his part well. |
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Post by robeiae on Oct 23, 2018 9:47:50 GMT -5
He's saying he started it (the economic growth we're now experiencing), that's he's responsible, quite obviously. Again, I don't think he wants to extend that to the Republican-controlled Congress, especially given that this speech is him stumping for Democrats running for Congress: "Remember who started it, me and bunch of Republicans in Congress, so go out and vote Democrat!"
Beyond that, I can't help but point--again--to what we were being told about economic growth by the Obama admin and it's economic advisers, that we'd pretty much peaked in that regard.
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Post by Amadan on Oct 23, 2018 9:57:06 GMT -5
Do you literally think he literally meant he literally started the economic growth and is literally responsible for literally all economic improvements?
Yeah, he's going to lean towards giving himself more credit than Congress. If you asked him who else was responsible, he'd probably credit workers, business owners, his cabinet and advisors, etc.
I'm not saying he isn't tooting his own horn a bit, in the manner of all politicians on the stump. But nothing he said contradicts the "You didn't build that" speech. And I still think his basic point is correct - what Trump is now claiming credit for reasonably does owe more to Obama than anything Trump has done since taking office.
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Post by nighttimer on Oct 23, 2018 10:54:48 GMT -5
This is both silly and petty. Presidents are like quarterbacks: they get too much credit and they take too much blame. Obama and Trump have both done things which have helped and hurt the economy. The silly thing is when politicians puff out their chests and strut around proudly talking up their successes while neglecting their failures. The petty thing is calling Obama's "You didn't build that" speech "infamous." That's a purely partisan jab and absent the context of how the remark was phrased, wildly misleading.
What exactly makes that snippet of a speech come off as "infamous?" in·fa·mous
/ˈinfəməs/
adjective
adjective: infamous
well known for some bad quality or deed.
"an infamous war criminal"
synonyms: notorious, disreputable; More
legendary, fabled, famed
"an infamous train robber"
antonyms: reputable
wicked; abominable.
"the medical council disqualified him for infamous misconduct"
synonyms: abominable, outrageous, shocking, shameful, disgraceful, dishonorable, discreditable, contemptible, unworthy; More
monstrous, atrocious, nefarious, appalling, dreadful, terrible, heinous, egregious, detestable, despicable, loathsome, hateful, vile, unspeakable, unforgivable, iniquitous, scandalous;
informaldirty, filthy, lowdown
"infamous misconduct"
antonyms: honorable
historical•Law
(of a person) deprived of all or some citizens' rights as a consequence of conviction for a serious crime.
The economists and historians will settle between Obama and Trump who emerges triumphant in their stewardship of the economy. Who's better and who's best will get sorted out. That is not a sufficient reason to finesse the facts. "Unlike some, I actually try to state facts," Obama said. "I believe in facts. I believe in a fact-based reality, fact-based politics. I don't believe in just making stuff up. I think you should actually say to people what's true."
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Post by prozyan on Oct 23, 2018 16:08:54 GMT -5
The President always takes the credit (and blame) for all kinds of economic happenings they really have little to do with.
Clinton got credit for the ramp up to the dotcom bubble. Bush got the blame for it when it burst.
Bush started the housing bubble and credit crisis, Obama got the blame for it when it burst.
Assuming Trump is gone in two years, whoever takes his place is going to get blamed for the damage caused by Trump's tariffs.
Though I do take Rob's point in that Obama preached how building something up was a team effort (the you didn't build that speech) yet seems to be singling himself out for the credit regarding the economy.
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