Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Man Butt-Dials 911 While Discussing Murder Plans Floridian is charged after slaying »

Obama: 'Private Sector Is Doing Fine'

Republicans pounce; Obama says Congress has 'no excuse' to dither

By John Johnson,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 8, 2012 11:40 AM CDT

(Newser) – President Obama used a White House press conference today to chide Republicans for blocking his jobs proposals—"If Congress decides not do anything about all this because it’s an election year, they should explain to the American people why"—and to urge European leaders (in what MarketWatch called a "more strident tone") to inject money into its teetering banking system, reports the AP and Washington Post. He also warned Greece not to bail on the eurozone. "The good news is there is a path out of this challenge," he said.

But don't be surprised if another line generates the most chatter, one in which he declared the "private sector is doing fine" in the US. BuzzFeed calls it a "gift to Republicans," and indeed the National Review Online quickly tweeted a video of the comment. The party's national committee also pounced, saying the president's comment "is bound to be a surprise to the 23 million Americans who are struggling for work and the millions of families who have seen their incomes fall under the Obama economy."

President Obama talks about the economy Friday.
President Obama talks about the economy Friday.   (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Barack Obama speaks about the economy on June 8, 2012, at the White House in Washington, DC.
Barack Obama speaks about the economy on June 8, 2012, at the White House in Washington, DC.   (Getty Images)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
The conservative National Review tweeted this video of President Obama saying the "private sector is fine."   (YouTube)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »
Check out another Hilarious story: Man Butt-Dials 911 While Discussing Murder Plans
44%
Hilarious
7%
Intriguing
2%
Depressing
12%
Brilliant
9%
Scary
26%
Annoying
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 68 comments
snarlzbarkly
Jun 12, 2012 12:05 AM CDT
news flash :  most americans net worth is now back to where it was in the early 1990's - but the private sector is doing fine???   either his teleprompter broke or he thinks we're a bunch of fools.  i'd rather vote for a morman than a moron. this empty suit, flim flam man has got to go.
Hambone4x
Jun 9, 2012 5:14 AM CDT
To All Republicans/Conservatives; You asked for private sector jobs and smaller government. Sounds like you got just what you asked for. The Labor Department estimates that the economy added 120,000 jobs last month, well below expectations, bringing the unemployment rate to 8.2 percent. Yet the report bolstered a few reliable recent trends: healthcare always adds jobs, for example. Manufacturing is also coming back. And for nearly two years, government has almost always lost jobs. Even with the recovery picking up steam, this trend of public sector cuts could last for a very long time. The brunt of job cuts have been at the state and local levels. "State and local governments have taken a big hit in the last financial crisis and recession, and hence they've had huge layoffs and contractions. It takes a while for these entities to come back," says John Coleman, professor of economics at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. Government employment can fluctuate widely, but the general trend has decidedly shifted from upward to downward. According to Labor Department numbers, from 1990 through 2008, the public sector posted job gains every year except for 2003, when it shed 42,000 jobs. Starting in 2009, however, the public sector started cutting jobs at nearly twice that rate, losing 76,000 jobs that year, then cutting 221,000 in 2010 and 265,000 in 2011. All told, there are almost 600,000 fewer government jobs now than three years ago.   http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/04/06/job-growth-slows-and-government-not-poised-to-help
Person12345
Jun 8, 2012 10:57 PM CDT
I think he meant the public sector is doing fine and the unions are doing fine.  The private sector is still sucking the dregs of the bad economy.
 

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   POPSUGAR Tech   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment   |   NewsOne