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Liz Cheney contradicts economists, claims the stimulus has "not worked"

August 08, 2010 3:02 pm ET — 28 Comments

Liz Cheney spread the myth that the stimulus bill has "not worked" to mitigate job losses. In fact, many independent and private analysts have agreed that stimulus spending significantly raised employment over what would have happened without it.

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Cheney advances discredited claim that stimulus has "not worked"

Cheney suggests the stimulus didn't create employment. During the August 8 edition of Fox News Sunday, Juan Williams asked Cheney, "Where are there any Republican ideas for getting this economy back on track? All we get from Republicans is no, no, no, to everything from unemployment benefits to stimulus spending." Cheney said:

The Republicans are saying no to things that have not worked. We've lost 3.3 million jobs since the stimulus passed last year. And what is clear is that the private sector is not going to hire when they're traumatized. And I think they have been pretty well-traumatized by the policies of this administration. They don't know what coming next; more taxes, more regulation.

But independent and private analysts agree stimulus significantly raised employment

CEA: Recovery Act has raised employment "by between 2.5 and 3.6 million." In its fourth quarterly report on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) stated: "The CEA estimates that as of the second quarter of 2010, the ARRA has raised employment relative to what it otherwise would have been by between 2.5 and 3.6 million. These estimates are broadly consistent with the direct recipient reporting data available for 2010:Q1."

Independent analysts agree that recovery act significantly raised employment. In its quarterly report, the CEA included figures from independent analyses that also credited the recovery act with increasing employment:

Economists say stimulus helped economic recovery

Wall Street Journal: 70 percent of economists surveyed said stimulus helped. The Wall Street Journal reported on March 12 that 38 of the 54 economists it surveyed "said the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act boosted growth and mitigated job losses, while six said the legislation had a net negative effect."

ABC News: Most on panel of economists "think the economy would be worse" without the stimulus. ABC News reported on February 18 that "most" of the economists on its panel "think the economy would be worse today without the big aid package, which totaled $787 billion and was signed into law by President Obama on Feb. 17, 2009."

NABE: 83 percent say stimulus raised GDP. A February survey of 203 members of the National Association for Business Economics (NABE) found that "[e]ighty-three percent believe that GDP is currently higher than it would have been without the 2009 stimulus package (ARRA)."

USA Today: Surveyed economists said "stimulus package saved jobs." USA Today reported on January 25:

President Obama's stimulus package saved jobs -- but the government still needs to do more to breathe life into the economy, according to USA TODAY's quarterly survey of 50 economists.

Unemployment would have hit 10.8% -- higher than December's 10% rate -- without Obama's $787 billion stimulus program, according to the economists' median estimate. The difference would translate into another 1.2 million lost jobs.

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    • Author by draftedin68 (August 08, 2010 3:22 pm ET)
      7 1
      Poor Lizzy

      It's just heart wrenching to hear how this child of privilege has suffered so and, according to her, will continue to suffer from the results of her blinding greed... er, ah, make that because of that Muslim socialist Kenyan.

      Poor, poor Liz.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by mari2jj (August 10, 2010 12:17 am ET)
        1  
        Right. And further, for what reason should I care one teensy weensy bit as to what Liz Cheney says about anything. I notice the Bush family has real class and they do not make these wild statements, but we never expect any Cheney to care one bit about their exaggerations and lies. So we know that Liz is not a credible representative of our Party except the vast right wing bunch that her father supported. As a moderate Republican, I just wish the entire Cheney bunch would take a LONG vacation to someplace. Just any place.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by eb (August 08, 2010 3:26 pm ET)
      10 1
      Fox wants its viewers to believe that Obama took all that tax money, put it in a big pile on the white house lawn, and burned it.
      Then he and all his Marxist fundamentalist Islamic buddies from back in his Chicago days sat around the fire laughing...
      Report Abuse
    • Author by DellDolly (August 08, 2010 3:51 pm ET)
      11 2
      Another episode of lying by omission.

      Ignoring what would have happened without the economic stimulus package to assert that it didn't help is lying by omission, and something those on the right are very practiced at!
      Report Abuse
    • Author by the Grey Path (August 08, 2010 5:04 pm ET)
      2  
      No depression? Damn Obama:

      Thank you for causing a recession.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by gmsingh (August 08, 2010 5:52 pm ET)
      5  
      Shouldn't they be getting Liz Cheney to comment on Proposition 8?
      Report Abuse
    • Author by grmce (August 08, 2010 9:07 pm ET)
      4 1
      Like most of her ilk it seems she's peddling the same dopey rubbish that turned the (similar) failures of the 1920s into the Great Depression of the 1930s.

      More rubbish from the East Bumcrack School of Economics and its dim witted alumni!
      Report Abuse
    • Author by Unreality (August 09, 2010 12:24 am ET)
      4  
      " I think they have been pretty well-traumatized by the policies of this administration."

      Yeah, I noted that corporate profits were a record $1.39 TRILLION for the Q1 2010. Yep, they're traumatized all right. I wish my startup was that traumatized.
      [http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_otfwl2zc6Qc/TFcPildz70I/AAAAAAAAOGs/4S8_0jEh68E/s1600/profits.jpg]


      Report Abuse
    • Author by phredicles (August 09, 2010 2:10 am ET)
      5  
      What exactly are Daughter of Dick's credentials as an economist, anyway?
      Report Abuse
    • Author by wanderwoman (August 09, 2010 7:16 am ET)
      4 1
      Are they traumatized by the policies of this administration, or are they traumatized by the lies that Liz Cheney and her ilk tell about this administration? My understanding is that businesses are recovering, and many are at the point where they are paying overtime and could hire additional workers. However, they are being cautious and not taking the leap. Could it be that all the fearmongering about the current administration is what is making them cautious and keeping the economy from a complete recovery? I think it's a good possibility.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by buddtee (August 09, 2010 8:22 am ET)
      2 1
      Maybe we start a show called what the kids think we can get the Bush girls , Amy Cater and Chelsey Clinton back and Ron Regan son could hosting the show & for guess spots we can bring in various governors and senator kids ask them policy question .
      Report Abuse
    • Author by newzhound (August 09, 2010 9:35 am ET)
        2
      It's becoming obvious that many folks who lost their jobs in the Great Recession don't have the skills or training to get new jobs.

      Those new jobs may not be in the same part of the country, either. Witness the rebirth of states such as North Dakota.

      The larger issue remains marketable skills. The jobs are out there. Unfortunately, many of the people seeking work are not qualified for the available positions.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by Space-Pedestrian (August 09, 2010 10:00 am ET)
      2 4
      Why aren't you all over good old Robert Reich for his columns last week stating the stimulus and other major initiatives of this Administration have failed? Is it because he said they were not large or left enough?
      Report Abuse
    • Author by didi (August 09, 2010 11:34 am ET)
      4 1
      Juan Williams asked Cheney, "Where are there any Republican ideas for getting this economy back on track? All we get from Republicans is no, no, no, to everything from unemployment benefits to stimulus spending." Cheney said:

      Mealy mouthed lies!

      Like father like daughter.... neither of them could come up with a direct answer to anything. She only said why the rethuglicans are against the Obama policies.... nothing on what the rethuglican ideas were.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by proudObamasupporter (August 09, 2010 12:05 pm ET)
      3 2
      Why is anything out of her mouth relevant? She is a mouthpeice for her father and he is an insane warmongerer. 'Nuff said.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by seahawks123 (August 09, 2010 1:46 pm ET)
      1 5
      I know, the over 100k that lost their jobs last month sure can see the effects of the stimulus.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by nicholjm (August 09, 2010 4:34 pm ET)
        1  
        And the 1,000,000 who kept their jobs are blissfully unaware, and that's ok because I'm sure most of us would rather they keep their jobs than lost them. So would you rather 1,100,000 lose their jobs or 100,000 lose their jobs? Not rocket science is it?
        Report Abuse
    • Author by MaineiacMan (August 09, 2010 2:17 pm ET)
      2 3
      Anyone who says that the stimulus 'worked' has the economic IQ of a flee. If you look at the White House estimates of the numbers of jobs 'saved or created' and compare it to the cost of the stimulus, the cost per job is outragious. It has been a HUGE waste of money and unfortunately mostly aimed at political pet projects
      Report Abuse
      • Author by Appleboy (August 09, 2010 2:54 pm ET)
        2 1
        So I guess 70% of economists have the economic IQ of a flea. I'm sure if only these economist knew the cost per job stats you are referring to they would have had a different view of the stimulus.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by DeirdreFlanagan6 (August 09, 2010 3:44 pm ET)
          1 1
          Hey...in Cheenieland 'we don't need no stinkin' experts'...they work on 'creative' numbers...and then they make like a flea and flee..if you catch my drift...d'ya mind if we just call you Maniac?
          Report Abuse
          • Author by seahawks123 (August 09, 2010 3:55 pm ET)
            1 3
            I guess Obama's experts would be the ones that said that if the stimulus was passed unemployment would go no higher than 8%. How is that going now?
            Report Abuse
            • Author by nicholjm (August 09, 2010 4:31 pm ET)
              2 1
              I guess Obama's experts would be the ones that said that if the stimulus was passed unemployment would go no higher than 8%. How is that going now?


              As you very well know, no-one could know what was going to happen in this recession. WOuld you rather it be 20%? I'm sure that would be delightful for you and the "Obama is evil" crowd. But equating a prediction that was not accurate to out and out lies and distortions just to score cheap political points is...well cheap. Just a quick clarification, the economic experts cited in this piece appear to be independent, but I see you ignored that inconvenient truth.
              Report Abuse
              • Author by hurricaneyankee52983 (August 09, 2010 5:25 pm ET)
                1 1
                Ol SEABAGS dosen't care about the truth. He just keeps parroting RUSH and the rest of the RIGHT WING LIARS.
                Report Abuse
            • Author by jarossiter (August 09, 2010 4:32 pm ET)
              2 1
              The recession was worse than anyone thought. You know that because you have been told that multiple times on this site.

              The Obama Adminstration just didn't realize how badly the Bush Administration had F@#$%ed up the economy.

              Chew on this:

              Reagan was sworn into office in 1981 - and 22 months LATER the unemployment rate was 10.4%

              How long did it take Reagan to reduce the unemployment rate to below 8%?
              1/1981 - unemployment rate 7.5% .... Reagan sworn in.
              8/1981 - 7.4% * Reagan CUTS taxes for top 1% & said unemployment would DROP to 6.9%
              1/1983 - 10.4%
              2/1984 - 7.8%
              Took Reagan 28 MONTHS to get unemployment rate back down below 8%.
              Report Abuse
    • Author by little poncho (August 10, 2010 7:44 am ET)
      2  
      daddy, what do you want me to say today????
      Report Abuse

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