Hannity falsely claims Obama administration's “public” comments on job creation differ from their “private” comments

Hannity: Obama administration is being “deceptive” by offering different “public” and “private” jobs comments. On the June 29 edition of Fox News' Hannity, host Sean Hannity referenced Vice President Joe Biden's remarks at a Wisconsin fundraiser in which Biden stated that "[t]here's no possibility to restore 8 million jobs lost in the Great Recession." Hannity claimed that this was evidence that administration officials are being “deceptive” and are “saying one thing in public, and privately -- when they don't think the tapes are rolling, or somebody's going to report on it -- they're saying something very different.” Hannity further suggested that “they know what we are saying, that the jobs are not out there, but publicly they take a very different posture.”

Biden was presumably arguing that stimulus alone can't completely reverse recession's effects

Biden was not saying that the stimulus failed, nor was he saying that employment levels would never return to pre-recession levels. The Obama administration has long maintained that the stimulus was necessary in order to stem job losses and jump-start the economy but that the government alone would not be able to restore all of the jobs lost due to the recession. The administration has repeatedly argued that the government could provide a start to the recovery, but that “the private sector needs to do the rest.” In his comments, Biden was reportedly defending “the Obama administration's record on working to turn around the nation's economy” when he remarked that "[t]here's no possibility to restore 8 million jobs lost in the Great Recession." Biden presumably was arguing, as the administration has done in the past, that it is unreasonable to expect the stimulus alone to completely reverse the effects of the recession. Biden clearly was not saying that the stimulus had failed or that the economy would never recover, as conservatives have falsely claimed. From the Chicago Tribune's Mike Memoli:

During 47 minutes of remarks, Biden defended the Obama administration's record on working to turn around the nation's economy, something that has become boilerplate for him at these party functions. The pool reporter -- Dan Walker of the Journal Sentinel -- did flag this particularly blunt assessment, though.

“There's no possibility to restore 8 million jobs lost in the Great Recession,” he told about 150 people at a $500-per-plate luncheon.

The quote itself is not necessarily out of line with any administration talking points. The Recovery Act that Biden is tasked with administering was sold with the goal of saving or creating at least 3 million jobs. But given the push by the administration in the “Recovery Summer,” and Obama's own bullish comments today about what the administration was further poised to do, they were indeed worth flagging.

Obama admin has repeatedly offered similar public comments

Biden: In economy “that has lost more than 8 million jobs,” stimulus has meant the economy is “a lot better than the alternative.” From Biden's June 17 USA Today op-ed:

First, we think the Recovery Act is working because of the progress we've made in slowing job loss. In the three months before the act took effect, America lost 750,000 jobs a month. In the last three months, we've lost about 35,000 jobs a month. That's progress -- not good enough, not where we need to be, but progress. And most economists agree that that progress is thanks in a very large part to the Recovery Act.

Independent economists believe that, thanks to the Recovery Act, about 2 million people are on the job today who would not have work otherwise. Is that good enough in an economy that has lost more than 8 million jobs? Of course not. But it is a lot better than the alternative.

Goolsbee: "[T]he stimulus was never capable of restoring the 8 million jobs hole," but "[i]t did part of it and the private sector needs to do the rest." During the February 17 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom, co-host Bill Hemmer asked if the administration was considering not spending the rest of the stimulus package. White House economic adviser Austan Goolsbee responded, in part, by stating:

GOOLSBEE: We should not reverse the second half of the stimulus. It's needed to get us out of the woods. Look out the window: The unemployment rate is near 10 percent. Now, it was never capable -- the stimulus was never capable of restoring the 8 million jobs hole that was created by the recession beginning in 2007. It did part of it, and the private sector needs to the rest.

Obama: "[G]overnment on its own can't replace the 8 million jobs that have been lost. The true engine of job growth in this country has always been the private sector." From Obama's April 2 speech in North Carolina:

It's not quick and it's not easy. And the truth is, there are some limits to what government can do. Government can't reverse the toll of this recession overnight, and government on its own can't replace the 8 million jobs that have been lost. The true engine of job growth in this country has always been the private sector, businesses like Celgard. What government can do is create the conditions for companies to succeed. It can help to create the conditions for companies to hire again. What it can do is build the infrastructure and create the incentives that will allow small businesses to add workers; that will help entrepreneurs to take a chance on an idea; that will lead manufacturers to set up shop in places like Charlotte.

Obama: “Magnitude of the crisis” means that even with the stimulus, “you're going to have some net job loss” in the short term, “but at least we can start slowing the trend.” During a February 9, 2009, press conference, President Obama cited “the magnitude of the crisis” and stated that even with the stimulus package that would save or create millions of jobs, "[t]hat still means that you're going to have some net job loss" in the short term, “but at least we can start slowing the trend and moving it in the right direction.”

Obama: Stimulus “not expected to restore the economy to full health on its own but to provide the boost necessary to stop the free fall.” Obama wrote in a July 12, 2009, Washington Post op-ed: “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was not expected to restore the economy to full health on its own but to provide the boost necessary to stop the free fall.”

Independent and private analysts agree stimulus significantly raised employment over what would have happened otherwise

White House, Congressional Budget Office, private analysts concur stimulus raised employment. As Media Matters documented, the Council of Economic Advisers, the Congressional Budget Office, HIS/Global Insight, Moody's Economy.com, and Macroeconomic Advisers have all estimated that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 raised employment by at least 1.2 million as of the first quarter of 2010.

Economists say stimulus helped economic recovery

As Media Matters documented, several surveys of economists have found that a majority of respondents believe that the stimulus improved the economy.