[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 14809]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              MEDIA GIVING PRESIDENT OBAMA PASS ON ECONOMY

  (Mr. SMITH of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and 
extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Madam Speaker, the national media have given 
President Obama a free pass on the economy. Earlier this year, the 
Obama administration said Congress needed to pass the President's 
stimulus package to keep the unemployment rate below 8 percent. Since 
Congress has passed the President's nonstimulus stimulus, the economy 
has lost more than 1.5 million jobs, and unemployment has jumped to 9.4 
percent.
  Despite the massive layoffs, the President claimed this week that the 
stimulus has saved jobs. The national media have allowed the Obama 
administration to get away with spinning jobs lost as jobs saved, and 
the national media have continued to ignore the Congressional Budget 
Office's conclusion that the stimulus bill actually would reduce 
output--reduce output.
  The media should scrutinize the President's words and actions, not 
give him a free pass.

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