President Obama, Jobs, And Government

This analysis on government job creation from Gallup economist Dennis Jacobe from last week is notable for two reasons:  first, it shows that President Obama is doing exactly what Republicans say they want him to do by cutting government jobs, especially at the federal level, and increase private sector jobs.  Second, it proves that Republicans are lying about jobs, as usual.

Take this graph, showing the difference between areas of the federal government that said they were hiring, and those who said they were cutting jobs.

Job creation by the U.S. federal government fell further into negative territory in December 2011 with Gallup's Job Creation Index at -20, worsening from -15 in November and from -12 in October. While 23% of federal employees in December said their area was hiring, 43% said employees were being let go -- by far the most negative conditions Gallup has found since it began tracking federal government job creation in August 2008.

Note the area before January 2009...when George W. Bush was still President. In August 2008, that number was +30. In December 2011 under Barack Obama, that number is now -30.  Under this President, federal jobs are being cut dramatically...far more than under the previous president, literally a 50 point swing in the difference between hiring and firing.

But at every turn you hear Republicans on the campaign trail saying how Barack Obama has presided over "unprecedented growth in big government and federal workers."  Nothing could be further from the truth. Federal belt-tightening was happening before the GOP won the House, and the stimulus and Census jobs also dried up. In 2011, Gallup's polls showed federal departments were letting more people go than hiring, despite GOP tinfoil idiocy about hiring "hundreds of thousands of IRS agents to enforce Obamacare" as boldfaced lies.

What about at the state and local levels?  Those jobs cut cut massively too, although they are starting to balance out.

Again, Gallup's numbers show that government employees declined at the state and local level, despite the stimulus.  In fact, at both the local and state level, more employees were getting fired than hired in every single month of the Obama presidency so far.  In spring of 2010 those numbers were brutal.  Only now, three years later, are these number starting to moderate as states, counties, and cities are running out of jobs to cut.

But surely Republicans aren't lying when they say Obama has destroyed private sector hiring, right? The stimulus failed and wrecked the economy?  Wrong.

Job creation levels in the private sector have steadily improved since early 2009...when the stimulus bill was signed into law.  Overall government jobs are shrinking, not growing.  Private sector job growth is increasing, especially since 2010.

In fact, that's exactly what Republicans say the country needs to be doing now:  firing "overpaid" government employees and hiring more private sector workers.  That's exactly what's been going on under President Obama.  But Republicans can't admit that...because it would mean that they were lying.



He has reduced the size of the government.  He cut taxes on the middle class.  Private sector job growth is steadily improving.

But the Republicans have to lie.  It's the only way they can win.