A Few Words on the Presidential Election, Part II

The United States Department of Commerce has a Bureau of Economic Analysis. They tell us that the average GDP from 1959 through 2002 was 3.4%. From 1929 through 2012 the average GDP was 3.3% How about under Obama? Not once did the GDP hit the average of either period, or even 3.0% for that matter. (For those interested: 2009-2.8%, 2010-2.5%, 2011-1.8%, 2012-2.8%, 2013-1.5%, 2014-2.4%, 2015-2.4%. And the first quarter of 2016 started with a lackluster 0.5%.)

But Obama says unemployment is way down to 5%. Well, yes, if we do not count the millions who have given up looking and no longer qualify for unemployment benefits. Then, it would be more like 10%. But Obama says he created 14.4 million new jobs since 2010, but that does not even cover the 15.8 million people who entered the labor market during the same period. (Data from the 4/29/16 Investor"s Business Daily.)

As the Wall Street Journal pointed out in their 4/29/16 editorial, we have had "the weakest economic expansion in the postwar era." Says the Journal: "Even the Great Depression saw a snap back to rapid growth from 1934-1936." More recently, there was a faster economic recovery after "the savings and loan collapse of the early 1990s."

In a sign of the low growth rate/chronic unemployment under liberal Democrat policies, middle-aged Americans are committing suicide at an increasingly disturbing rate. Writes Betsy McCaughey in the 4/27/16 IBD: "New Jersey used to have one of the lowest suicide rates in the nation, but it's shot up 13% in two years." Citing one suicide prevention source about that: "We've seen a wave of suicides that resulted from the financial crisis a little bit later than other parts of the country."

And, noting what should be obvious to everyone, McCaughey wrote: "It (the cause of the higher suicide rate) is not inequality, despite Bernie Sanders' rants. It's lack of growth and the Democratic Party's refusal to make growth a priority. People don't don't kill themselves because their neighbor has more money. They take their life when they can see no way to get a job, support their family and regain self-worth."

If Obama and the Democrats cared about economic growth and expansion and the creation of new jobs, we would not have the Affordable Care Act, Dodd-Frank, and multiple other new taxes and regulations. But Hillary will follow in Obama's footsteps. She believes, apparently, that raising the minimum wage will actually create new jobs, rather than stifle job growth. And Hillary has told us that she wants to shutter the coal industry.

But Hillary did a great job as Secretary of State, didn't she? No, she did not. She pushed for the overthrow of Qaddafi, resulting in another failed state in the region, and allowing for the growth of radical Islamic terrorist groups. She pushed the "reset" with Russia. Russia then took over the Crimea, invaded eastern Ukraine, and now threatens our military ships and planes with dangerous fly bys. When the US ambassador to Libya and other Americans were murdered by terrorists, she lied to the families and American people about some movie trailer being the cause. When caught in her lie when testifying before Congress, she gave us her famous: "What difference does it make?"

Then, of course, we have the email scandal (ignoring all the other scandals involving her and Bill). Obama, who again inappropriately stuck his nose into a pending criminal matter, recently said in an interview that he did not believe Hillary jeopardized national security. What a not so subtle message for his Attorney General. The FBI apparently has 147 agents working on the case. The Justice Department has granted immunity to the person on Hillary's staff who set up the private email server.

Hillary, like Obama and Bernie, wants to bring at least 100,000 Muslim refugees to the US. There will be little opportunity to vet them. So, I asked one liberal Jewish reader what Muslim country he would like to live in. Answer: none. I asked if he cares how many Muslims are brought here. Answer: yes. Finally, I asked if any country has been made safer for Jews as the Muslim population increases? Answer: no.

But, as the title to my 1/17/16 post indicates, the liberals have lost their instinct to survive. Will Obama have to pardon Hillary? Would an indictment or pardon deter liberal Democrats from voting for her? No more than the increasing anti-Semitism and hate crimes against Jews in the UK deter the liberals there from claiming that the problem is Islamophobia.