As President Obama gets set to deliver his sixth State of the Union address, we humbly submit that the Obama era has been one of unparalleled debt, non-stop pursuit of tax increases, and economic malaise – and the numbers prove it. Is it any wonder, then, that the president is going to spend more time tonight trying to convince Americans that his presidency hasn’t been a failure rather than outlining a new approach for the next two years?
Our friends at the RNC have prepared a list of numbers, with documentation, that provide a thumbnail sketch of what the Obama years have meant to the nation.
| $18.1 Trillion: | Total Debt Under Obama As Of January 14, 2014. (U.S. Treasury Department, Accessed 1/14/15) |
| $10.6 Trillion: | Total Debt When Obama Became President On January 20, 2009. (U.S. Treasury Department, Accessed 1/9/15) |
| $7.5 Trillion: | Amount Added To The National Debt Despite Obama’s 2010 State Of The Union Declaration That He Would Not Leave “A Mountain Of Debt.” (U.S. Treasury Department, Accessed 1/14/15; President Barack Obama, Remarks On The State Of The Union, Washington, D.C., 1/27/10) |
| $4 Trillion: | Amount Of Debt That Obama Once Called “Irresponsible” And “Unpatriotic.”(Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks At A Campaign Event, Fargo, ND, 7/3/08) |
| $1.8 Trillion: | Cost Of ObamaCare’s Coverage Provisions Through 2024. (CBO, 4/14/14) |
| $1.3 Trillion: | Total Student Debt Held By Americans. (Federal Reserve Board Of Governors, Accessed 1/14/15) |
| $869.3 Billion: | Total Taxes In ObamaCare. (JCT, 6/15/12; CBO, 4/14/14) |
| $95 Billion: | Cost Of New Regulations Added Since Obama Became President. (American Action Forum, 1/6/15) |
| $60 Billion: | Cost Of Obama’s Community College Tuition Plan Over Ten Years. ( TheAssociated Press , 1/9/15) |
| $3.4 Billion: | Average Amount Of Debt Added Daily Since Obama Became President. (U.S. Treasury Department, Accessed 1/14/15) |
| $3.4 Billion: | How Much The Construction Of The Keystone Pipeline Would Contribute To GDP According To A State Department Review. (United States Department Of State, 1/14) |
| 46.5 Million: | Average Number Of Americans Receiving Food Stamps In FY 2014.(Department Of Agriculture, Accessed 1/14/15) |
| 13 Million: | Average Number Of Americans Who Have Joined The Food Stamp Program Since FY 2009. (Department Of Agriculture, Accessed 1/14/15) |
| 7 Million: | Number Of Americans Who Will No Longer Have Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Due To ObamaCare. (Congressional Budget Office, 4/14/14) |
| 5.5 Million: | Americans Who Have Fallen Into Poverty Since Obama Became President.(U.S. Census Bureau, Accessed 1/14/15) |
| 2.3 Million: | Americans Who Are Only Marginally Attached To The Labor Force. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 1/14/15) |
| 401,000: | Construction Jobs Lost Since Obama Became President. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 1/14/15) |
| 321,000: | Manufacturing Jobs Lost Since Obama Became President. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 1/14/15) |
| 273,000: | Number Of People Who Left The Labor Force Between November AndDecember Of 2014. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 1/14/15) |
| $56,492: | Current Debt Per Capita Under Obama. (U.S. Census Bureau, Accessed 1/14/15; U.S. Treasury Department, Accessed 1/14/15) |
| 42,100: | Number Of Jobs The Construction Of The Keystone Pipeline Would Support Over Two Years According To A State Department Review. (United States Department Of State, 1/14) |
| $21,724: | Increase In Debt Per Capita For Americans Since Obama Took Office. (U.S. Census Bureau, Accessed 1/14/15; U.S. Treasury Department, Accessed 1/14/15) |
| $4,154: | Increase In Family Health Care Premiums Under Obama. (The Kaiser Family Foundation, 9/10/14) |
| $2,484: | Decline In Median Household Income Since Obama Became President. (U.S. Census Bureau, Accessed 1/14/15) |
| 1978: | The Last Time The Labor Force Participation Rate Was At Its Current level.(BLS, 1/24/14) |
| 677: | Individuals Who Have Been Through Obama’s Revolving Door. (Center For Responsive Politics, Accessed 1/12/15) |
| 215: | Rounds Of Golf Obama Has Played Since He Has Taken Office. (Mark Knoller,Twitter Feed, 12/31/14; Mark Knoller, Twitter Feed, 1/4/15) |
| 174: | Number Of Days Obama Has Spent All Or Part On Vacation. (CBS News, 12/22/14; Mark Knoller, Twitter Feed, 1/4/15) |
| 100%: | Total Debt As A Percentage Of GDP Under Obama. (OMB, Accessed 1/14/15) |
| 65.7%: | Labor Force Participation Rate When Obama Became President. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 1/14/15) |
| 62.7%: | Labor Force Participation Rate In December. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 1/14/15) |
| 65: | Number Of Fundraisers Obama Attended In 2014. (Mark Knoller, Twitter Feed, 12/2/14) |
| 32.8: | Average Number Of Weeks Someone Will Be Unemployed. (BLS, 1/14/15) |
| 14.5%: | Poverty Rate In 2013. (U.S. Census, Accessed 1/23/14) |
| 13.2%: | Poverty Rate Before Obama Became President. (U.S. Census, Accessed 1/23/14) |
| 6: | Veto Threats Issued By Obama In The New Year. (The White House Website, Accessed 1/19/15; ABC News, 1/16/15) |
| 0: | Attempts To Actually Work With Congress |
