Disclaimer: I voted for Obama, twice. I voted for him even though our political ideologies are diametrically opposed. (Democratic Socialism vs. Anarcho-Capitalism)

President Obama has done a number of *great* things for *some* groups of folks. For most, and the country’s future, not so much. The middle class comes to mind as a group he’s done nothing for. (Actually, he’s made things far worse.) I do believe his heart has mostly been in the right place – but all I have to judge that by are public speeches. Results though, speak for themselves. And at the end of the day, there’s a world of difference between good deed and good intention.

The good things notwithstanding – the economy is, unfortunately, NOT one of his triumphs.

, and how the economy is so much better off now that he’s had six years to fix it all up. It’s really been bothering me, as does most of partisan politics these days, so I created my own take on an analysis-of-the-entire-US-economy-in-a-social-media-meme-graphic, which is below. (BTW, the above graphic encapsulates the problems inherent with a populist president, and a populist nation. If you really think an honest judgement of the economy can fit within a graphic social media meme, you’ve just illustrated my point.)

Here are some counter points to consider:

– Dow Jones – This only helps those invested – the rich – and only about half of the middle class (and none of the poor). Less people are invested now than any time in the last 4 presidencies.

– Unemployment – This number (and most of the factors used to calculate it) has been changed in the last 6 years (more on that later). It is now misleading at best, purposefully skewed at worst. African-American unemployment is at 10.9%. ‘Real’ unemployment, in the economic sense, is north of 12% for whites. Real unemployment for African-Americans is even worse at north of 16%. Even ‘real’ unemployment doesn’t even begin to address the fact the fewer Americans are even considered when calculating this number. I’ll explain the Labor Force Participation Rate below, but for now, know that it’s at its lowest level since 1978!!

– GDP Growth – This is over simplified. The quoted numbers were each for one financial quarter, and different ones at that. (That’s the definition of ‘cherry picking’) That 3.5% is not an annual number, or even an average of the last six years. That is more along the lines of 2%.

– Deficit %GDP – This number is far less important than the DEBT. Most Americans don’t understand the difference between the two, and liberals purposefully use this ignorance. Deficit is the annual budget surplus/shortfall. Debt is the overall carried balance – the total that we owe.

– CCI – Consumer Confidence is always higher when the Dow is higher, but, as mentioned – this really is actually helping only half of the country.

Here are many more important numbers at which to be looking:

-40% under Obama (His personal net worth is +438%!!!!!)$18 Trillion (more than doubled under Obama – 107% of GDP!)$20+ Trillion (more than doubled under Obama – 120%+ of GDP!)62.8% (Lowest since 1979 – this is bad)~3% (almost half of all unemployed persons)up 15.8% since 2008 (this is bad – we pay more)up 10.3% since 2008 (this is bad – we pay more – it continues to rise even though inflation is near zero!)More than tripled the total money supply (this is making our money worth less)-4.6% (horrible – WON’T RECOVER TO 2007 LEVELS UNTIL 2019 AT THE EARLIEST!!!!)up 5,459,000 (Reagan created 16,000,000+ in 8 yrs)3:1 (15% of US – up 45% since 2008)60% of Americans receive more in benefits than they pay in taxes (CBO report Nov. 2014)62% of Americans now make $20/hr or less-2.4% (since 2008 – lowest in 19 years)up 5,489,000 since 2008 (horrible)

By comparison, the economies of Russia, Argentina, Greece, Cyprus, and Spain completely cratered at a Debt-to-GDP ratio of > 100%!! This isn’t about China calling in its debt certificates, it’s centered in the fact that we spend more than we make – and Moody’s and S&P will downgrade us – and then other countries *stop buying* the debt instruments we rely on to run the country (and even to pay back previous debt) and we **WILL** collapse. (After taxes go to 100%, and gold and currency confiscation.) It’s math & finance – not politics.

Evaluate the President on his merits of his actions and the data – not on the color of his skin, or what he’s done for your demographic. Economic populism is not an economic strategy. You can blame things on someone else if you like, but the President either takes responsibility for himself, or he doesn’t. You’re in office, you’re responsible, IMHO. I guess what I’m saying is we need to start digging deeper and truly understanding what is going on in our world – how things actually work, and how we can change them together – instead of just blindly cheering for Team Edward or Team Jacob.

P.S. Every President hopes History will vindicate them. It rarely does.

URLs for further reading:

http://money.cnn.com/2013/05/09/investing/american-stock-ownership/

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t02.htm (Latest Employment Bulletin)

http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300000 (Labor Force Participation Rate – change the drop down ‘from’ to 1970)

http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21620199-america-getting-richer-most-voters-cant-feel-it-woes-average-joe

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kylesmith/2014/09/11/sorry-obama-fans-reagan-did-better-on-jobs-and-growth/

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2014/may/28/facebook-posts/social-media-meme-says-75-have-joined-food-stamp-r/

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/17-facts-to-show-to-anyone-that-believes-that-the-u-s-economy-is-just-fine

http://www.factcheck.org/2014/01/obamas-numbers-january-2014-update/

http://www.factcheck.org/2014/10/obamas-numbers-october-2014-update/

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-11-18/60-households-get-more-benefits-they-pay-taxes

http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/49440-Distribution-of-Income-and-Taxes.pdf

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101062461#

http://www.globalresearch.ca/economic-recovery-for-the-u-s-middle-class-significantly-less-purchasing-power-than-before-the-2008-financial-crisis/5403937

http://www.financialsense.com/contributors/matthew-kerkhoff/qe-printing-money-inflation

http://www.ijreview.com/2014/05/138996-obama-1er-438-increase-wealth-since-taking-office/

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/07/obamanomics-in-action-typical-us-household-worth-one-third-less-than-under-bush/

http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/04/23/a-rise-in-wealth-for-the-wealthydeclines-for-the-lower-93/

http://breakingbrown.com/2014/10/black-wealth-has-fallen-further-under-barack-obama-than-under-any-president-since-the-depression/

http://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/NationalHealthAccountsHistorical.html

https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/downloads/proj2008.pdf

http://nypost.com/2014/10/12/obamas-4-trillion-gift-to-the-rich/

http://www.usdebtclock.org

http://www.shadowstats.com

http://www.zerohedge.org

http://www.cbo.gov

http://www.bls.gov